Five tips for pitching legal media

A big part of any legal PR and marketing professional’s role is pitching and securing stories with the media. To do this effectively you must know how to craft a solid pitch that will catch the attention of a busy reporter.

Here are five tips to help you grab the media space you’re after:

 

1) Take the time to develop meaningful relationships with journalists

Building rapport with legal journalists takes time and shouldn’t be rushed. Engage with journalists at industry events, on social media and through your own network. This will help you develop trust and will likely increase the chance of your story being covered.

Get to know the style and preferred mode of communication your key journalist contacts like – some like to be contacted by phone while others like short, sharp emails – be prepared to pivot and tailor-make pitches to suit their style.

Most importantly though, make sure the topic you’re pitching is relevant to the particular journalist you’re targeting. In particular, you should demonstrate that you understand their readership whether it be trade, business or legal media and how your angle fits with that readership. Journalists will respect the fact that you understand who their content is aimed at and that you have done your homework on this.

 

2) Pitch carefully constructed and timely topics

Thoroughly research the topic you’re pitching before sending it to a journalist. Their time is valuable and they expect to see a concise, clearly crafted and creative pitch. Pitching a story which is no longer timely is not helpful, nor is being inflexible if the journalist takes a slightly different approach to what you suggested. Be prepared to adapt.

If emailing a pitch, consider:

– Keeping your subject line to the point;

– Personalising the greeting to the journalist;

– Using bullet points to tighten the pitch; and

– Including clear contact details for follow up.

 

3) Facilitate smooth communication between the journalist and lawyer

Make sure you don’t act as a roadblock between the media and your spokesperson. Your role is to help facilitate a smooth experience for both the journalist and the lawyer, seamlessly moving them both through the media relations process from article development, to interview, all the way through to publication. Update both parties on relevant details and keep them abreast of any significant changes to the angle of the article.

 

4) Ensure lawyers are fully briefed ahead of the media interview

Put together a short briefing note for the lawyer being interviewed so they arrive at the meeting prepared. You should include the journalist’s bio as well as any recent articles they’ve written. Focus on the purpose of the meeting and the key messages you want the lawyer to communicate, but also highlight any ‘no-go’ topics to avoid.

Treat the briefing note as an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge about your firm and its practice areas to senior spokespeople. Creating a template for regular use is helpful.

 

5) Don’t forget about the follow up!

Following up is a crucial part of the media relations process. If you don’t hear back from the journalist after a week, feel free to follow up with a short email offering supplementary details. If the journalist accepts the pitch but is after more information, make sure you respond in a timely manner.

Cultivating relationships with journalists can take time but enjoy the moment when you finally see your article go to press!

 

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash