Top lists: How to get recognized

If you’ve been watching your inbox over the last few months, you’ve probably noticed the arrival of invitations from different industry publications and organizations, asking for nominations for their annual awards or top ten lists. Managers and firms featured in these lists garner additional publicity and recognition for their firms from the pages of such top publications as Money Management Executive and Barron’s, among others. But how can you help your top executives stand out in a sea of nominations?

First, remember that few of these lists are purely quantitative. Most submissions would benefit from upfront research and story telling throughout.

Here are seven more tips to consider before hitting submit.

• Do a little bit of research – What criteria are the judges looking for? Are there any commonalities between past winners? Who is on the judging panel? A quick Google search should tell you these things, as well as any other trends that might be notable in the lists’ history. Once you’ve established a profile for past winners, dig a little deeper. Can you find out how many nominees there usually are? Using that information, you can quickly calculate how likely it is that your nominee will be named a winner.
• Tell a good story – Give your nominee a hook worth telling a story about—a growth strategy that works or a common problem that they solve in a unique way. It's usually not enough to simply answer the survey questions.
• Make your nomination timely –You can submit positive press coverage of your nominee to the judging panel. Make sure that the coverage is also timely though. It’s great that your executive had a good story in 2012, but now that is stale. Industry awards are generally presented annually, so it’s important to include merits from the last year.
• Stress tenure – ok, so you should be sure to tell the judges about the nominee’s recent accomplishments. Don’t forget to remind them how long your client has been in the industry, though. Did they ride out the 2009 crash with grace and style? Did they pull themselves up by their bootstraps in the 80’s? Be sure to tell the judges about the experiences that make your client unique.
• Build a relationship – In addition to submitting the written answers they ask for, try to set an in-person meeting between your nominee and the award’s organizer. There is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting when forming a relationship.
• Meet other reporters – Couldn’t get a face-to-face with the organizer? Try to introduce your nominee to other reporters or editors from the publication sponsoring the award. It’s very likely that these people have some influence on including executives they like and respect
• Leverage other visibility – Does your client speak at industry conferences? Do they have a following on a blog or social media sites? Are they a thought leader? This type of publicity, while less traditional than news articles or tv features, can be just as important when establishing a nominee’s value.

Then once you win, distribute a press release and add it to your Website and your executive's biography.