Weighting the SEO merits of uploading a PDF or creating a new blawg post or web page

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

I love working with my clients. Every week there’s a new press release, content writing project or verdict and settlement report to prepare. There are reporters to reach out to and interviews to schedule. In the course of getting all of this done, questions inevitably arise. One recent one revolved around PDF documents and search engine optimization.

It’s a great question.

Even before addressing the question, I was thrilled that my client was thinking a step ahead and focusing on showcasing the information on the law firm’s website. As I’ve noted in previous posts, legal public relations must be leveraged across platforms. A press release isn’t just for the press: It is content for your website. It is a Twitter post. It is a link to be highlighted in Facebook. It is a status update on LinkedIn.

In short, a search engine optimized press release is another opportunity for potential clients and referring lawyers to find you.

But is it better to upload the information as a PDF or to create a new web page or blog post? I had a pretty good idea about the answer, but I decided to ask programmer and designer Enrique Serrano to weigh in.

(If you’ve ever watched Pickers or Pawn Stars on the History Channel, you’re familiar with the practice of calling in an expert to offer an opinion. With regard to all things SEO, programming and design, Enrique Serrano is our expert. Questions about word usage, grammar, copy editing and all questions related to the Associated Press Stylebook fall under the purview of copy editor Kerry Bailey.)

And so, this being the Internet rather than television, I e-mailed Enrique and asked his opinion. Here’s what he said:

A PDF is actually indexed by Google, but standard web pages are given a higher priority in search results. Search results pointing to PDF files are usually shown only when there are no search results on standard web pages using those words.

In other words, for the best search engine results you’ll want to create an actual web page or blog post rather than upload a PDF document. The search engine spiders prefer the HTML code to the PDF document.

But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice visual impact for SEO. You can still upload logos as JPEG files and arrange them within you blog post or on your web page. At Legal Media Matters, that is the practice we adhere to when posting our clients’ press releases.

Do you have a question about legal PR, content writing, law firm branding or word usage? If so, contact us at geri@legalmediamatters.com and we’ll try to tackle your question in a blog post similar to our recent entry A Reader Asks: How Do You Find the Best Legal Keywords to Attract CEOs and CFOs?

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

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The right cases and a responsive, respectful attitude can generate long-term media coverage

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

When a lawyer first approaches me about using public relations to promote a legal practice, quite often the name of a competitor who is frequently quoted in the media comes up. Inevitably I’m asked, “Why is he always the expert? And how can I get that role ... by tomorrow?”

Just as the journey from being a freshly minted law graduate to a respected attorney takes longer than one night, the quest to become the go-to lawyer for reporters and journalists takes more than just one phone call or a single outreach effort by a legal PR professional.

Rather, it takes persistence, repeating your promotional message and demonstrating that you are a reliable, responsible and respectful resource. You must also be willing to occasionally make bold, calculated legal PR moves.

One such way to start getting is through a press release.

A press release can plant promotional seeds that yield a bumper harvest lasting several years. That was the case for a Legal Media Matters law firm client whose attorneys have been quoted frequently in the media on a topic that was fodder for a series of press releases in 2007.

1.  Choose the right types of cases to publicize.

Not every case warrants a press release. A publicist who understands the legal profession and has a working knowledge of how and when the media covers legal developments is a valuable partner in deciding when a press release is warranted.

Our law firm client was in the process of filing several consumer class action cases. The suit filings were, in and of themselves, a bold legal maneuver — existing law in the state was not favorable to consumer plaintiffs — but my client felt there were strong legal and public policy arguments that merited the filing.

In 2007 we started sending out press releases, highlighting the claims, when some of the cases were filed. The media was interested, and reporters from both legal and general interest publications pursued the story.

2.  Be responsive and respectful.

Reporters are often turning articles around on extremely tight deadlines, but they take their responsibility to provide clear, accurate and unbiased information seriously. Lawyers who quickly return phone calls and use interviews to educate reporters on the law soon become favored resources.

After those releases went out in 2007 and calls from the media started coming in, the attorneys called the reporters back promptly. Because we had sent out the releases, the attorneys were able to anticipate the phone calls and respond quickly, often within an hour of receiving a call.

The attorneys also took the time to explain the area of the law to the reporters in plain English and provide the public policy reasons for filing the suits. Background information, though not always quoted, helps a journalist write confidently on the topic at hand.

3. Coverage begets coverage

Once the suits had received media attention and our client began building relationships with members of the media, the stage was set for future coverage of the cases.

