Leveraging 3 social networks, my website, an article, a hashtag & a URL shortener to get the most from 140 characters

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

What can you possibly do with 140 characters, the limit of a single tweet? As it turns out, the answer is "a lot."

That’s the conclusion I came to recently after a friend asked me to deconstruct a tweet she spotted not on Twitter but on LinkedIn.

Top 10 Twitter trends of 2010. Yes, the #iPad ( http://bit.ly/cUAmyH ) made the list. http://fb.me/QhxIBcNW

The tweet leverages Facebook, my website, a URL shortener and hashtags. Once it had been written and posted, the message was broadcast across the Legal Media Matters social network.

Here’s a step-by-step guide explaining how to write tweets that make the most of a tight space.

1. Post the article to the Legal Media Matters Facebook page.

I wanted to share Mashable’s roundup of the Top 10 Twitter Trends of 2010 with the Legal Media Matters social network of LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers and Facebook friends. I have the Legal Media Matters Facebook page settings configured so that a post to the Legal Media Matters’ Facebook page feeds into my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

Using the Link option, I pasted the URL of the Mashable article into the Share box.

Next I clicked the Attach button to post a link to the article.

The Facebook page displays a link to the article, as well as a short description. The link will automatically be shortened and broadcast across Twitter as this URL: http://fb.me/QhxIBcNW

When followers on Twitter or connections on LinkedIn click the URL link, they’ll be taken directly to the Mashable entry.

2. Adding text to accompany the link.

Knowing that the Facebook post would be broadcast across the Legal Media Matters social network, I kept the comments tight. The 140-character maximum included the Facebook URL.

I introduced the link as the "Top 10 Twitter trends of 2010." By using numerals instead of spelling out "ten" and cutting out the article "The," I saved a few characters.

3. Inserting hashtags.

Next, I wanted to highlight the trend that I felt would be of most interest to my network: the iPad. Legal Media Matters recently posted a guest blog article, "Apple iPad Review for Lawyers," that turned out to be extremely popular.

The second sentence of my Facebook post read, "Yes, the #iPad made the list."

This sentence serves two purposes. First, it conveys the information about the iPad ranking. Second, it includes a hashtag, the pound sign that precedes the iPad and allows people who are interested in the topic to quickly and easily conduct an iPad-related search.

To find hashtags, one need only make a quick visit to hashtags.org.

I typed in "iPad" as the search term and discovered that the hashtag is #iPad.

I was ready to add my second sentence to the Facebook post.

4. Include a relevant Legal Media Matters article.

The recent guest article on the iPad for lawyers written by St. Louis lawyer Spencer Farris was an important link that I wanted to include, but it needed to be shortened. When writing a tweet, you want to try to avoid using all 140 characters so that people in your network who retweet the item will have additional space to work with when sending it out to their followers.

I like to use bit.ly as a URL shortener.

I pasted the full URL to the article Apple iPad Review for Lawyers.

Next I clicked the Shorten button, and the condensed version of the URL appeared.

I copied the shortened version and pasted it into my Facebook entry.

5. Sharing across Legal Media Matters’ social networks.

As I mentioned earlier, I have my settings configured so that once I hit the Share button on Facebook, the item is broadcast to Twitter and LinkedIn and even back onto the home page of my website.

Here’s how it looked on Facebook:

Here’s how it looked on Twitter:

Unfortunately, the LinkedIn tweet is no longer available. It would have looked similar to this recent post that originated on Facebook.

At first blush, it might seem like a lot of work for one post. Once you get the hang of it, though, the process is relatively quick and painless. It took me less than five minutes to create and disseminate the item.

How do you make the most of your tweets? If you have any additional suggestions for leveraging your social network or making the most of a small space, I’d love to hear them.

In addition to presenting the Twitter tutorial, I want to share some exciting news. Legal Media Matters is preparing to launch a Law & Gadget blog, providing technology, book and gadget reviews for busy lawyers. The blog will be available in both English and Spanish versions for lawyers and abogados. Stay tuned for more information.

Still have questions about Twitter? At Legal Media Matters we can provide consulting advice to help you figure out how Twitter might fit into your public relations strategy. We can also help you get your account up and running and even design a custom Twitter background. You can reach us by filling out our contact form, emailing geri@legalmediamatters.com or calling 314.520.3897.

