Business communications firm Greentarget has just released the results of interviews with 100 news reporters and editors in their 2014 Disrupting the Press Release report, and it’s clear what journalists want from firms seeking the news spotlight:  just the facts.

The core findings from this report underscore the need for communicators to understand that journalists want only the vital information, and they want it immediately apparent.  Don’t make them wade through a bunch of legal jargon, boilerplate text or self-serving quotes that sound like no human would ever speak those words.

In fact, Greentarget points to a perfect example of the kind of press releases journalists favor:  the ones that come from police departments, who tend to follow TV detective Joe Friday’s maxim of “Just the facts, ma’am.”

And here’s why:  journalists spend less than 60 seconds scanning a press release.  If the value is not immediately apparent, they are on to the next one.  Half the reporters and editors surveyed said that they receive, on average, 50 press releases a week.  The other half said they receive more — up to 100 or more a week.

Beyond writing concise, fact-driven releases, here are some tips on how to grab a reporter’s attention:

• Email your press releases.  80% said they prefer email.  Not one said they prefer a phone call.
• Craft a compelling subject line.  79% said a good subject line gets your release opened.
• Send your release early.  44% said they prefer to get press releases in the morning.
• Leave out the least important information: boilerplate language, stilted quotations, fluff.
• Be sure the journalists you are sending your press release to cover that beat and are relevant to their audiences.

The good news is that 88% of journalists said they still find value in press releases, especially those that contain thought leadership (research, surveys, etc.).  Least valuable?  Personnel announcements.

My experience has shown me that many attorneys are notoriously poor press release writers, both in terms of obtuse language and too much filler.  When it comes to press releases journalists will pay attention to, always remember that less is more.  Better yet, have a professional who knows what they are doing write your press releases.

The post Tips on Creating Press Releases Reporters Will Use appeared first on The National Law Forum.

One of the most frustrating aspects of actively working on law firm social mediaefforts is the feeling that you’re in a vacuum. You often can’t tell if anyone is listening. And, posting, “Do you think I’m awesome?” just won’t cut it.

This is why influence is such a hot topic in social media. Essentially, the more influence you have online the more likely it is that people will not only pay attention to you but also act on what you post. I talk more about influence in this blog post. Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait.

Welcome back. So, influence. It’s a good concept, but it’s a bit of a vicious circle – you need influence to have an impact online but you need to know what your influence is to use it to assess your law firm social media efforts. It makes my head hurt, too.

Or, it used to. Now there’s an online tool that will measure your influence. It’s called Klout (www.klout.com) and it ranks your online influence with a number out of 100. For an example, here’s a link to my Klout Score:http://klout.com/kevinaschenbren. As Klout Scores go, I’m not up there with Brian Solis (85) or Chris Brogan (84), but it’s respectable and, I’m within kissing distance of 50, which is the Klout Score required by a few hotels in Las Vegas in order to qualify for free upgrades (http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=146189).

But I digress. I’ve found Klout very helpful as a sort of diagnostic tool for my social media efforts. It’s not perfect and I quibble with some of the other information you get in your report, but it’s not a bad guidepost.

To find out your Klout Score:

• Go to www.klout.com and type in your Twitter handle.
   
• To see your entire report, I suggest creating an account. It’s free and gives you access to additional data and it will also ensure your score is refreshed regularly.
   
• You can increase the accuracy of your Klout Score by linking your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
   
• Check back periodically to see how your Klout Score is doing.

And, if you really want to have fun with your online influence, check out Empire Avenue (www.empireavenue.com). I’ll leave you to explore that one on your own.

© Copyright 2008-2011, Jaffe PR

One of the most frustrating aspects of actively working on law firm social mediaefforts is the feeling that you’re in a vacuum. You often can’t tell if anyone is listening. And, posting, “Do you think I’m awesome?” just won’t cut it.

This is why influence is such a hot topic in social media. Essentially, the more influence you have online the more likely it is that people will not only pay attention to you but also act on what you post. I talk more about influence in this blog post. Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait.

Welcome back. So, influence. It’s a good concept, but it’s a bit of a vicious circle – you need influence to have an impact online but you need to know what your influence is to use it to assess your law firm social media efforts. It makes my head hurt, too.

