10 Tips for Successfully Utilizing PR Firms

Many law firms don’t understand the role of public relations in law firm marketing. The following is an overview of the top reasons you should hire a public relations firm for your law firm marketing.

  1. The Successful Use of a Public Relations Firm is More Cost-Effective Than Spending Dollars on Advertising. On a dollar-for-dollar basis, successful law firm public relations efforts are more effective than  advertising. Consider the exposure you’ll receive from being featured as the expert on a local news program. Immediately, you’re not only featured in front of thousands or tens of thousands of potential clients, but the media has deemed you as an “expert.” The implied message is that when the TV station or news reporter needed “expert” advice, it went to you.

You Don’t Become a Media Expert by Accident. PR firms have the contacts and can match you up with the right people to get you on the local TV news, in the newspaper, or in magazine articles. You may even be seen on Nancy Grace.

2. Successful Law Firm Public Relations Involves a Detailed, Ongoing Marketing Plan. A public relations strategic plan involves identifying specific goals to achieve, a timetable for achieving the goals, and a detailed plan outlining how to achieve the goals. The more time you take to develop a Public Relations plan, especially when developed with a PR representative, the more likely you’ll achieve your goals.

3. Issue Press Releases on a Regular Schedule, Preferably With Items That Will Benefit Others. Often law firms only issue press releases to announce the election of new partners or new lateral or law school hires. Not only is there little interest in these releases outside the law firm community and the families and friends of the people involved, but firms issue these releases so infrequently that they do not keep law firms in clients’ minds.

Instead of infrequent press releases, establish a regular schedule, such as monthly or bimonthly, and stick with it. In determining the subject of the press release, ask yourself what is newsworthy for potential clients or the public? Maybe your firm has developed a new practice area focusing on a particular area of law, or maybe it has redeveloped its website to include information that might be of use to potential clients.

4. Make Sure Your Press Releases are Optimized for Search Engines. Once issued, your press release will likely be published in a number of online publications. Such publications can not only spread the word about your law firm, but they can also increase your firm’s search engine optimization efforts, which will help your law firm’s website rank higher in the search engines.

5. Press Releases Generally Have Specific Formats and Restrictions. You should write your press releases in collaboration with a PR firm. The PR firm will be able to advise on the structure of the press release and how to format the release in a specific manner to promote the firm.

6. Determine the Method of Press Release Distribution. With each press release, you have not only a number of different distribution opportunities but also a number of different firms that can take care of your firm’s distribution needs. Typically, geographic distributions are the most effective.

7. Develop Your Law Firm’s Contact List of Reporters and Other Media Contacts. Newspaper, television, magazine, and other media outlet reporters are busy people. You should not expect that simply because you sent your firm’s news release to a reporter’s newspaper that the newspaper will run the story. Professional PR firms have developed relationships with the key news media in a particular market, and they will cultivate relationships with others that are crucial for your law firm.

8. For Each Press Release, Develop a Specific List of Speaking Points. Since reporters have limited time, they may not initially read your firm’s press release. This is where a good PR representative is invaluable. The PR expert should be able to very quickly convey the speaking points to the reporter while also presenting them in a manner that will make the reporter want to read the release and hopefully print a story.

9. PR Firm Costs Can Initially Seem High: Take the Time to Understand Exactly What Is Involved in Any Proposal. PR firms typically want to have contracts that extend for at least three months, and more typically six months or longer. These contracts almost always involve a set minimum monthly fees. A skeptic might believe a PR firm is trying to ensure its rent will be paid for the year through these fees and somewhat long-term commitments. Understand that this is not the case.

Solid PR efforts take months to develop and implement. PR firms invest a significant amount of time to develop the PR plan, create a comprehensive list of contacts, understand the law firm’s goals, and map out a strategy for success. If the law firm is not willing to commit to a certain level of time and expense, the PR firm knows that the law firm cannot achieve its desired goals, which will likely lead to its dissatisfaction with the results.

10. Hire a PR Firm—Don’t Try to Do It All In-House. As noted above, successful PR efforts require a significant investment of time and expertise. They also require a lot of work that most lawyers would rather avoid—specifically, compiling lists of key contacts and making calls to them (typically, reporters). In addition to the PR expertise these external firms offer, they have the relationships and can lend the credibility necessary for an effective PR campaign.

Esquire Interactive can show you how to effectively work with a top PR firm to get your firm’s message across.

EI Ten Word Learning: PR spend can be much more effective than advertising spend.