Because of their importance in terms of new case law and public policy implications, the cases made their way through the judicial process – from trial court to appellate courts. Along the way, the media outlets that had initially covered the cases had an interest in following the rulings. And because cases are not resolved overnight, this meant a smattering of articles over the next several years.

So recently, when the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on yet another of these novel consumer cases — in my client’s favor — the stories were picked up without any PR outreach effort. The media monitored the court’s hand-downs and jumped on the stories.

Once again, my client was ready for the phone calls and was featured in the media.

Of course, this odyssey, as I noted earlier, did not begin and end in just one night, one week or even one year.

It also required the dedication of my client. The publicity was simply a mirror reflecting the firm’s hard work and commitment to the case and the public policy issues raised by the cases. When the favorable results were obtained, my client was ready to answer questions and serve as a resource.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

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Four tips to remember when preparing your legal press release highlighting new lawyers

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

For most law firms, hiring a new attorney is a significant development. It is a sizable investment that sends a positive message about your firm’s growth and ability to serve your client base.

Many law firms send press releases to a variety of legal and mainstream publications announcing their new hires. The practice serves two purposes:

• It is a nice welcoming gesture that gets the new relationship off on the right track.
• It is an inexpensive way to generate publicity for the firm.

If you are considering announcing a new hire, be sure your press release submission meets these four criteria.

1.  Keep it short.

As I mentioned in Press Release Writing Tips Part II, I recommend keeping the release under 400 words. Press releases are business communications, and your readers, busy journalists, will appreciate your ability to get to the point.

2.  Identify educational institutions and graduation dates.

In addition to sending the press release to local, legal and bar publications, consider submitting it to the new hire’s alumni magazines. Most college and law school alumni magazines include a class notes sections that highlights recent alumnus achievements. Alumni magazine editors generally ask that the release identify educational institutions, degrees received and years of graduation. Including these details allows the editor to more easily verify the information.

3.  Include a high-resolution photograph.

A photo of the new hire is a good way to complement the text. However, if the photo will appear in print, it needs to be of high resolution — 300 pixels per inch (300 dpi) or greater.

For Windows’ users, to figure out whether you have a high-resolution image, right-click on the photo and select Properties. You may have to select Advanced Properties, but you will eventually obtain the resolution information.

Many digital cameras have as their default setting 72 dpi, a low resolution that is great for the Internet and websites but terrible for print. To learn how to produce a high-resolution image, read this eHow article by Sharon Mcelwee.

You can also hire a professional photographer who will supply both high- and low-resolution images. At Legal Media Matters, we recommend using a professional photographer. For more information on why a professional photographer is an important ally when it comes to creating an image for your law firm and for tips on making the most of a professional shoot, read Legal Marketing: 4 Photo Shoot Tips.

4. Insert a paragraph describing the firm’s practice area.

Use the press release to promote the firm in addition to spotlighting the new hire. Make sure the last paragraph of the press release identifies the firm’s location and areas of practice. Although the complete information will most likely not make it into the final version that appears in the publication, you have used the opportunity to educate the reporters and editors responsible for modifying the content for their publication about your firm. That could translate into interview requests in the future when a reporter is looking for legal experts.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

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Three reasons to limit a release to around 400 words

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

A few weeks ago I highlighted some of the basic elements lawyers should include in a press release in "Legal Press Release Writing Tips." Those elements are:

• Headline and subhead
• Nut graph
• Details that allow a reporter to verify the information contained in the release
• Description of the firm

One of the items not on the list but that I briefly mentioned was the recommendation to keep the release to about 400 words. A few of my readers e-mailed and asked why. In this blog entry, I’ll cover three reasons behind my 400-word suggestion.

1. Cost

Many of my clients’ press releases are circulated by way of a wire service that charges a flat fee for the first 400 words. For each additional 100 words, the cost increases by $75.

2. Concrete Target

A specific word count provides a better benchmark than the nebulous “keep it short.” For lawyers, accustomed to writing lengthy briefs and pleadings, “short” may translate into a three-page press release rather than the one-page, 400-word release.

But tight writing can be very difficult. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to draft a carefully crafted release. In a wry comment about the unique challenges of concise writing, Mark Twain famously noted, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

3. Readers’ Time

It would be nice if people took stacks of my press releases to the pool with them to enjoy as leisure reading — but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Legal press releases are business communications. The readers include journalists, potential clients and other lawyers who are in a hurry and need to absorb the main messages quickly.