Or, it used to. Now there’s an online tool that will measure your influence. It’s called Klout (www.klout.com) and it ranks your online influence with a number out of 100. For an example, here’s a link to my Klout Score:http://klout.com/kevinaschenbren. As Klout Scores go, I’m not up there with Brian Solis (85) or Chris Brogan (84), but it’s respectable and, I’m within kissing distance of 50, which is the Klout Score required by a few hotels in Las Vegas in order to qualify for free upgrades (http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=146189).

But I digress. I’ve found Klout very helpful as a sort of diagnostic tool for my social media efforts. It’s not perfect and I quibble with some of the other information you get in your report, but it’s not a bad guidepost.

To find out your Klout Score:

• Go to www.klout.com and type in your Twitter handle.
   
• To see your entire report, I suggest creating an account. It’s free and gives you access to additional data and it will also ensure your score is refreshed regularly.
   
• You can increase the accuracy of your Klout Score by linking your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
   
• Check back periodically to see how your Klout Score is doing.

And, if you really want to have fun with your online influence, check out Empire Avenue (www.empireavenue.com). I’ll leave you to explore that one on your own.

© Copyright 2008-2011, Jaffe PR

The post Got Klout? Measuring Your Law Firm Social Media Efforts appeared first on The National Law Forum.

When should your team get involved in social networking marketing tactics, and which sites offer the most appropriate venue to shorten the sales cycle? Many marketing departments are still holding back on this initiative for good reason, it is practically impossible to manage what you do not understand.

Determining the right time to jump in is not as important as investigating the sites to determine if your involvement would complement your legal technology marketing or legal services marketing, sales, client communication, or any host of business initiatives. Simply jumping in for the sake of getting your feet wet is not a strategic social networking tactic.  You should do research to gain an understanding of your options, match options with organizational goals, and then consider launching initiatives through multiple outlets. If you do not have time to research this or determine if or how to weave social networking into your organization, call experts in legal marketing and PR services and ask them for social networking strategy advice.

Whether or not sites that are popular today will evolve and remain popular next year cannot be predicted, however, given every teenager knows of this technology and actively uses it, your customers and prospects of the future are developing social networking finesse and will expect to connect with you in a few years in these ways.  If the popular “must have” social networking sites of today fade into the abyss, rest assured, new “must have” networking outlets will emerge to satisfy social networking needs in business. Think of today’s big buzz social networking websites like a wave that has water in it that you can choose to ride or let pass. If you miss this one, certainly there will be another. Because no one knows how long this wave will be upon us, rather than simply waiting for this to pass, there are plenty of good reasons to investigate and consider getting involved today.

Why use Social Networking for Legal Marketing and PR

Connections through social networking sites allow groups to quickly catch up on each other’s business, while also allowing for the free-flow of information.  People are increasingly becoming more excited about checking their social networking page rather than checking email for good reason, spam has a difficult time finding its way into your “friend” list and the platform for interaction is growing increasingly dynamic.

How extensively you get involved with social networking initiatives depends upon how these initiatives align with your firm’s goals. Your firm may want to leverage a site like Facebook to create a client group, post news, share client success stories or post YouTube videos of client testimonials and demos. LinkedIn has recently added greater flexibility into their site as well. For any firm sending out electronic newsletters, or client communications, creating a chat group or client networking group on these sites provides another outlet for sharing important content that may otherwise get buried if it were delivered as an email message.

Top 10 Social Networking Best Practices

1. Conduct your own investigation. Before you determine whether or not to invest resources or any energy into creating a business profile and joining a site, investigate the leading sites and kick the tires! Social networking sites require zero “real cash” outlay, costing only the investment of research time.
2. Select social networking opportunities that support business goals. Test the waters before you dive in, ask your prospects, clients and employees which social networking site they prefer. Not every site is going to be a fit and align with your firm goals.
3. Get the word out – and if needed – educate your clients! Connect to your prospects, clients and who’s who in your channel. Introducing a “chat” group on Facebook for clients makes little sense if your clients have no understanding of how to create a profile or get connected.
4. Structure or limit the time invested in managing a social networking site.Whether responding to posts, making connections with people, or adding content to your profile, make regular updates once or twice weekly. Calendar for 15-minutes one time per week to maintain each site.
5. Avoid getting personal. Publish content relevant to your expertise to establish thought-leadership status. No one really wants to know if you just finished a cup of coffee or if your dog has fleas.
6. Don’t over-stimulate with too much content. Keep postings brief and informational.
7. Resist begging. Create a consistently informational space and followers will line up to “friend” you.
8. Avoid posting on what may be sensitive topics. Events will unfold in the industry or within a competitors business that may be highly tempting to post about. The safest approach is to stay neutral, be informative and remain professional.
9. Measure your activity. You cannot analyze what you cannot measure. Track your tweets, followers, time spent, and conversions.
10. Keep current on social networking trends.Subscribe to a social networking blog or legal industry RSS feed  to receive legal industry social networking, marketing and PR updates daily or weekly.

