Law Firm Publicity Tips: 3 Things You Should Never Say In a Press Release or Media Pitch
When reaching out to your local media for coverage about your firm, there are 3 specific things you should NEVER say in your press release or media pitch.
Saying these things will almost always land your press release in the trash and alienate you from the particular publication or TV station you are trying to target in the future.
Here they are:
1. The word “publicity”. We all know that the point of reaching out to local media is to score free publicity for your firm, but if you actually say that in your press release or pitch, your story will never see the light of day. You would be amazed how many lawyers craft pitch letters saying, “dear so and so, I am reaching out to you with hopes to secure media coverage or publicity about our firm”. FAIL.
2. Anything that resembles a blatant advertisement for your firm – The media’s job is to run unique, interesting and timely stories for their audience, not just cover small businesses in the area, just because. You should be pitching with this in mind and offering real story ideas or useful tips (i.e. 5 Ways to Avoid Financial Strain When Caring for Aging Parents or Getting Your Legal House In Order Before The New Year), and not just asking them to run a glorified advertisement about your practice (ex. Please cover why we are so great or what kind of results we get for our clients….).
3. “I’m really busy so please schedule an appointment with my secretary so we can talk further…”– Yes, you are busy, but so are producers and journalists. If getting a hold of you for an interview is like pulling teeth, they will almost always move on to the next credible source. So if you are serious about adding free publicity as part of your overall legal marketing strategy, don’t drop hints that you might be hard to work with or get a hold of in the future.
Know of any other “kryptonite” words or phrases that have backfired on lawyers in their media pitch or press release in the past? Be sure to share your experiences in the comment section below!
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