You’ve made the decision. You understand that marketing must be seen as an
investment and not as an expense. After much hemming and hawing and
perhaps extensive interviewing, you’ve decided to hire a public relations
firm. You like
these folks and they like you and together, you’re determined to make the
faucets of firm publicity turn on to allow an overflow of wonderful exposure.
Flash forward six months later and all you can point to is an
article in a second tier publication and that press release announcing your new
associate’s hire.
So what happened?
Well, in truth, it could be any of a number of things,
including the possibility that you just hired a lousy PR firm.
But all too often, when a law firm contracts with a PR firm,
it fails to take an active role in the publicity generating process.
So with this in mind, here are some “best practice” thoughts
for how to get the most from your PR provider:
Let Your Agency Know
What’s Going On at the Firm
This is perhaps the most point of all. Your agency cannot
help you or generate publicity on your behalf if it is clueless as to the cases
on which you are working, the nature of your work, the accomplishments of your
attorneys and the “victories” the firm achieves. Regular status meeting to update the agency on these matters
is one way of assuring that PR initiatives do not get subjugated to the back
burner.
Make Sure Your PR
Professional “Knows” Each of Your Attorneys
In line with the above, the best way to truly “know” the
firm is for the PR folks to “know” the key player or players at the firm. Allow
your PR professionals to meet each of your firm’s attorneys or at least the
partners and department heads. In addition, be sure to provide your agency with
resumes, bios, headshots, etc. of each of these key personnel.
Focus on Media
Credentials as Much as On Your Legal Credentials
Having great legal credentials is terrific. But editors,
reporters and producers also want to know that you will give an insightful
interview, that you will feel comfortable in front of a camera, and /or that
you (or your ghostwriter) will be able to write a substantive article. Anything you can do to convince the
targeted media decision maker of your prowess in these areas will help your agency
to serve you better.
Recognize Which Cases
Make for “Good” PR Stories
As much as we may want all the publicity we can possibly
muster, it is safe to say that from a PR standpoint, not all cases and stories are
the same. Trying to sell the
media on cases or ideas that will not be of interest to their audience only
serves to damage your reputation as a provider of good, informative material.
Focus on cases and stories that have some sizzle.. These can include those that
a) concern a high profile individual, b) involve a large sum of money, c) has
or will break new legal ground d) involve sex or violence (you had to know that
these would be on this list), e) affect a large part of the overall population,
f) are a response to something in the news and/or to a new piece of
legislation.
Inform Your Agency
What Is and Is Not Confidential
Clearly, the details of some cases cannot be revealed
because of confidentiality agreements, gag orders or otherwise. When pitching
or writing a story regarding a particular case, be sure to let the agency know
what can or cannot be communicated. If necessary, redact confidential
information from relevant documents.
Look for Story Ideas
From Cases On Which You Are Not Working
There is potential PR fodder in cases that you are not
handling. Unlike the attorneys working on such cases, you are not subject to
any gag orders, client confidentiality agreements or anything else that
precludes you from speaking with the media. Journalists are hungry for fresh
perspectives on high profile stories, affording the astute attorney or law firm
with an opportunity to provide just that.
Communicate to your agency that you expect them to be
vigilant for stories and events on which you might be able to offer unique and
professional insight.
Get Back to Reporters
This is critical. In terms of PR, reporters, editors and
producers are your lifeblood. If your agency gets you an interview or an
article placement, it is very important that you respond within a reasonable
amount of time. What is a reasonable amount of time? Well, it depends. If a
story is of an emergent nature, then that might mean getting back to them
immediately. If it’s a “thought” piece, you may have the luxury of more time.
But don’t take too much comfort in that. After all, there are scores of other
lawyers more than willing to offer their expertise as well.
Most important, ignoring the media or being late to respond
to them reduces your agency’s credibility with them. This makes it much, much
more difficult to garner future PR “hits” with that publication or station.
Remember PR
Professionals are NOT Lawyers
Part of a good PR professional’s job (particularly those
involved in legal marketing) is to translate your “legalese” into language that
the layperson can understand. Give them the tools to do so by taking the time
to be interviewed by them and by suggesting relevant resources for further
research if necessary.
Review Everything
that Goes Out
This should go without saying. You’re a lawyer and anything
you write or have written in your name can potentially be seen, not just by the
media, but by your prospects, clients, other attorneys and judges. That’s why
it is especially important that you review the agency’s work – not because you
don’t trust them, but because you can’t afford to have anything go out that’s
incorrect or puts you or your clients at risk.
If you take away anything from this article, it should be
that the hiring of a PR firm does not mean that the firm no longer has a role
in the publicity generating process.
In fact, the opposite is true. You’re the legal professional; they’re
the communications specialists. Your most effective PR programs will inevitably
those in which your separate and distinctive skill sets mesh smartly
together.