Recommended Social Media Resource Webcast

Watch this YouTube webcast video, The Business Value Behind Social Media featuring social media experts Charlene Li, David Meerman Scott and Chris Brogan as they weigh in on social media and discuss the latest strategies and opportunities that executives face when considering the implementation of social media initiatives. This webcast was recorded at the Premier Business Leadership Series in Las Vegas in November 2010. Please note, although informative this video is approximately an hour long.

© 2010 Edge Legal Marketing

The post Marketing and PR Social Networking Best Practices appeared first on The National Law Forum.

With millions of unique visitors each month, Twitter is still at the top of the social media game. Some people still use Twitter to catalog boring details of the day. However, savvy and smart users realize Twitter’s usefulness as a concise way of marketing and reaching out to consumers and media.  Read the following do’s & don’ts to continue being one of the savvy and smart users.

• Do make quality friends. Capturing an audience on Twitter is important, but don’t start following 857 people in one day. Start with a few friends, some movers and shakers of your industry, some legal reporters—listen to their tweets, and offer relevant replies. Then continue to follow a few new people week by week. Don’t just follow to follow, but actually think about why you want to connect with a certain person – think “strategic following.” Then contribute meaningful posts each day that others might find interesting as a way to build your own following.
• Do protect your reputation. Twitter can be used to solidify your brand image, and it is an indispensable medium when crisis hits. Maintaining a Twitter account can help your firm when a damaging story hits cyberspace because a response on Twitter is often the fastest way to acknowledge the problem or issue. Failing to address any breaking news that involves your company makes you look at best, incompetent and at worst, guilty. Confidentiality laws may render tweeting a bad idea, but you should always pay attention to what’s happening and be prepared to do damage control when necessary.
• Do be efficient. Building relationships on Twitter can facilitate communication about your legal specialties and expertise. However, using Twitter effectively and appropriately can be a time-consuming job, so try and implement applications that will help you be more efficient like TwitterFeed, TweetDeck and ÜberTwitter. It is also more efficient to partake in niche topic conversations about your practice areas instead of tweeting about the world of law in general. Specificity trumps generality.
• Don’t be boring or narcissistic. Stick to tweeting about pertinent topics and find ways to express your personality through the links you post, rather than tweeting about how many briefs you’ve written that day or what color tie you’re wearing. Share links to legal headlines or comment on stories related to your expertise. Participate in discussion, reply to other users’ tweets, re-tweet their tweets—Twitter is not a one-person game, so don’t try to be the center of the universe.
• Don’t turn off your censor. In cyberspace, a record of your most inappropriate tweet will live on in infamy long after you’ve cooled down. Never forget that what you say on Twitter can come back to haunt you, so rude or tasteless comments can come back to haunt you. Play it cool and don’t tweet anything you wouldn’t say in public; after all, Twitter is incredibly public.

Copyright © 2010 TC Public Relations

This posting is republished with permission from the Chicago Lawyer Magazine Blog “Around the Watercooler” located at:  http://h20cooler.wordpress.com/2010/

About the Author:

Tom Ciesielka, President of TC Public Relations, has worked in public relations, marketing and business development for more than 25 years and has enjoyed working with clients ranging from law firms to distinguished authors to national and local companies. He feels privileged to have established trusting working relationships with these clients and values every opportunity he gets to help businesses grow.  He is also a former board member of the Legal Marketing Association in Chicago and has spoken at Chicago Bar Associations CLE programs.  312-422-1333 / www.tcpr.net

The post Twitter Do’s & Twitter Don’ts appeared first on The National Law Forum.

