Having clear expectations
Whether you do your own public relations or you work with an agency, having clear expectations from the outset will prevent misunderstandings. But just as important is the firm’s commitment from the top down to make the public relations efforts work.
The worst offenses of law firms when it comes to public relations include:
- Expecting to be quoted in top-tier media outlets such as the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC and CFO magazine within a month of working with the agency or consultant.
- Taking the backseat, the assumption being that the PR firm must do all the work. Untimely input or no input from attorneys on story ideas and/or the latest legislative developments will impede rather than help public relations professionals pitch stories to reporters.
- Not valuing the work of the PR professionals (Failure to do so, or to understand some of the components of the PR work will make it more difficult to work cohesively as a team.)
- Lack of understanding about the basics of media relations. (The traditional relationship attorneys have with the media contains elements of animosity, most of which is due to a lack of understanding of each other’s role.)
- Attorneys not improving their skills, such as honing the delivery of presentations to target groups and practicing interview techniques for speaking with reporters.
You can’t buy good PR
Remember, good publicity is literally something you can’t buy. Law firms of all sizes realize this and have become increasingly eager to incorporate public relations into their business development and marketing objectives. However, these efforts often fall short. For example, many smaller law firms have office managers handling public relations. Larger firms of 10 or more often assign this task to their marketing managers. A half-baked approach to any form of business development will yield half-baked results. Nowhere can such an approach hurt a firm more than when one of its lawyers talks to reporters without the proper training.
To find out more about how to maximize your law firm’s PR efforts, visit SCG Legal PR Network.
