Legal press relations, the fruit of relationships developed between media consultants and journalists, have evolved considerably in recent years. These relationships, if carefully nurtured and thought through by a dedicated expert, make a major contribution to the visibility and reputation of lawyers in a market that has become ultra-competitive.
One question often comes up when talking about press relations: what is the value of a quote in an article or the publication of an op-ed? In other words, how do you measure the impact of your media presence, particularly in terms of brand awareness and even business development?
Provided they know how to use them intelligently, law firms actually have everything to gain from developing their press relations: not only to make themselves known, preserve their image and establish their reputation in the legal, sectoral and institutional markets, or simply with the general public, but also to develop new networks and build a reputation over time.
The media consultant, a strategist alongside the lawyer
While a few lawyers have developed special relationships with journalists, it is more often the consultant’s responsibility to practice this on behalf of his or her clients. A job in its own right, which has existed for a long time, but which is now accompanied by a strategist’s mission. It’s no longer a question of doing what we would call “classic press relations”, in other words, simply putting people in touch with each other. The challenge of the modern consultant is to accompany, support and advise lawyers, who don’t necessarily have the codes of communication and journalism. All in all, there’s a role for everyone: technical expertise for the lawyer, media strategy for the consultant.
The consultant’s day-to-day work therefore revolves around a number of complementary tasks: monitoring legal and business news, drafting and distributing press releases based on the firm’s internal news (deals, appointments and other corporate items), seeking out interviews and placing interviews, organizing informal meetings, mediatraining if necessary and reporting on his or her actions. In this way, the consultant works on two fronts: enhancing the lawyer’s own expertise, and improving the influence of the firm’s brand in general.
Identify experts and targets
Before setting up press relations in the strict sense of the term, it is necessary to identify the experts and expertise: Who are the firm’s spokespeople? On what subjects can they express themselves? The media consultant will use this precise mapping of internal roles to define the strategy and editorial line. As the media targeted by the consultants are of different kinds, it will also be important to target the general, economic and financial press, as well as the specialized legal and sectoral press, depending on the profiles of the spokespersons and the strategy defined upstream with the firm.
Choosing the right approach
Before any exchange with the press, before any interview, it is necessary to carry out in-depth research. Attracting the interest of a journalist while responding to the client’s strategy requires understanding, analysis and, more generally, mastery of all media issues. So nothing is left to chance when it comes to contacting a media outlet, or a journalist in particular, to present them with a specific angle likely to interest them. The relationship and exchange with the customer must also be carefully prepared in advance.
Rely on facts
The advent of social networks and their impact on the news in general has led to an almost systematic questioning of public discourse. In this context, it is essential for the lawyer to provide precise information, statistics and factual elements to accompany every statement. This is how the lawyer gains the most credibility in the eyes of the journalist, and beyond his or her target readers.
The media consultants will help the lawyers to seize every media opportunity, but will also act in a second phase on the viralization of interviews published on social networks in order to generate engagement on the publications, and thus generate influence for the brand.
