How to get news coverage
If John Cleese had set Fawlty Towers in a law firm instead of a hotel he would have had no trouble adapting his famous catchphrase. Instead of shouting “don’t mention the war,” a manic Basil Fawlty could scream “don’t mention the client” any time an unsuspecting journalist came near.
Solicitors often tell me they would love more publicity to improve business but feel it would be unethical to reveal information about clients. To which I reply: “well of course it would but you can quite easily promote your firm without referring to clients at all.”
The first thing to do is understand the enormous potential every solicitor has for placing news stories. Newspapers are interested in anything that will affect the lives of their readers. The law does that everyday. What’s more the law is especially newsworthy because it is always changing, whether through new legislation, High Court rulings or EU directives.
Solicitors can get regular publicity by tracking the changes in their particular field and then commenting on them to the press. Local papers are always looking for a way to muscle in on national stories. They do so by getting local people to comment on the national event in question.
You’ll be amazed how your evening paper will jump at stories featuring you explaining the potential impact of new legislation. It could be something that is bad for businesses, good for pensioners, helpful to home owners, damaging to employees; anything that is beneficial or detrimental to any particular group. As long as it affects people for good or bad it is news and will get coverage.
Midlands firm Putsmans provided a good example of this with a well-placed story in the Birmingham Evening Mail. Peter Adkins, the firm’s head of licensing, warned that the new Licensing Act could put an end to people enjoying a kebab or burger on their way home from a night out. It seems many traders aren’t prepared to pay the thousand pounds needed to obtain a licence.
With stories like these the paper will almost certainly mention your firm and portray you in the best light possible. This may contradict what you’ve been led to believe but it’s true and perfectly logical. Remember, the paper is basing its story on what you have to say. The better it makes you sound the more credible the story will appear to the reader.
Mr Adkins certainly came across as an authority on his subject and his firm got priceless publicity for free. And this is in one of England’s largest selling evening newspapers with more than a quarter of a million readers. It’s even easier to place stories in the weeklies and smaller evening papers.
The Queen’s Speech promised 45 new bills. Take a look at them and see which fall into your area. Ask yourself what effect will they have and then comment on them to your local papers. Don’t imagine you have to be a recognised leading authority for the paper to publish your views. Journalists just want an opportunity to run a good story and to them, the best lawyer is the one who takes the trouble to contact them, even if that person is only newly qualified.
Watch out for developing trends. Manchester firm Rowe Cohen placed an article in the Manchester Evening News warning people of the potential pitfalls of buying property abroad. Readers were left in no doubt that Rowe Cohen were the people to ensure foreign purchases went smoothly.
Coventry firm Button & Co got some excellent coverage by criticising the standard of conveyancing offered by large firms. Buttons were able to place a very flattering article in the local Evening Telegraph telling people that they gave the client a much better deal. The paper obligingly printed a list of services offered by the firm.
European directives are always good value. Lincoln firm Bridge McFarland recently placed a nice quirky story about horses needing passports.
Don’t forget the news within your firm. Taking on new staff or appointing a new partner, moving to new premises or expanding into a new area of practice are all subjects that will get coverage. Take the opportunity to talk yourselves up. Don’t just announce you’re recruiting a new solicitor, explain why you’re doing it. A sentence saying you are “recruiting a leading corporate law specialist following a year of unprecedented expansion” makes you seem dynamic and exciting; the kind of winners the public want on their side.
Light and heartwarming stories are also welcome. Warwickshire firm Wright Hassall recently got extensive coverage based on the fact that one of the partners and his PA were celebrating their 25th anniversary working together. It sounds trivial but the firm came across as a group of warm, friendly people; the kind the average person would like to turn to in times of trouble.
You don’t need to be in a big city firm or have an army of PR specialists behind you to get this coverage. Anyone can do it if they switch on to what their local media needs.
Exposure in your local press not only raises your profile, it makes you look like an authority on your subject. All this yet it costs you nothing, is easy to arrange and hardly takes up any time. All you are doing is commenting on things you already know about.
You can mention new legislation and refer to court rulings. You can talk about new trends or mention changes within your firm. Basically, you can mention whatever you like and still get coverage.
Just don’t mention the client.
back to Solicitors Journal articles
This article first appeared in the Solicitors Journal.
Nick Kehoe is a former News Editor with ITV. He now runs Media Coverage, a company offering CPD accredited media courses and providing press releases and newsletters for law firms.
Contact Media Coverage, Suites 1-13, Imex Business Park, Shobnall Road, Burton on Trent, DE 14 2AZ.
www.media-coverage.co.uk Email: nk@media-coverage.co.uk.
Phone 01283 566270.
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