The question of trust, which I wrote about in a previous blog is becoming more important by the day.
Recent analysis from two companies, Unicepta and Muck Rack, which landed in our inbox shows the extent to which external sources and narratives are driving people’s views of companies.
Unicepta found that in over 90% of its analyses1, the way in which companies are represented in AI systems is largely driven by external sources and narratives.
Similarly, Muck Rack analysed more than 1 million links from AI responses2 and found that non-paid media accounts for about 94% of links cited; the majority of which come from journalistic sources. Earned media (non-paid journalistic coverage) forms about 25% of all citations.
So naturally I wanted to ask my new best friend, ChatGPT, what it thought about all this. I asked how many of its own citations are driven by journalistic sources, and it said: “journalistic sources typically account for somewhere between ~20% and ~47% of AI citations, depending on the study, query type and methodology.”
You could surmise that this is because journalist-generated copy is trusted. Journalists – and publications’ sub-editors – are a reliable third-party voice when it comes to facts. Facts have been checked, sources verified. The element of trust is there.
This is important for any brand because people are increasingly starting to switch their search activity from traditional search engines towards AI models3 – a trend which is set to gather speed exponentially if my own search use is anything to go by. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is usurping SEO when it comes to search.
Clearly this shift will have implications for companies who want to raise their visibility. Credible media coverage will be more important than ever if you want your company to be considered or even discovered by audiences.
Quill PR has been helping clients raise their profile via earned coverage for over a quarter of a century now, and we understand how positive media coverage can help businesses meet their objectives. The importance of this type of exposure looks set to grow exponentially over the coming months.
Chat GPT then helpfully offered me a ready-made quote I could use in my blog. Thanks friend!
“Roughly a quarter of AI-generated citations now come from journalistic sources, rising to nearly half for time-sensitive queries such as markets and regulation. For UK financial services firms, that reinforces a familiar truth: authoritative, earned media coverage isn’t just shaping reputation — it’s increasingly shaping how AI systems interpret credibility and surface information to investors.”
Emma Murphy is a Director at Quill PR
1. source UNICEPTA: GEO – Generative Engine Optimization for AI Search Visibility
2. source What Is AI Reading? December 2025 [Final]
3. source 37% of consumers start searches with AI instead of Google: Study
Quill PR team, 2025.
Tell us about your company, services and specialisms
We are a boutique agency specialising in media relations and strategic communications for the investment, wealth management and financial advice industry, as well as PR and investor relations for investment trusts.
Which financial services clients do you currently work with?
We only work with financial services firms and our clients range from large asset managers, wealth managers, investment trusts and investment industry bodies to smaller boutique and start-up businesses. Our asset management clients cover the gamut from private equity and real assets to listed funds covering all and every type of asset class.
Who is on your team?
We are a close-knit senior team with a variety of industry backgrounds, plus some Rising Stars (as nominated by Headlinemoney!)
What’s the best way to get in contact with your team?
Email or telephone/mobile is the easiest way to get hold of any of us. Or just pop in to our offices for a coffee.
How long does it take you to turn around requests?
We always aim to turn around requests within the deadlines we are given, even if they are within a few hours.
What kind of resources do you have at your disposal – e.g. spokespeople, case studies etc
We have some excellent fund manager, wealth manager and distribution experts who are always happy to help, diaries permitting. We can cover almost any asset class, as well as comment on tax and planning through our wealth clients. We have some real characters among our client base as well, as many of your journalist readers can probably attest to!
Tell us about any recent press campaigns you have worked on
Quill is currently working on a major investment trust campaign alongside agencies, Hub and Warhorse. Called “The Missing Lever”, the campaign looks to help investment trusts take a broader view to help shrink discounts, reduce the amount of buybacks and organically grow their company. This includes an industry-led campaign, making full use of marketing and PR to reach a wider audience of potential investors. Quill, Hub and Warhorse launched the campaign with a documentary screening featuring luminaries of the investment trust world and drinks at the London Stock Exchange in September.
Congratulations on your success at the 2025 Headlinemoney Awards! How did you feel when you were announced as PR Agency of Year?
Regrettably, I was away when the awards happened but judging by the number of excited messages I received during the evening, I would say the team were overjoyed.
Any upcoming events for the financial press in the next few months?
We will be continuing with The Missing Lever investment trust campaign and hoping to speak to as many investment trusts as we can. The first of a series of regular roundtables is starting on 14 October.
