How to write articles
It’s said that everyone has a book in them; a story to tell. That may be true but unless they learn to write it down properly then no one will ever read it.
In my previous article for this column, I explained that solicitors can easily get coverage in their local newspapers by commenting on legal developments and court rulings etc. From the way you responded, it’s clear many of you feel you have stories to tell but aren’t sure how to tell them.
Where do the words come from to turn ideas and opinions into something a newspaper will publish? Well, they come from realizing that writing a press release is not difficult if you follow some straightforward guidelines.
Most stories you see in local newspapers involving solicitors follow a similar format. They have a brief introductory sentence establishing that the solicitor is from a local firm and summarizing what he or she has to say. You will have seen this time and time again: A Blank Town solicitor says that new laws will have a devastating effect on …
This is followed by a few more paragraphs fleshing out the details. Then, the solicitor usually gets the chance to talk up the firm, saying it’s one of the best in the area and is working hard to make sure its clients won’t be affected by this terrible new legislation.
The solicitor will often add that anyone worried about the new developments should contact his firm. Sometimes, papers print the firm’s address and phone number.
Of course, there are all sorts of other styles but this is the one that will get you the coverage you want most of the time. So how do we go about creating such a format?
As far as the all important first sentence or intro is concerned, you can find the most important element of your story by imagining you have to sum it up in a few words for a text message to a friend. You’ll be surprised at how this concentrates the mind.
So, for example, if you feel strongly about the proposed changes to the legal aid system you might send a text message like this: Legal aid shake-up stinks… denies justice to poor… bin it.
Which, loosely translated into English, might read something like this: A Blank Town solicitor believes the proposed changes to the legal aid system should be scrapped because they could deny justice to the poor and vulnerable.
Now you have your intro so let’s look at the body of the text. To get through this you need to answer the basic questions that define every story ever told. Who? What? Where? When? How? Why?
Rudyard Kipling called these questions his six serving men and claimed they taught him all he knew. If your press release answers these questions then you won’t go far wrong.
So who’s doing what in this press release? The government wants to slash spending on legal aid.
How is it going to do this? One proposal is to make to make lawyers compete for legal aid work with the contracts going to the firm offering the cheapest deal.
Why is this a problem? Blank Town solicitor John Smith, of High Street firm Smith & Jones, says it will force many firms to stop doing legal aid work and so many people won’t be able to get proper legal advice.
Where is this happening? Well, obviously it’s happening across the whole country but you’re writing for your local paper now so, at the risk of stating the obvious, say how local people will be affected. The poorest and most vulnerable people in Blank Town will be the worst hit.
You could then go on to talk up your firm saying that it will continue to offer the best possible service to the public despite the difficulties presented by these ill thought out proposals.
Of course, the same principles apply if you’re writing about other subjects. The implications of the corporate manslaughter bill for local businesses, for example, or what proposals you think should come out of the Law Commission’s review of the law on cohabiting couples.
I have kept this example short because of limitations of space but that’s not a bad principle to follow anyway. Keep your press release tight and newspapers will be more likely to use it. This may leave you a little frustrated because there are so many points to make but remember, a ten sentence story that’s published is better than a 20-paragraph one that’s thrown into the waste bin.
You may feel I have been too superficial but bear in mind that you are now writing for a general audience. The public don’t want complicated concepts and their attention span is limited. And I’m afraid it should also be pointed out that they don’t want to know about your problems. It may be that you fear legal aid reform will have an adverse effect on your business. That may be tough on you but it won’t get you much news coverage.
That’s why I deliberately phrased this little example so it concentrated on what effect the proposed changes might have on the public. That’s what papers want so you should always make the public the focus of your story. Your main message, that the legal aid shake-up is a bad thing, will come across anyway so you still achieve your objective of publicizing your firm at the same time as influencing local opinion against something you don’t like.
It’s still your story. It’s just that you’re now telling it in a way that will make people want to read it, which is what writing is all about isn’t it?
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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