Like all rules, the 400-word recommendation can be broken, but this should be done only sparingly — the exception rather than the rule.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

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Be sure to include these basic elements in your law firm’s next release

Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

In law school, students learn how to write legal memos for partners, prepare briefs for judges and draw up contracts for clients. But not  many ever imagine there will come a time when they must know how to write a press release for the media. Increasingly, though, attorneys are doing just that — yet few have access to the built-in public relations or legal marketing departments that are routine in most large law firms.

There are many reasons behind the growing interest in circulating a press releases.

From the promotional standpoint, a legal press release is a great way to attract media attention to a recent verdict or settlement and a useful and economical vehicle for announcing new hires, awards or honors that will be picked up by local newspapers, trade publications and alumni magazines.

A legal press release also confers search engine optimization advantages. When uploaded to a law firm’s website, it provides a new page of fresh content. (With Google's recent search engine updates, fresh content has become even important.) When circulated through a site such as BusinessWire, the legal news release provides an immediate search engine boost and inbound links to the law firm’s website.

In this blog entry I’ll discuss some of the basic elements of a press release that deserve particular attention during the drafting process. You'll want to make sure you include these items in a press release that is ideally no more than 400 words.

1.   Headline and subhead

The headline should include the law firm’s name and a brief description that immediately lets the reader know the type of release he or she is reading. Does it cover a verdict or suit filing, or announce the hiring of a new associate? The subhead should provide further detail.

In addition, the reader should be able to scan the heading and subhead to obtain a concise synopsis of the remainder of the release.

For SEO purposes, the headline and subhead are an ideal place to insert keywords. In addition to the firm’s name, be sure to include practice area keywords.

2.  The nut graph

The nut graph, the first paragraph of the release, concisely explains the news value of the story. It sums up the entire point of the release in a sentence. Writing the nut graph can feel counterintuitive to lawyers, who are trained to lay out the logic before writing the conclusion. It feels, in some respects, like delivering the punchline of a joke and then providing the setup.

3. Details that allow a reporter to easily verify the information contained in the release

A good reporter independently verifies the information contained in the legal press release. You can make his or her job easier by including a few obvious elements, especially if the release pertains to a verdict, settlement or suit filing:

• Style of the case
• Case number
• Filing date
• Verdict date
• The court in which the case was filed

4. Description of the firm

Consider the legal press release as another tool for educating the media and potential clients about your practice. Include a brief paragraph summarizing your practice areas. Hyperlink your law firm’s website and include a phone number and e-mail address.

Here’s a link to the Breaking News section of our website which contains both of the releases used for this blog post. If you would prefer to outsource your press release writing, contact Legal Media Matters; we prepare and circulate releases for law firms nationwide.

For more information, contact me by filling out the online contact form, calling or sending an e-mail to geri@legalmediamatters.com.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

In the U.S. today caps a four-day work week. Missouri lawyers planning to attend the Solo & Small Firm Conference next week will enjoy another compressed week.

I will be attending, and blogging and tweeting from, the Solo & Small Firm Conference, scheduled for June 12-14 at the Lake of the Ozarks. If you’re one of the approximately 800 lawyers who plan to attend, let me know. It would be great to meet you.

More about the conference next week. Right now, client news and notable links.

LMM Client News

A $3 million wrongful death settlement obtained by Jim Lemonds and Andrea McNairy, of St. Louis-based Brown & Crouppen, and Greg Roberts of The Roberts Law Firm, was highlighted in this week’s Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Notable Links for Lawyers

The Fall

Jeff Smith: A Political Tragedy in Three Acts

Opening with a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald — “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy” — St. Louis Magazine’s Jeannette Cooperman chronicles the downfall of Missouri state Sen. Jeff Smith. Once a rising star in Missouri politics and the subject of a documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? Smith is now serving a prison sentence of a year and one day on federal obstruction of justice charges.

Venting Online, Consumers Can Find Themselves in Court

A critic who airs complaints online may find him- or herself the target of an old-fashioned lawsuit. The New York Times’ Dan Frosch explains how strategic lawsuits against public participation — or meritless defamation claims — are raising the ire of some First Amendment lawyers.

Marrying Out: One in Seven Marriages Is Interracial or Interethnic

A new report from the Pew Research Center reveals that a record number of new marriages in the United States were between spouses of different races or ethnicities. The study also indicates that most Americans approve of racial or ethnic intermarriage.

In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s law prohibiting interracial marriages in the landmark case Loving v. Virginia.

