It's a fair question. The Australian Financial Review is the publication that decision-makers read. Investors, board members, potential acquirers, senior talent, the big retail buyers you've been chasing for months. Coverage there doesn't just reach people. It reaches the right people, and it tells them your business is worth taking seriously.
As an Account Director at Compass Studio, I've seen what a well-placed AFR story can do for a brand. Inbound interest from investors. A founder suddenly taking calls they couldn't get a month earlier. A retail partner who finally says yes. It carries a credibility that paid media can't really replicate.
But getting into the AFR has nothing in common with getting into a lifestyle roundup, and brands that treat the two the same usually hear nothing back.
Start with the numbers
AFR journalists are writing for a business audience, and business audiences want substance. Revenue figures. Growth rates. Funding details. Margins, customer numbers, expansion plans. The questions a smart investor would ask are the questions the journalist will ask.
This is often where the conversation with clients gets interesting. Many brands are understandably protective of their numbers, and they aren't obliged to share everything. But a story without real figures is a hard sell at the AFR. If you want the coverage, you need to be prepared to put something meaningful on the table.
Make it exclusive
AFR journalists want to break news, not follow it. An exclusive gives a journalist a real reason to prioritise your story over the many others landing in their inbox. That might be a funding announcement, a first look at proprietary data, or a revenue milestone that hasn't been shared anywhere else.
We're deliberate about this. Rather than sending the same story to every outlet at once, we'll often offer the AFR first access to the right announcement, then plan the wider rollout from there. Done well, one strong exclusive can set the tone for everything that follows.
Know the journalist, not just the masthead
The AFR isn't one audience. It's a collection of desks and columns, each with its own editor, beat and style. Something that suits the Rear Window column won't suit the Street Talk team or a retail reporter. Before we pitch, we read what that journalist has written recently, understand what they cover and think carefully about why this story belongs with them.
Relationships matter here too. Journalists remember who sends them useful, accurate, well-prepared stories, and who wastes their time.
Put forward an excellent interviewee
Even a strong story can fall flat with the wrong spokesperson. AFR journalists want someone who can speak with authority and candour about the business, the market and where things are heading. Usually that's the founder or CEO, well briefed and comfortable talking about the numbers without hiding behind talking points.
We spend real time preparing spokespeople: anticipating the hard questions, sharpening the key messages and making sure they can say something with a genuine point of view. A spokesperson who can offer a sharp, quotable view on their industry is worth far more than one who can only recite the company boilerplate.
Landing in the AFR is earned, not requested. The brands that get there are the ones that come prepared with real numbers, a real story and someone worth listening to.
Make 2027 the year you land in the AFR. Book your Strategic Review today.
Get in touch at compass-studio.com/contact-us