Quite a few of our clients will be hosting 2026 outlook breakfasts and lunches over the next few weeks, and our clients often host popular journalist masterclasses on more complex financial services topics which could use a little extra explanation.
We’re more than happy to arrange meetings with… CEOs, spokespeople, star managers, etc
Our clients would love to meet any journalists in the investment, wealth and advice space (and frequently do), so please do get in touch.
Do you have any upcoming stories for journalists to look out for?
2026 outlooks and, of course, the Budget! Plus, some exciting new fund launches, private equity fund closes, roundtables and lots more!
And finally, anything else you would like to bring to the attention of financial journalists?
I know many claim it, but Quill really is a one-stop shop for anything and everything investment-related, and we pride ourselves on our responsiveness and helpfulness in our dealings with journalist colleagues.
This article was originally published on HeadlineMoney.co.uk
With more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, Quill has been recognised for its outstanding work in the investment trust and managed funds sector. It combines strong investor relations with its specialism in financial services media relations, offering an outsourced ‘in-house’ PR service to clients.
The panel-judged ADVFN awards recognise and celebrate best of breed products and services from across the financial industry, both nationally and internationally. Now in their seventh year, the awards are well established and recognised across the retail investor market.
Commenting on Quill’s award, an ADFVN spokesperson said: “Renewed investor enthusiasm for trusts and funds has seen ADVFN working closely with numerous companies and agencies in the investment trust and managed funds arena. Quill PR has been consistently praised for its communications and IR expertise within this industry.”
Quill was among 56 companies and individuals across the global financial industry to have been honoured in the 2021 awards.
Sam Emery, Managing Director, Quill PR said: “We are thrilled to have gained the recognition of the ADVFN judges for our investor relations and communications work. The team works exceptionally hard on behalf of clients, and after a year which threw up many challenges the award is testament to their commitment and ability to rise above the noise to continue to provide a seamless, quality service.”
August 2020
This song by The Clash reminded me of several conversations I have had with client CEOs and journalists over the last few days.
There seems to be a “back to school” mentality emerging with the novelty of video conferencing wearing thin. Some find the technology deeply frustrating and no substitute for face-to-face meetings. This, combined with acute webinar fatigue and more people saying they are missing colleague interaction and the general office buzz, is leading to thoughts of ‘going back’.
Whilst the majority admit they don’t miss the commute and some have used this ‘bonus’ time constructively, they genuinely miss the camaraderie of an office environment.
The UK seems to be the slowest country in Europe to return. Data from Morgan Stanley suggests, in spite of the PM’s best endeavours to encourage a return to work, only 34% of UK office workers are back, lagging Italy, France, and Germany where 70% to 83% have returned to their desks. Of course, there will be those who have had this decision made for them as they have been victims of this evolving economic catastrophe and have sadly been made redundant, over 136,000 at the time of writing and this figure is only going to go in one direction. Only today, high street stalwart M&S announced that it would shed over 7,000 jobs as a result of the pandemic.
So, whilst the working week might not be the same post-Covid, do we not owe it to those businesses who rely on offices being busy for their livelihoods to go back? In our area of the City many of these shops, hairdressers, bars and restaurants are not only there to look after us but are an integral and valued part of the working community, some family-owned businesses have been there for decades. It would be a travesty if they disappeared. Sadly, there is already a horrible inevitably that some will never re-open. Last week, global asset manager Schroders announced that it will allow thousands of staff to permanently work from home as it abandons the traditional nine-to-five working week. Others will surely follow.
For many of course, the issue isn’t being in the office per se, but rather getting there – hundreds of thousands of people on packed trains and tubes making commutes potentially risky isn’t an attractive prospect. But once the children return to school, the summer comes to an end, the nights pull in and we are once again forced inside – the prospect of a few days in the office and some more ‘normal’ might become more appealing.
Some companies are already actively encouraging people back, with shorter working days and running 50/50 parallel teams in the office at any one time.
Of course, all businesses differ and much will depend on the size and the adaptability of their office workspace. The logistics of getting thousands of employees in and out of a Canary Wharf skyscraper will be rather more challenging than more traditional office spaces. French hotel group, Accor which owns the Savoy as well as brands such as Ibis, is letting out hotel rooms to businesses as one solution. So, for those who don’t want to or find it difficult to work from home but want the discipline of going to work as well as being well located for face-to-face meetings, it’s an interesting Plan-B option.