Report from the ODR Conference in Buenos Aires

David Bilinsky attended the first South American conference on online dispute resolution. In a post on the Canadian legal blog Slaw.ca, he highlights the five major themes that emerged from the conference, including the need to educate about ODR, questions about whether ODR will grow within the legal system or parallel to it, the types of disputes heard and the potential benefit ODR promises to Third World Countries.

How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results

Mashable’s Matt Silverman highlights how increasing numbers of lawyer are using social media to network, obtain business and raise their profiles nationwide.

Manage Service of Process via the Cloud

A web-based tool that allows legal professionals to manage every stage of service of process is featured on Robert Ambrogi’s Law Sites blog.

Story Ideas for Business, Consumer and Law Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Gagged by the Doctor

In addition to highlighting the problem of SLAPP suits, the New York Times story mentioned above notes that some physicians are requiring their patients to sign agreements that give the physician more control over what patients post online.

It would be interesting to know how many doctors are asking their patients to give up the right to speak out, whether any breach of contract suits stemming from the practice have been filed and what the public policy ramifications of such a move might be.

Have any links to suggest? Give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of PR client news, notable links and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

There’s no question that the law influences technology. From net neutrality to the quest to unmask anonymous commenters on news sites, courts in the United States and abroad have been asked to weigh in and formulate rules to apply to this virtual land.

But it is not a one-way street. Technology is also transforming the law.

From the way in which evidence is gathered to innovations that are giving real meaning to the ideal of open courts, technology is influencing how cases are investigated and how legal practices are managed.

Ironically, by giving the public front-row seat in courtrooms, technology may offer the legal system a chance to transcend the belief that meting out real-life justice is a simple, clean process.

In this issue I’ll highlight notable links for lawyers and ideas for journalists where law and technology intersect.

But first, client news.

LMM Client News

Last week Butsch Simeri Fields LLC and two other law firms filed a federal class action lawsuit against Farmland Foods in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Print, radio and television media located near Farmland Foods facilities picked up the story. You can follow it here:

KTVO-3 (ABC) Heartland News.com

KWIX 1230 AM

Canadian family lawyer Russell I. Alexander, based in Brooklin, Ontario, established a $5,000 annual grant for nonprofits serving greater Durham and Kawartha Lakes. The fund helps not-for-profit agencies that promote community development, arts and culture, sports, education and health and human services. In 2009, Covenant House of Toronto received the grant. The law firm is accepting applications for its 2010 grant.

Notable Links for Lawyers

What the Judge Ate for Breakfast

Who was one of the first newspaper reporters to tweet from a courtroom? You’re probably thinking of someone from The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or the Los Angeles Times. But did you consider a reporter from the Wichita Eagle? Indeed, the Wichita Eagle’s Ron Sylvester is the courtroom tweeting pioneer. And it was a Kansas judge, Sedgwick County District Judge Ben Burgess, who allowed it.

Now Sylvester is using technology to further expand the reach of his legal reporting by incorporating courtroom video and interviews on in his blog, “What the Judge Ate for Breakfast.”

The blog offers a realistic picture of the various tensions in the U.S. judicial system: the bureaucratic mandate to push cases through the system; the inexact science of balancing responsibility, punishment, redemption; and efforts to minimize collateral damage to innocent family members.

Of course, there are no makeup artists, expensive costume designers or special lighting. Lawyers and legal affairs reporters will instantly recognize this is the real unglamorous deal.

On Monday I’ll post an interview with Sylvester, a veteran legal affairs and courts reporter who also covered the BTK serial killer. He’ll discuss his project and reveal how he was able to persuade judges, lawyers and court personnel to give him access.

For now, if you want “true” TV, watch Common Law: Trying a Judge’s Patience.

Federal Judiciary Launches Enhanced Website

Podcasts, widgets, a YouTube channel. When it comes to press releases from the U.S. federal judiciary, one usually doesn’t see these references to technology and social media. But on Monday the court unveiled its new website and announced that its communication efforts would include multimedia outreach.

MRIs and the Law

Last week, NPR’s Science Friday aired a segment on using MRIs to tell whether someone is lying. Although some technology companies claim that brain scans can show whether a criminal suspect is telling the truth, a recent study revealed a high rate of false positives.

Stanford University law professor Henry Greeley appeared as a guest on the show and discussed the legal and ethical questions surrounding the use of MRIs as evidence

Translating for IT and Earthlings

In the May issue of California Lawyer, Robert D. Brownstone’s guest article highlights the challenges of collaborating with IT departments on eDiscovery issues. Brownstone, law and technology director at the Silicon Valley firm Fenwick & West LLP, includes a handy chart that translates into plain English both “geek-speak” and legalese.