I sometimes like to promote myself as an expert matchmaker. You want a date with the media? You got it. You want to get to know a certain reporter better? No problem. But PR matchmaking isn’t about dates and getting-to-know-yous, it’s about interviews and background meetings and making valuable connections with key reporters that care about your firm’s story. Consider the following tips to foster strong relationships and woo the media.

Pitch the Right Story to the Right Person at the Right Time

Would you show up to a date late, and then call your date the wrong name? Of course not, so don’t call a morning radio host who talks politics and ask about real estate law. Understand that there are many different titles in the media – reporter, producer, managing editor, columnist, executive producer, staff writer — so going straight to the host or editor in chief may not give you the best response. If you’re contacting a reporter, look for the specific beats and topic specialties to help you connect with someone who is already interested in your industry. Find the right time to contact a media outlet by first understanding its deadlines, and also by looking at editorial calendars and reading its most recent articles or program recaps to see what subjects have been recently covered. Every date is different, and likewise, pitching the media isn’t a one-size-fits-all game.

Don’t Exaggerate the Truth

Don’t tell your date you found the cure to cancer when you really just donate money to the American Cancer Society. Similarly, don’t claim to be an expert on lowering litigation costs if you charge $1,000 an hour. Talking about how wonderful your firm is gets you nowhere fast in the business world, and also can give you and your firm a bad reputation. Instead of using an exaggerated story to puff up your story, use tidbits from the real story in a captivating way. Deliver your message clearly, focusing on the parts your audience cares most about, without going overboard.  Also remember, reporters do their research, so you want to make sure you have all your facts straight.

Keep the Relationship Strong

When a date goes well, what do you do? Call and ask for another. If a story about you or your firm goes well, thank the reporter, and keep him or her on your “Hot Contacts” list. When you have additional information that would interest the same reporter, don’t just sit on it, hoping that the reporter calls you and asks what’s new. Think of it this way: every relationship needs cultivating. Cultivate your status as a credible source by sending reporters information or ideas to help with their stories, or see what they are working on and if you can help. Once you’ve established that relationship, you need to keep it going and keep it strong.

This posting is republished with permission from the Chicago Lawyer Magazine Blog “Around the Watercooler” located at:  http://h20cooler.wordpress.com/2010/

Copyright © 2010 TC Public Relations

About the Author:

Tom Ciesielka, President of TC Public Relations, has worked in public relations, marketing and business development for more than 25 years and has enjoyed working with clients ranging from law firms to distinguished authors to national and local companies. He feels privileged to have established trusting working relationships with these clients and values every opportunity he gets to help businesses grow.  He is also a former board member of the Legal Marketing Association in Chicago and has spoken at Chicago Bar Associations CLE programs.

312-422-1333 / www.tcpr.net

The post Meeting Your Match – Law Firm Publicists as Matchmakers between Law Firms and Media appeared first on The National Law Forum.

• Entries will be judged and the top two articles chosen will be featured in the NLR monthly magazine prominently displayed on the NLR home page. Up to 5 runner-up entries will also be posted in the NLR searchable database each month.
• Each winning article will be displayed accompanied by the student’s photo, biography, contact information, law school logo, and any copyright disclosure.
• All winning articles will remain in the NLR database for two years (subject to earlier removal upon request of the law school).
• For more details go to NLR Writing Competition.

Why Students Should Submit Articles

• Students have the opportunity to publicly display their legal knowledge and skills.
• The student’s photo, biography, and contact information will be posted with each article, allowing for professional recognition and exposure.
• Winning articles are published alongside those written by respected attorneys from Am Law 200 and other prominent firms as well as from other respected professional associations.
• Now more than ever, business development skills are expected from law firm associates earlier in their careers. NLR wants to give law students valuable experience generating consumer-friendly legal content of the sort which is included for publication in law firm client newsletters,law firm blogs, bar association journals and trade association publications.
• Student postings will remain in the NLR online database for up to two years, easily accessed by potential employers.
• For an example of  a contest winning student written article from Northwestern University, please click here.

The Submission Deadline for October is Monday September 27th!

The post National Law Review's Student Legal Writing Contest – October is Health Care Month! appeared first on The National Law Forum.

Here is the funniest attack I’ve seen. From the Upright Citizens Brigade, it’s a spoof of how BP would try to handle a boardroom coffee spill. (There is one instance of NSFW language at the end.)

Good stuff.