There is no doubt that the plethora of video meeting platforms (I’ve had to use more than five) will become a permanent fixture, and for many they have and will considerably reduce travelling times and costs for many businesses. But we are social creatures and it really isn’t a substitute for the real thing, particularly if it’s an initial ‘get to know’ or relationship building meeting. As Clare Foges in The Times said: “Please let tech-distancing be for the pandemic, not for life.”
I for one am looking forward to a little bit of office ‘normal’ in the not too distant future and re-engaging with colleagues and contacts. Although the Savoy option does sound interesting!
When I started my PR career in the early 80’s I’m afraid it was the era of big hair, big earrings and even bigger shoulder pads.
For those of you old enough to remember, think Alexis Colby’s look in Dynasty and you’ve got it! At this time, media land was a world apart from where we are today – all the main newspapers were actually located in Fleet Street for a start. Imagine a working day without mobiles, the internet, e-mail or Twitter, it was a much less frenetic environment but not nearly as exciting as today’s fast-paced 24\7 global media.
Technology has totally revolutionised and reinvigorated the entire press landscape and had a dramatic impact on the media relations industry and how we work with journalists. When working with our clients to get their stories and messages out to a wider audience we now have so many exciting communication channels available to us and a myriad of choice when it comes to disseminating news, be it via traditional print or social media.
So, whilst technology has increased the number of tools available to us, wider industry developments have also opened up a much broader potential audience. Regulatory developments such as the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) and the universal democratisation of pensions is finally pushing savings and investments onto the front pages of the mainstream media, and about time too!
It is very encouraging to see high-profile TV campaigns such at Lloyds Bank’s ‘The M Word’ and even the traditional print media finally devoting more space to savings and investments, the Mail on Sunday’s new ‘Wealth’ section being a case in point.
Online titles have also created much greater demand for visuals – I can’t emphasise enough here the need for quality, creative photography. We are undoubtedly now living in a ‘more pictures, less words’ media world. Charts, infographics or video used creatively to make a particular point or explain a topic are, not to put too fine a point on it, media gold dust.
The rise of YouTube as a highly efficient and cost-effective medium to push out messages is a prime example of the increasing popularity and shift to visual media – you probably won’t be entirely surprised to know that the majority of under 25’s now default to YouTube rather than Google for their information.
So, does all this exciting new media spell the inevitable slow, agonising death of traditional print? My view is a resounding no, but publishers will have to be resourceful and adapt to meet this new paradigm. I have a theory that paid-for Monday to Friday print titles, with one or two key exceptions, will all but disappear over the next 10 years. However, the weekend papers which are more of a leisure purchase and a lifestyle choice will endure because they are seen as ‘entertainment’ and are tangible and trusted by their loyal readers.
Encouragingly, in print land we are also seeing the rise in popularity of the media amalgamators – titles such as MoneyWeek and The Week, amongst others.
Whichever camp you are in, print or online, we are very fortunate in this country to have a dynamic, exciting and highly regarded media. Long may they flourish.
Fiona Harris is founder and chairman of Quill PR
Tim Harford wrote an interesting piece for BBC this week on the line between gambling and insurance. He also mentioned derivatives which piqued our interest.
In the article, Harford recounts that the Lloyds insurance market originated as a group of people taking a bet on topical events and evolved into a bigger group of people taking lots of bets on many different things – which ultimately became what we now call insurance.
We have alluded to this before by saying that something that seems like a gamble (a bet on red on a roulette wheel, let’s say) may actually constitute a reduction in risk (if, for example, you have already placed a bet on black). The same is true of derivatives usage – they may look like a leveraged bet in isolation (on interest rates or equity market falls for example) but pension schemes see value in them because they already have an offsetting risk in place (liabilities and equity holdings).
Harford’s article provides crop insurance as an example. Crop insurance is not dissimilar to a bet on the weather. For instance, it may be a bet that there will be little or no rainfall in any given year. However, African farmers have an offsetting risk that, in the event of drought, they will lose their crops. Consequentially, taking a bet on dry weather actually gives those farmers confidence that, should the weather be against them, they will be compensated for an otherwise poor year. In fact, Harford suggests that studies have shown that farmers who buy crop insurance actually increase their productivity as a result of this additional confidence they’ve gained by having the security in place. There is an interesting TED talk from Rose Goslinga on this subject here.