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

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A brief review of notable news and law firm marketing tips

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

It’s the time of year for awards. The People’s Choice Awards were just handed out. The Academy Award nominees are about to be named. And the 2011 Missouri Lawyers Awards, honoring Missouri legal professionals and law firms for their work in 2010, were recently revealed.

Special congratulations go to all of the Legal Media Matters clients who were among the honorees. Missouri Lawyers Weekly will present the awards at a Jan. 28 event in St. Louis.

In other news, Legal Media Matters is preparing to launch its Law & Gadget blog, providing technology, book and gadget reviews for busy lawyers. The blog will be available in both English and Spanish versions for lawyers and abogados. Stay tuned for more information.

Now, a quick roundup of noteworthy items you may have missed.

How to Write Tweets That Reach a Broad Audience

What can you possibly do with the 140-character limit of a single tweet? In this post, we provide a step-by-step guide to making the most of that limited space.

New Data: Post to Your Facebook Page Every Other Day for the Most Likes

Social media scientist Dan Zarrella tackles the question: “How often should I post to my Facebook page?” For those whose goal is to gather “likes,” Zarrella has crunched the numbers and found that posting every other day had the best rate of success. Posting once or twice a day was second best; anything over three times a day tended to be least “liked.”

Delete Me: Can Acrobat PDF Redaction Be Trusted?

As Mark Niemann-Ross notes in this article, published in this month’s Oregon State Bar Bulletin, when the Chicago Tribune published former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s subpoena to President Barack Obama, it included not only the “official” subpoena but also all of the edits, because the PDF document had not been redacted. This article explains why Acrobat’s PDF redaction works.

Is 2011 the year in which you keep your resolution to publish regularly to your blawg?

Legal blogs are a good way to keep potential clients informed, rack up inbound links to your website, showcase your expertise and provide practice-related content to search engines.

For many busy practitioners, though, blawgs are also hard to maintain, another legal marketing to-do item that never quite seems to get done.

If your New Year’s resolution included posting more regularly to your blog but you’re finding that you need some help, contact Legal Media Matters. We create blawg editorial calendars and draft blog content for lawyers with blogs on a variety of platforms, including WordPress, Findlaw and Justia. Our blawg content writers are experienced lawyer/journalists who understand the law and know how to write for a broad audience.

If you need assistance in coming up with a blog topic strategy, someone to draft blog entries to intersperse with your own posts or a comprehensive solution that allows you to make the most of your blawg’s legal marketing potential, contact Legal Media Matters to discuss our high-quality content and affordable rates.

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

]]> http://legalmediamatters.com/news-roundup-legal-marketing/feed/ 0 http://legalmediamatters.com/public-relations-matters-a-few-self-help-hints/ http://legalmediamatters.com/public-relations-matters-a-few-self-help-hints/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:56:40 +0000 Geri L. Dreiling http://legalmediamatters.com/?p=1795 This week’s Missouri Lawyers Weekly highlights some out-of-the-ordinary promotional tips

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Once a month, Missouri Lawyers Weekly includes a special section called “Practice, Practice” that provides useful tips, hints and practical advice, organized around a particular topic.

For example, the August special section addressed alternative dispute resolution practice. One of the articles within the section tackled the issue of ADR and divorce. Legal experts — including an LMM client, St. Louis mediator and divorce lawyer Marta J. Papa — weighed in on the pros and cons for clients.

In the September “Practice, Practice,” David Baugher shares 31 tips for building your law firm’s book of business in 31 days. I was pleased to contribute a few ideas for the piece. Among them:

• Write a letter to the editor or reach out to a reporter who covers topics related to your practice.
• Nominate outstanding attorneys in your firm for awards and honors conferred by business and legal publications.
• Subscribe to Help a Reporter Out as a way to share your expertise.

1. Reach out to a reporter.

Contacting a reporter who has written something that interests you or is related to your practice is not as unusual as it might seem. As a legal journalist and investigative reporter, I regularly received e-mails and phone calls from readers with comments about pieces I had written. Whether the reader agreed, disagreed or wanted to add another thought, as long as the tone was respectful, the exchange was always welcome — and sometimes it led to new ideas for articles and helped me expand my pool of sources.

2. Nominate your firm’s attorneys for awards and honors.

Last week, Missouri Lawyers Weekly held a reception honoring 48 Up & Coming Lawyers. The St. Louis Business Journal is now accepting nominations for the 2010 40 Under 40 class. These are just two examples of ways in which your firm can make it into the news and build internal morale by recognizing the lawyers who contribute to the firm’s success.