And coming in at a close second is the fake BP public relations Twitter feed. If you’re not familiar, many companies use the social media site Twitter to inform the public of their latest news and offerings. And someone has created a satirical @BPGlobalPR account that sends out frequent humorous updates laced with acerbic cynicism for how BP is handling this mess. Often accompanied by the sarcastic “#bpcares” disclaimer, the account advocates charity causes such as offering ”free bpcares” t-shirts that you can purchase for $25. (You can read more about @BPGlobalPR here and here.)

Here are the cleverest updates from the account so far:

SPOILER ALERT: The leak stops eventually, everyone forgets about it and we all buy another vacation home. #cantwait

Found driftwood that looks like Jesus crying oil. Not sure what it means but we’re charging 20 bucks to see it. #bpcares

If we’re being accused of being criminals, we want to be tried by a jury of our peers — wealthy execs who don’t give a damn. #fairisfair

I’ve gotta say, at night the gulf really doesn’t look that bad. #bpcares

OMG This isss ridciulsus. playing a drinking gamee where we drink a shot everytme we seeee an oily birdddd!!! LOL! so wasted!!11 #pbcares

What a gorgeous day! The ocean is filled with the most beautiful rainbows! #yourewelcome #bpcares

They want to fine us $4,300 for every barrel of oil spilled? Umm, we’re not spilling barrels, the oil is going directly into the gulf. DUH

A bird just stole my sandwich! You deserve everything you get, nature!!! #bpcares

If Top Kill doesn’t work, we’re just gonna toss a giant “Get Well Soon” card into the gulf and hope for the best. #bpcares

Just wrapped up a meeting with the EPA. Terry kept farting out loud at all the right moments. Not sure how he does it, but it’s SO FUNNY!

Funny, no one has thanked us for seasons 3-15 of Treme yet. #bpcares

The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. #bpcares

Catastrophe is a strong word, let’s all agree to call it a whoopsie daisy.

Beverly Hillbillies marathon on TBS – now THESE guys knew what to do with an oil leak!

Not only are we dropping a top hat on the oil spill, we’re going to throw in a cane and monocle as well. Keeping it classy.

Authored by: Jared Wade

The above article is reprinted from the Risk Management Monitor – the official blog of Risk Management magazine.

Reprinted with permission from the Risk Management Monitor. Copyright 2010 Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

The post BP Mismanages a Coffee Spill and the Best of @BPGlobalPR appeared first on The National Law Forum.

What will your firm do in the face of an unexpected emergency? Crisis communication plans provide an organizational framework of who will be responsible for which specific task, when and if a crisis should occur.

The most challenging part of any crisis, whether it is natural or man-made is the reaction of the management. Not only do they have to be prepared to respond quickly but respond with the right response. Failure to do so will only lead to spin, not communication, which in turn doesn’t mitigate damages but rather causes embarrassment, humiliation, prolonged visibility, and often, unnecessary litigation for the business.

Crises can range from product recalls, an accident in a mine, food contamination, passengers’ movement on airline restricted during poor weather, a hacker stealing credit card information, environmental breaches, class action law suits, sexual harassment, or activisms which effect commerce everyday throughout the world. More often than not, crisis occur when least expected. The Institute of Crisis Management defines a crisis as “ Any problem or disruption that triggers negative stakeholder reactions that could impact the organization’s financial strength and ability to do what it does”.

Executives understand that a solid, strong reputation of their company is tied with bottom-line earnings. Businesses with good reputations are seen as providing their customers with more value and therefore are able to charge premium prices for their products and services. Anything that diminishes this value is of consequence.

Frequently, attorneys whether they are inside or external counsel find themselves in the thick of the crisis, uniquely situated between management and external counsel, and/or other stakeholders with strong interests and involvement in the crisis. By understanding the role of the media, learning how to work effectively with the press, advising clients of the importance of having some sort of crisis plan in place, law firms and attorneys are able to provide additional value to their clients and importantly are setting themselves apart from their competition.

Having a crisis communication plan where both sides: attorneys and public relations firms and/or consultants, not only work cohesively together but understand their respective roles is imperative when client’s/organizations reputations are at stake. Oftentimes, regardless of the legal implications of the crisis, perceptions generated with the public can be helpful or detrimental to the client’s economic health.

When no plans are in place, and a crisis occurs, improvising and flying by the seat of one’s trousers will not minimize damage but rather increase it. A plan that identifies clearly who is responsible for which tasks will impose order, structure and direction rather than having to put out firestorms without having any strategy in place.