This method of insurance is not hugely dissimilar to the function of brakes in cars. How fast would you be prepared to drive if your car had its brakes removed? I think most of us would drive significantly slower.
The interesting point here is that something that costs us money (insurance) or that is designed to slow us down (brakes) can actually improve our performance. In a financial context, the point is that risk management tools shouldn’t be seen as something which only acts as a drag on return.
The confidence provided by having those tools in place may give you the confidence to invest and earn the return you need.
Tim Harford links to derivatives as a way of gambling on financial outcomes. Clearly this is true for some people. However, for pension schemes, derivatives are used as a risk management tool that offsets another risk. The idea being that this not only provides protection but also provides confidence to invest.
Over the next few months we intend to test this idea with pension scheme representatives by giving them an opportunity to drive around our ‘circuit’ both with, and without, brakes. We will report back with our findings.
To view more insight from River and Mercantile’s derivatives team, see here.
The financial services sector has been bombarded with a myriad of issues to deal with in recent years. Now however an even greater and far more sinister threat to business stability and reputation is stalking the industry from the shadows: cyber-crime. Whilst historically it has been the mega banks and larger consumer facing institutions who have suffered most, the cyber-criminals have picked over the bones of the “big beasties”, and are increasingly turning their attention to smaller, more vulnerable prey – so beware, your business may be their next meal!
In an industry based largely on trust where it takes years to build a well-respected quality brand and minutes for it to be destroyed, the financial services sector is vulnerable to this quiet and often invisible predator. Most businesses have crisis contingency plans in place to counter those threats that you can actually see, but cyber-criminals are sophisticated animals and operate in the anonymous murky darkness – it may be hours, days or even weeks before you even realise that your system has been violated. Added to this, in many cases the UK authorities are powerless and unable to fight back as these cyber-gangs frequently operate in jurisdictions outside the UK.
Whilst the financial services sector continues to grapple with the challenges of ever evolving (and increasing) regulation, a 2015 Linedata survey, found that cybercrime presents the biggest threat to the asset management industry over the next five years. In addition to the obvious financial consequences, these events can be disastrous for businesses where trust and reputation are a vital element of their continued success. The financial services industry has a duty of care to protect sensitive information and not leave their clients’ data or hard earned cash exposed. It seems this has not gone unnoticed. In a recent survey of 20 leading UK wealth management firms by Compeer and specialist cyber insurance broker Lark, some 90 percent rated the threat of cybercrime as either high or very high and clients were at the forefront of the wealth management industry’s current investment in technology.
Whilst in communications terms one can plan for the unexpected, there is an inevitability that most businesses, however vigilant, will experience some form of cyber-attack or data breach. So how best to deal with it and minimise reputational risk?
You certainly can’t play the victim card as you have a duty of care to protect your clients and defend them against these stealthy and faceless criminals. There are numerous factors to consider: financial losses, client data, resultant regulatory breaches. It is important to ascertain as quickly as possible what exactly has happened and how your various stakeholders have been impacted before necessarily rushing to make an external statement. Until you are fully appraised of the facts and of the extent and indeed veracity of the breech, any action should be tempered with extreme caution. At Quill, we recently advised a client who was being held to ransom by alleged cyber criminals when, in fact it transpired that no data had actually been accessed.
It is as important to deal with internal communications as well as external and all messages should be consistent with and complementary to top-line corporate messaging. Being prepared and having a robust “what if” plan in place which can be quickly implemented should the worst happen will help minimise financial loss and, most importantly, minimise long-term reputational damage.
If it does happen to you, remember these cyber criminals are indiscriminate, however vigilant you may be. It isn’t personal and sadly you aren’t the only tasty morsel on their lunch menu.
Overview
To manage PR around Richard Pease’s move to CRUX Asset Management and the transfer of his Henderson European Special Situations Fund in June 2015 and the launch of a new fund – the CRUX European fund in September 2015.
Detail
Quill worked closely with the recently-launched CRUX Asset Management to devise corporate messaging and media strategy ahead of Richard Pease joining the firm and the transfer of his top-performing Henderson European Special Situations Fund. An exclusive interview with a core trade set the backdrop for this news supported by a launch lunch for senior trade journalists at Spencer House, co-ordinated by Quill.
Over the subsequent summer months, profile-raising media relations continued, albeit lower key. CRUX planned to launch a new fund – the CRUX European fund in September, and it was important not to detract attention from that through over-exposure in the quieter holiday period.
