Too much PR begins with asking a business what it wants to say, rather than establishing what it knows that other people don't.

There is a fundamental difference between the two.

Some of the strongest stories I have secured for clients did not begin with a press release, a planned campaign or a new piece of research.

They began with a conversation.

An observation. A passing remark. Something a client considered relatively unremarkable because it was so familiar to them.

To a journalist, it was potentially a story.

Having spent 14.5 years in journalism and more than a decade in PR, I have learned that the most interesting part of a conversation often comes after the question you originally intended to ask.

What does the expert know that the reader doesn't?

Following Finnoah PR's recent Budget work with specialist tax firm Forbes Dawson, I was interested in identifying advice that went beyond the commentary we had already secured in the national media.

What opportunities might taxpayers have overlooked? Were there existing reliefs people could make better use of? Could a financial decision made today affect a tax liability from the previous year?

These are the kinds of questions that can take a conversation beyond an explanation of tax policy and towards something of genuine practical value to readers.

A journalist covering changes to taxation will have access to numerous experts capable of explaining the new rules.

Far fewer will be able to identify a consequence that has received little attention, or an opportunity that readers may not have considered.

That is where the value lies.

Finding the angle that makes expertise relevant

When offshore bonds became a marketing priority for Finnoah client Tideway Wealth, the challenge was to make a highly technical financial planning subject relevant to national newspaper readers.

Offshore bonds are not, in themselves, an obvious news story.

But how families can pass on their wealth, particularly in the context of changes to inheritance tax, is a subject of considerable interest to the national press.

The task was to connect the two.

By focusing on the implications for families and drawing on Tideway's specialist expertise, we developed a story that secured coverage in The Times, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail.

The subject itself had not changed. What had changed was the way its relevance to the reader had been established.

That is one of the most important aspects of journalist-led PR.

Read the Tideway Wealth case study.

Ask what the journalist would ask next

When I was working in national journalism, an interesting answer was often the beginning of an interview, not the end of it.

What evidence supports that? How unusual is it? Who is affected? Can you give me an example?

It is an approach I carry into my work at Finnoah PR.

A luxury travel specialist might mention that customers are booking holidays at different times of the year.

Is that simply a change in booking patterns, or does it reflect a wider shift in how people are choosing to travel? What is driving it? Who is doing it? What evidence is there?

The first answer establishes the subject. The questions which follow begin to uncover the story.

Sometimes the answers reveal that there is nothing particularly newsworthy.

That is useful, too. Knowing when not to pitch a story is just as important as knowing when to pursue one.

The client should own the opinion

There is an important distinction between helping an expert articulate a view and supplying them with one.

The strongest expert commentary comes from people who genuinely understand their subject and have something worthwhile to contribute.

The role of the PR consultant is to ask the questions which bring that expertise to the surface, then help shape the answers into something a journalist and their readers can use.

That may involve making technical information more accessible, challenging an assumption or recognising that the most interesting observation is buried halfway through a conversation.

It should not mean manufacturing an opinion simply because it might attract a headline.

This is particularly important in financial services and other technical sectors, where credibility depends on accuracy and the ability to substantiate what is being said.

A compelling headline is of little value if the expert cannot stand behind it.

Think beyond the brief

One of the advantages of having worked on both sides of the media is understanding what a journalist is likely to ask next.

Before presenting a story, I want to understand whether it stands up to scrutiny. What can we substantiate? What have we overlooked? Is there a more interesting story here?

Sometimes that means going back to a client with further questions. Sometimes it means developing original research. Occasionally, it means challenging the original brief because there is a stronger editorial opportunity elsewhere.

At Finnoah PR, media relations starts with understanding a business, its expertise and the conversations it has a credible reason to be part of.

The best stories are not always the ones a client comes to us with.

Sometimes, they are the ones we discover together.