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Printer FriendlyHow to Be a Good News Resource
Once you have made contact with a reporter, here are some recommendations that will solidify that relationship to leverage the media to gain exposure for your law practice:
a. Never ask to be notified when the article will be published and never ask the reporter to send you copies. Some reporters will make this offer but it should come from them.
b. If you miss their call, be sure to get back to them within the hour. Responsiveness is highly valued. And you don’t want to be beaten out by your competition. When you do call back, try to be ready with some short and catchy quotes they can use.
c. Call back even if you don’t have what the reporter is looking for. Do some research and get back to the reporter with something, even if you have to offer a competitor’s name. This will make you appear as someone who knows the local legal marketplace and the players in it. Call the competitor to let them know that you suggested them to the media, so now they owe you one even if it’s not expressed.
d. Stay top of mind with the media by calling periodically with story ideas. “Build a relationship,” Loo says. “Many journalists have a network of legal sources in which we stay in regular contact. Just a quick chat every few weeks by phone or e-mail about particular cases or changes in law can be beneficial on both sides. Perhaps even more so for us when news breaks.”
e. Make sure the story ideas have substance. “Lawyers are not going to get my attention by sending me press releases about awards they’ve won,” says Ameet Sachdev, business and legal reporter for the Chicago Tribune. “If they are trial lawyers, I want to know about juicy cases they are working on or trends they see in their particular field of expertise. I know this can mean negotiating with their clients but the most media savvy lawyers know how to do that.”
From "Leveraging the Media to Help Grow Your Practice", by Hale T. Chan.
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