Quill advised offering the news of the launch to the Financial Times on an exclusive basis and on Monday, 7 September 2015, news of the fund’s launch was announced in the FT’s morning bulletin. A series of one-to-one briefings followed with key trade press journalists including a video interview with Citywire Global and a profile with Portfolio Adviser. This initial activity generated over twenty separate pieces of coverage including articles in the FT and Daily Telegraph.
Post-launch, it was important to maintain brand awareness and Quill secured profile interviews featuring Richard Pease across trade, consumer finance and national publications, including the influential FTfm ‘Face-to-face’ interview.
While maintaining a programme of select media relations for Richard, responsibility for media communications has widened to include James Milne and Roland Grender to demonstrate the breadth of investment talent at CRUX. Quill continues to promote CRUX’s investment expertise through a series of portfolio-related media bulletins, profile interviews and face-to-face meetings with national, trade and consumer finance press.
To launch ZyFin, an asset management and advisory firm focused on the high growth segment of emerging market ETFs, into the UK.
Building on this corporate launch, to provide media relations to support the listing of the first Indian fixed income ETF on the London Stock Exchange, on 19 November 2015.
This ETF offers British and international investors exposure to a basket of Indian public sector corporate bonds, including the Indian railways and Indian Rural Electrification Corporation, for the first time.
Quill worked closely with ZyFin to devise corporate messaging and media strategy leading up to and around this momentous event.
To build media interest around the listing of the ETF, Quill exploited the three-day visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 November 2015 highlighting the investment case for the sub-continent, securing coverage in national and trade publications ranging from The Telegraph, FT.com, FTSE Global Markets, WealthBriefing, WealthNet to ETF Strategy.
On 19 November 2015, the LSE welcomed ZyFin and Sun Global Investments, partners in this joint venture, to open trading on its markets. Ahead of this, an exclusive interview between the Financial Times and Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of ZyFin, Sanjay Sachdev and CEO of Sun Global, Mihir Kapadia ensured strong, on message coverage in an extremely influential publication to support the launch.
After the market open at 8.00am there were colourful speeches from Nikhil Rathi, CEO of LSE, the Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP, SS Kohli, recently Chairman of India Infrastructure Finance Company, KC Chakrabarty, ex Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Mihir Kapadia, CEO of Sun Global and Sanjay Sachdev, Executive Chairman of ZyFin.
Quill masterminded a press breakfast roundtable held at LSE Group headquarters, focused on this new innovative EFT.
The LAM Sun Global ZyFin India Sovereign Enterprise Bond UCITS ETF trades under the tickers CRRY (GDP) and CURY (USD) and was thus dubbed the first ‘curry bond’. A press release was issued that morning resulting in a great deal of coverage and a flurry of tweets.
In addition, Quill PR drafted the wording for a Foreign Office document for inclusion in the Modi State Visit announcement and the listing was mentioned in a press release from the Prime Minister’s office:
“ZyFin and Sun Global announced that they would be listing the world’s first India fixed income exchange traded fund (ETF) on the London Stock Exchange – the broadest ETF market in Europe. Capitalising on the recent reforms led by Prime Minister Modi, this ETF will give international investors access to the Indian fixed income market, which is worth $1.3 trillion and is a vital source of finance for the infrastructure sector.”
Going beyond the UK
Quill PR worked with the Deutsche Börse on the logistics and press release ahead of the listing of the ETF on the Xetra on 17 November 2015, achieving broad coverage with key German publications.
To raise Troy Asset Management’s media profile in quality national and top-end investment media to attract new assets from discretionary and direct markets.
With a focussed campaign of press meetings, Quill has introduced Troy Asset Management to the senior journalists they need to know. This has led to a series of corporate profile and fund focus articles across a broad range of print and online media.
Quill uses news flow strategically and fund manager time efficiently to reach the publications read by Troy Asset Management’s clients and prospects. Additionally, Quill has worked with fund manager, Francis Brooke to ensure key media IFA commentators have his Trojan Income Fund on their radar.
Press coverage has been secured in all target publications including The Times, Financial Times, Investors Chronicle, Daily Telegraph, Citywire and Money Week.
Strong press relationships have been established with the fund managers regularly called by journalists for comment.
Quill’s ongoing brief is to maintain press relationships with a focus on Trojan Income and Spectrum funds.