If you would like guidance on how to develop news releases or your news online, LawComms are the specialists. Contact us for a discussion.

1: NEWS GIVES YOU COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

News releases and an up-to-date online news page give you powerful low-cost marketing tools.

You can demonstrate your achievements and skills through news.

News keeps your name in the minds of potential clients, increasing the likelihood that they will think of you first.

A successful media relations programme, establishing your name with journalists etc, will begin to generate spontaneous mentions of your name in the media.


2: START WITH YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Make your news activity reinforce your overall strategy, and the messages that you are trying to convey through marketing.

For example, efforts to promote your strengths in representing employers could be undermined by a series of news reports highlighting your employment tribunal victories for applicants.

Focus on the people that your marketing plan says are important to the future of your practice or set.


3: FOCUS ON THE EXTERNAL AUDIENCE

When you choose topics for online news and news releases, and when you write the information, put yourself in the position of a reader. Would this attract and keep their attention?

Choose topics important to the audience you want to reach. Avoid merely touting your product or service. Avoid announcements which however much importance they have internally, lack relevance to or benefits for the outside world.


4: PLAN AHEAD

Make a forward plan for your news activity, which should complement your overall marketing plan. Planning ahead allows you to gain maximum benefit from events such as court or tribunal decisions. Do not rely exclusively on reacting to events; plan pro-actively the topics you want to address.

Identify the magazines, online services, bloggers, journals, or e-zines that you want to target.


5: MAXIMISE USE OF YOUR CASEWORK EXPERIENCE

Your achievements for clients offer the best evidence of your skills and are the best way to demonstrate how you might help other clients.

Court and tribunal victories are obvious news items (many Bar websites could make much better use of this resource, as LawComms surveys show).

Advice, non-contentious work, background legal research and settled claims also offer opportunities, even if information is anonymised or presented as a case-study.

Solicitors should obtain client consent to publicity. Barristers should liaise with instructing solicitors to avoid duplicated or conflicting publicity.


6: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

Build into your planning the opportunity to analyse or react to:

* Court/tribunal judgements in cases other than your own

* Emerging trends from your casework

* Survey/research results

* Forthcoming legislation

* Consultation/green papers/white papers

* EU legal developments affecting the UK

* Topical legal issues

* Market trends.


7: DOUBLE-CHECK BEFORE PUBLICATION

Pause to consider whether there reasons not to publish a story online or in a news release.

Is there an adverse media agenda that your story could inadvertently trigger? Remember headlines about "compensation culture", "benefit cheats", "political correctness/human rights gone mad", "criminal's charter", and "fatcat lawyers".

If your client is named or could be identified, are they aware of the potential consequences of publicity (unwelcome attention in the street or supermarket?), and have they given consent informed by that awareness?

Does your client have anything in their background which could be discovered and used adversely? (For example, the sex discrimination claimant pictured on her photographer boyfriend's website).

Even if a case-result is in the public domain, is there a reason to avoid further publicity? A bus-driver would not want additional publicity for an acquittal on driving offences. A personal injury claimant might wish to avoid neighbours hearing about a significant damages award. A businessman acquitted of sexual offences might not want details maintained on your website.


8: WRITE IN A SIMPLE CRISP STYLE

Keep paragraphs and sentences short. Keep to one topic per paragraph.

Use the active not the passive voice.

Avoid jargon and acronyms unless you can be certain that the audience knows what they mean.

Write the news releases in the same style used by the media you are targeting (so that it would not appear out of place if reproduced word for word).


9: SUMMARISE THE WHOLE STORY IN THE FIRST SENTENCE

Give your item a self-explanatory title which summarises factually what the story is about.

The first sentence should answer the questions: WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN. It should be possible to understand the entire message of the item by reading only the first sentence.

10: GO ON TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

The body of the news item goes on to deal with WHY, giving a more detailed explanation.

Describe the factual background. Give full details such as dates, names and locations.

The content should relate to the interests of the audience. Avoid merely touting your product or service. Explain how people can benefit (saving money, saving time, gaining peace of mind, pre-empting problems). Address readers' self-interest or concern.

For example, if you are writing about a recent case (whether you or someone else acted in it) highlight the importance of the case and the impact of the decision on:

* The client concerned

* Other people in similar positions: "thousands will be denied compensation"

* Public interest: "a loophole has now been closed"

* The law: "this is the first judicial decision on how this legislation applies..."

Consider these questions:

* Relevant: "It might happen to you". "You could benefit". "Don't lose out". "Could you be at risk?"

* Timely: "There's still time to act".

* Tone: "We are the experts".

* Message: "You can act to avoid this risk". "You might need advice". "Pitfalls you might face if you go it alone".

Highlight any facts specific to the local or specialist audience that you intend the piece to reach. Quote statistics or demographics if obtainable.


11: FINISH NEWS RELEASES WITH A "NOTE FOR EDITORS"

At the end of your News Release, give the name, telephone numbers (land and mobile) and email address of a contact person from whom journalists can obtain further information.

Add any background technical information (eg more detail of a legislative provision) which may help the journalist's understanding.


12: SEND OUT YOUR NEWS RELEASE TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME

Before sending a press release, check the deadlines for the publication or programme in which you want coverage; lead times for magazines and supplements tend to be longer than you would expect.

If you don't want the information published before a specific date, include the words "EMBARGO: not to be published before [time] on [date]".

E-mailed press releases should be in plain text with no attachments. Head the message "News Release" with a self-explanatory title which indicates factually what the story is about.

Send your release to the news desk or relevant specialist editor, unless you have been able to identify a named contact.

Build up a list of media contacts.


13: BE PREPARED

Contacts named in your news release MUST be available to handle calls.

Brief relevant colleagues when a news release is issued or a news item published online, so they are not taken by surprise should they be contacted direct.

If you get a difficult media enquiry, take time to think. Tell the caller that you will ring back within an agreed time. And do so.