Crisis communication plans at their very basic are templates. They provide an organizational framework of who will be responsible for which specific task, when and if a crisis should occur. Without a plan, the left hand won’t know what the right hand is doing particularly when the press is knocking on your door. It should outline in detail operational procedures. This includes contact systems; a point person who is coordinating with press and spokesperson (usually the primary attorney, depending on the nature of the crisis) back up spokesperson, and reporters who cover the beat. It will also include how and what to communicate to any other organization, stakeholder or community that has a specific interest and is impacted by the crisis.

It’s important to note, that these templates must be fluid. Each crisis will be different with different stakeholders and so adjustments to the plans will be necessary as these are living organisms. However, all of the plans at their very basic level will need the following:

1. Determine who is part of the crisis communication management team. This will include all key individuals and roles assigned to them. All the individuals must have contact details of all the team members.
2. Designated spokesperson with the press. This is the individual who will be the face of organization to the public. Typically there is a fair amount of dialogue between attorneys and spokespersons. The Spokesperson, usually has had a fair amount of media training, or comes from a journalism background.
3. Assign individual/public relations agency to be responsible for all needs and queries of the press. This persons/agency’s job is to ensure that all press requests are handled in a timely manner.
4. The legal counsel, spokesperson should have a current media list of reporters who cover your client’s beat.
5. Maintain a media log. This should have details of all press that has contacted the organization, what information was sent, when they are expected to get back to you. If there is more than one individual on the coordination team, be clear on which tasks were delegated to whom?
6. The public relations agency should make sure the spokesperson or any other individuals assigned to that role should not talk to external sources until they have and understand all the facts. Otherwise, mistakes will be made, which in turn create negative perceptions.
7. Communicate key messages for all your audiences in a consistent manner, whether they are within the organization or external audiences. The messages must address questions and concerns in language that different stakeholders understand. The tendency is to be objective and use legal language, both of these will work to your disadvantage, the public wants to hear and sense that you understand the gravity and depth of the circumstances.
8. Depending how long the crisis is the public relations agency/consultants should coordinate a regular timetable to meet reporters, keeping them abreast of any latest developments.
9. Maintaining several back up plans, point personal, and other details relating to the particular crisis is a must.
10. Finally, all crisis circumstances whether they are business related or natural disasters need a human face. That means, regardless of how well prepared the organization/client is, it is critical to connect and relate to all the key stakeholders impacted by the situation.

Finally, a good crisis communication plan helps to mitigate and reduce the potential for damage. It is a blueprint for when unexpected events and disasters strike, providing structure for the flow of important information to be communicated to all the key players. Benjamin Franklin summed it up very well, “by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail”

Paramjit L Mahli is with award winning SCG Legal PR Network. She is a former journalist who has worked with CNN Business News, Canadian Broadcast Corporation and Journal of Commerce. Comprised of small and large firms throughout the USA, SCG Legal PR Network connects legal experts with reporters nationally and internationally. Ms. Mahli is a contributor to Legal Broadcast Network and writes frequently for Technolawyer. She also trains and gives CLEs regularly on media relations and public relations.

The post Crisis Communication Plans Provide the Framework of How to Manage a Crisis Effectively appeared first on The National Law Forum.

Solo practitioners and attorneys from small law firms often resist public relations. They cite not having enough time, a lack of understanding of its role, or the dearth of resources, to make public relations part of their business development plans. Coupled with stereotypes of the press, such as reporters only going to the big law firms or only wanting the drama and not the facts, it’s no surprise that media relations is relegated to the bottom of business development activities, particularly if the firm has already achieved some “visibility” that did not result in new clients.
 
The reality is that public relations is an indispensable part of business development strategy for every firm, regardless of size. Getting quoted in news stories, both in targeted industry publications and mainstream media, is one of the most cost-effective ways of securing exposure. A good public relations plan serves several purposes: it builds reputation and visibility, allows firms, practice areas and solo practitioners to become known, liked and trusted in their target market, and finally—and most importantly— helps to bring more business.
 
Before embarking on a public relations plan, you must ensure that all of the firm’s marketing communications materials, such as blogs, Web sites, newsletters and e-zines, address the “What’s in it for me question for prospects and that differentiation is clear. The next step is to target the industry publications and media outlets that your target market reads.
 