21 Rules for Social Media Engagement

Admit it: As lawyers, we can’t help like knowing the rules. So if you’ve been considering using social media as a method for marketing and communication, read these rules from Brian Solis, featured on Mashable.

10 Sure Cures for Blogging Burnout

Those of you who already have a blog will want to keep these 10 tips handy. Whether you’ve already encountered burnout or fear that it may creep in, Michelle V. Rafter at WordCount offers some helpful ideas to get past — and even avoid — the blogging blahs.

Story Ideas for Business and Law Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Cameras in the delivery room

This week on Legal Lad, Adam Freedman tackles the question, posed by a reader, as to whether hospitals may ban cameras in the delivery room. A few years ago I wrote a piece for Missouri Lawyers Weekly, titled “Birth of a Lawsuit,” detailing the pivotal role played by delivery room video in a malpractice suit.

As a reporter, you could write about the tension between the desire to record such an important event and evidence-gathering. How are your local hospitals handling the question?

Technology and Open Government

In addition to the U.S. federal courts new website and Ron Sylvester’s vlog of daily courtroom drama in Kansas court, the Indiana Supreme Court has announced that it is now tweeting legal news.

Are your local courts embracing technology? If not, what are the reasons being given for resistance?

A Service of Note

When I prepare verdict and settlement reports for my law firm clients, I submit the write-ups to a number of publications, including The Civil Litigator. An online database serving the legal community in the Midwest, The Civil Litigator provides coverage of civil cases throughout Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. For more information about subscribing, e-mail editor@civil-litigator.com.

Beth Lewandowski, The Civil Litigator’s editor, is also a St. Louis family law attorney. Her firm, Law Office of Marta J. Papa, is a Legal Media Matters client.

Have any links to suggest? Give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

Have a great weekend!

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

When it comes to using press releases, not everyone is on the bandwagon.

Silk stocking firms, state attorneys general, U.S. Department of Justice officials and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country — entities that often have built-in legal marketing and public relations departments — routinely use press releases to circulate their news.

For many solo, small and midsized law firms, though, legal press releases are still an underused tool in legal PR efforts — but the Internet has turned this oft-overlooked legal marketing strategy into a powerful PR option.

Circulating your news through a distribution service such as Business Wire or PR Newswire can transform your legal press release from a regular cup of coffee into a double espresso.

Real Legal PR Results

For example, a recent Legal Media Matters legal press release — which included links to the law firm’s website — was circulated through BusinessWire. The results:

• The press release was posted on more than 170 news websites.
• At least nine search engine news sites, including Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com, posted the press release.
• The legal press release received more than 13,000 headline impressions, and the full release was viewed hundreds of times.
• Traffic to the law firm’s website, by way of the embedded links in the press release, increased.
• The legal press release also generated news stories about the merger.

At Legal Media Matters, we write with search engine optimization in mind and we’ve seen the releases we’ve written land on the first, second and third pages of Google organic search results.

Press Release Benefits

After writing, circulating and measuring the effectiveness of legal press releases, I’ve come up with five tangible benefits for law firms that go beyond generating a news story. Legal press releases can:

1. Dramatically extend the reach of your good news.
2. Help clients and referring lawyers find you.  At Legal Media Matters, we’ve issued releases that have brought in new, good cases for our clients. How do we know? Law firms we work with have been called by prospective clients who lead off with the comment:  “I read your news release on the Internet.”
3. Highlight your legal expertise. Internet research is often used by journalists working on an article. Our press releases have helped reporters find lawyers with knowledge relevant to the story topic.
4. Provide content for your website. Put your press release to work: In addition to sending it out over the wire, upload it to your law firm’s website. (Be sure to slightly revise it so the content is not an exact duplicate, because Google loves fresh, unique content. Take a few moments to make a few tweaks before uploading it your website and you’ll give your  press release a search engine boost.)
5. Build inbound links. Websites with inbound links reap search engine rewards. Wire press releases allow you to embed hyperlinks to your website in your release before it is circulated across the World Wide Web.

Has your law firm sent out a press release? If so, how would you rate its effectiveness? And if you haven’t sent out a press release, let us know what’s holding you back.

If you're looking for more legal PR, law firm marketing or content writing tips, subscribe to the Legal Media Matters email alerts: Get articles via e-mail

Contacts and Consideration in Legal PR

By Geri L. Dreiling

In part one of this three-part series on press releases as legal PR, the candidates and contents were discussed. Part two highlighted roles of clarity and client communication.