3. Follow HARO as a way to share your expertise.

HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, is a free service that brings together journalists and sources. Three times a day, HARO — with the tagline “Everyone’s an expert at something” — sends out e-mail requests from journalists and bloggers looking for sources and experts to interview for print pieces, television and radio newscasts, podcasts and blog posts. Potential sources, or public relations professionals representing those sources, then reply by e-mail with their best pitches.

Subscribing to HARO is one way to connect with reporters and bloggers who are in need of your expertise. The downside for a busy practitioner is that the e-mail stream may be heavy and responses must be sent quickly. At Legal Media Matters, we monitor HARO for our clients.

To find out more about our services and our “success fee” rates, fill out our online contact form or e-mail 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.

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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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As with everything else in life, preparation is paramount

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Noted lawyer Louis Nizer once said, “Preparation is the be-all of good trial work.” The same can be said for giving a good media interview.

Unlike just showing up and hoping for the best, preparing ahead of time will help you put your best foot forward. Here are five tips to help you prepare for your moment in the spotlight.

1. Find out the topic of the interview ahead of time.

If the interview is for service, or “how-to,” journalism, the reporter will let you know at the outset the topic of the story. For example, an estate planning lawyer may be asked to provide comments for an article on how to decide whether a will or a trust is appropriate.

2. Research the reporter’s previous stories.

Read up on the reporter before you sit down for an interview. If he or she is known for investigative pieces and you didn’t get much detail about the interview topic, you may want to consider contacting a public relations professional before the interview. A publicist has the background and expertise needed to determine whether the story is likely to be a negative piece and can advise you on how to proceed.

3. Anticipate the questions you will be asked.

Well before a lawyer ever picks a jury, the attorney will analyze the case in the best — and worst — possible light. Doing so helps the lawyer anticipate the opposing side’s strategy and develop an appropriate response.

When it comes to a media interview, reviewing all of the possible questions that could be asked is vital. Having an experienced publicist pose as a devil’s advocate can be an indispensable aid.

4. Formulate succinct answers and determine a set of three or four points you want to communicate.

Although sound bites are abhorred, they are useful. A quick, memorable statement will stand out in the reporter’s mind and make writing the article easier. A long, rambling answer can take up valuable print space.

If the interview is with a radio or television reporter — who is preparing a segment that is, on average, just 90 seconds long — you have to be able to get right to the heart of the matter.

5. Don’t ask to review the article before it is published.

Most journalists understand that a free and independent press plays a crucial role in a democracy. They take their responsibilities as the so-called fourth estate seriously. Just as a lawyer would never ask a judge to review a ruling before it is handed down or an employee would never ask to prescreen an employment evaluation before it is delivered, an interview subject should not ask to review an article before it is published.

However, you should offer your e-mail address and cell number in case the reporter has any follow-up questions or needs to clarify your comments.

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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Use legal PR to reach your clients’ trusted advisors

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Yesterday I gave presentation to a group of students enrolled in a mediation training course offered by St. Louis attorney and mediator Marta Papa. The topic: how to promote your mediation practice.

In addition to volunteering information, I came away with some new ideas.

One of the PR ideas I highlighted is the importance of promoting one’s mediation practice to referral sources — trusted advisors whose recommendation carries great weight when it comes to the selection of an attorney or mediator.

As I discussed in my YouTube video, traditional marketing involves the attorney using PR efforts to reach the client directly.

But referral marketing is a three-step approach, best exemplified in this diagram.

Papa took it a step further and shared one of her favorite referral marketing strategies. She makes it her goal to meet three referral sources each week for lunch. A problem that has legal ramifications also often has a financial, medical or emotional component.

A family lawyer, Papa had an extensive list of professionals whose work complemented her practice, including:

• Certified public accountants
• Mortgage brokers
• Physicians
• Psychiatrists
• Financial advisors
• Stockbrokers
• Insurance agent
• Real estate agents
• Clergy
• Business evaluators

She approached the professionals not from the standpoint of how they could send cases to her but instead in terms of how the professionals could help her clients. Some of her clients needed the services of professionals, and they looked to Papa for recommendations.

Take-Away Tips:

1. Identify professionals outside the legal community who also help your clients deal with the underlying issues that gave rise to the legal problem.
2. Meet for coffee or lunch as a way to introduce yourself, learn about a professional’s business and describe your practice.
3. Remember that referral marketing must be a two-way street. Don’t ask for help without offering assistance.

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.

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