Whether you’re a firm that is working with public relations consultants or implementing the plan with internal resources, or you’re a solo practitioner implementing it on your own, the following considerations will make your media relations plan a lot more focused and effective. 

Who are my clients? What do they read? Do they read online publications? Knowing the answers to these questions will guide your choices of the publications to target, whether they are local dailies, weeklies, magazines or trade/professional journals. While being quoted in The New York Times is prestigious, it’s meaningless if your target market doesn’t read that publication. There are attorneys who want media exposure for personal reasons, but often this is in direct conflict with the targeted media relations campaign. 

1. Conduct an audit of your expertise. What areas of expertise do you have that are frequently the focus of news stories? This will help you identify reporters who cover your area of expertise and build relationships with them. Reporters are constantly on the lookout for attorneys who can simplify legislation; knowing who covers your area of expertise will help position you as a source. For example, if your area of expertise is workplace discrimination in the financial services industry, getting to know reporters who cover this beat is key. 
2. Know what reporters have been covering in your areas of expertise. There is nothing worse than pitching a story that has already been covered. Not only is it embarrassing, but it also demonstrates to the reporter that you or your public relations team has not done the homework. It is a sure way of lessening your credibility with that reporter. 
3. Don’t overlook changes or emerging trends in your practice area. These offer golden opportunities to be quoted or to provide commentary. Once you have built those relationships, you can send reporters a quick e-mail or call them, alerting them to possible stories. 
4. Too often opportunities on the Op-Ed pages are overlooked Writing an Op-Ed piece is a good way of getting to know the editor and bringing to light an issue that is affecting your target market. Letters published in Op-Ed pages can result in story ideas for reporters. 
5. Depending on your targeted publication, you can pitch Q&As and stories on pitfalls to avoid, such as the top ten mistakes to avoid when friends become partners in business ventures or top ten mistakes to avoid when negotiating a severance package. Even if your story submissions are overlooked, every couple of months, with the permission of the reporter, continue to send him story ideas. Reporters/producers/guest bookers all keep background information on topics that they cover. 
6. Don’t overlook the importance of becoming a resource for the reporter; this is where you provide background information. While you may not be quoted immediately, opportunities will continue to come your way. Reporters tend to have long memories; they know who is a valuable and trustworthy source. The busier they are, the more premium they place on their sources. Becoming a resource goes a long way toward building relationships with reporters. 
7. Consider inviting reporters to any Continuing Legal Education training/seminars that the firm may be offering. By extending the invitation, make certain that the seminar is in an area that the reporter is interested in. 
8. Monitor editorial calendars regularly. Many publications have their calendar online. An editorial calendar is a valuable tool for gauging what a publication plans to cover throughout the year, and helps you avoid missed opportunities. It gives attorneys and law firms plenty of time to remind reporters that they are available to be quoted and provides time to craft and submit story ideas. 
9. Know when to say no to the press. Reporters may be focusing on stories that will be detrimental to your target market. In such circumstances, it is prudent to give reporters a couple of other sources from whom they can obtain a quote. Whether or not an attorney wants to be quoted in such a story, it is still imperative to return the phone call in a timely manner.
10. Becoming known as an expert in one or more areas is only part of the equation; the other part is leveraging these opportunities successfully into other marketing activities. Articles, columns and/or bylines written by attorneys can be sent to prospects, strategic alliances and clients with the view of providing value, rather than circulating them with the intent of getting the attorney known.

Finally, it is absolutely imperative to recognize and understand that building credibility and visibility does not happen overnight and rarely does it reap immediate results. It may take a nanosecond to destroy a reputation, but to build one takes work, effort and commitment from all the decision makers in the firm. However, with a sustained campaign working in conjunction with other marketing activities, public relations will reap huge dividends.

Paramjit L Mahli is with award winning SCG Legal PR Network. She is a former journalist who has worked with CNN Business News, Canadian Broadcast Corporation and Journal of Commerce. Comprised of small and large firms throughout the USA, SCG Legal PR Network connects legal experts with reporters nationally and internationally. Ms. Mahli is a contributor to Legal Broadcast Network and writes frequently for Technolawyer. She also trains and gives CLEs regularly on media relations and public relations.  www.scglegalprnetwork.com

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