In this final installment, the importance of contacting the relevant beat reporter as well as the need for consideration if a journalist is on a tight deadline are explained.

Contact the Relevant Beat Reporter

As a reporter, the news releases that caught my attention were ones sent specifically to me that were relevant to my legal and investigative beat. If I received a press release announcing the opening of a new restaurant and I had time, I might forward it to the restaurant critic. If I didn’t have time, the release was ignored or deleted.

In my experience, the most effective news release is the one with a carefully crafted submission list. Legal reporters may be interested in a lawsuit filed over a catastrophic trucking accident.  Journalists who cover the traffic beat should be included on the list, and any reporter who covered the original incident should receive a copy of the news release as well. Include the local office of a wire service such as the Associated Press on the circulation list.

Newsroom resources are scarce, and the ranks of reporters grow thinner each day. Chances are, a media organization located in an area with no connection to the plaintiffs, the defendants or the incident will not be eager to assign a reporter to the story. However, it may run an article written by a journalist at a wire service such as the Associated Press.

Consideration

A reporter who receives a news release doesn’t simply decide to write a story. He or she typically must pitch the story to an editor before a green light is given. It may take some convincing before an editor gives the OK to a story, but once an article has been assigned the editor expects that it will be turned in.

A reporter has gone out on the limb for you to write the piece. Don’t leave him or her hanging.

Have a file-stamped copy of the lawsuit that can be faxed or e-mailed to the journalist. The reporter will need to personally verify that a lawsuit does indeed exist and makes the allegations that were summarized in the news release.

Be available for questions. One of the most frustrating things a reporter can encounter is a news release contact who is unavailable. Tight deadlines may mean that an article must be turned in only a few short hours after it is assigned. A television news reporter may need to hastily set up an on-camera interview. Unreturned voice mail or e-mail messages result in a great deal of anxiety.

A lawyer who quickly returns a reporter’s phone call and anticipates requests for copies of lawsuits instantly creates goodwill. The lawyer gains a reputation as someone on whom the reporter can depend. Just as judges compare notes about attorneys who appear before them, journalists share sources and tell one another which ones are likely to call back.

To summarize: Select your candidates for news releases as carefully as you pick your clients. Write the release in a clear, concise manner, and be sure to include content that helps the reporter verify the information. Communicate with your client before the news release is circulated to the relevant contacts, and be considerate of the reporter, who is often working under a tight deadline.

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By Geri L. Dreiling

In part one of this three-part series on the role of press releases in legal marketing I discussed the ideal candidates for a legal press release and the contents that should be included with each release.

In part two, I cover the importance of writing with clarity as well as the lawyer’s need to communicate with his or her client before the release is circulated. Whether the client will be making a statement and if so, what the appropriate statement might be should be discussed.

Clarity

While working as a reporter, I made the mistake of using the word “tort” in a story. An editor made a personal appearance at my desk with a copy of the story in his hand. “Are we writing about pastries?” he asked.

I launched into a legal explanation of a tort. He listened patiently and, when I was done, said, “I know what a tort is, but that isn’t important. Our readers are the ones we write for, and many won’t know. Change it.”

The point is that most people probably don’t have a copy of Black’s Law Dictionary handy. If your news release is packed with legalese, a reporter will have to spend a lot of time translating it. A lawyer who follows Wydick’s exhortation to use plain English will also make the journalist’s job easier.

In addition to being clear, a news release should be concise. This isn’t easy. As Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

An average news story is about 800 words long. The reporter is going to have to make your news fit the space allotted for the piece. If you don’t pare the information down, the reporter will do it for you.

The gold standard for the length of a news release is one page. I don’t always meet that aim, but I never exceed two pages.

Client Communication

Before a news release is sent out, most lawyers will explain to the client why it is appropriate for that particular case.  The lawyer should discuss with the client how any media contacts will be handled if a reporter calls.

An article is a story based on facts. For a reporter, the main character—the person at the center of the drama—is the plaintiff. Unless the publication is one geared specifically for lawyers, the attorney is often viewed as part of the supporting cast.  That means that a journalist may track down your client and give him or her a call.

Some attorneys instruct their clients to refer all questions to the lawyer, who then answers all questions. Some lawyers will allow the client to be interviewed but only if they are present. Never forget to set up your ground rules with the client ahead of time.

Part Three:  Contact the relevant reporter and be considerate

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