As a public relations practitioner, I am often asked what a firm or attorney should do AFTER they have received media coverage. It is so important to understand that not everyone you want or expect to see the coverage will see it the first time around. So, if there are people who you would like to see the coverage, make sure you share the new with them proactively. Here’s how:
1. If you have advance notice that you (or your firm) are going to be mentioned in a news story or article, let people know. You can send them an e-mail, post a notice on your Web site, update all of your social media statuses (such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter), add a note to your e-mail signature or just pick up the telephone and let people know in advance.
2. If you do not have advance notice of the coverage, let people know after the fact. Send them a link using all the same tactics listed in No. one, minus the telephone.
3. If your coverage is from a print publication, you can also purchase reprint rights and share the reprints via e-mail, mail and on your Web Site. They can be used as a direct mail piece, as handouts at events, as inserts in company collateral material, in your front office brag books, in your media kits, shared via Legal Onramp, JD Supra and Martindale Connected, mounted on your office walls and in so many other ways.
4. Include mention of the media coverage in your firm newsletter or e-newsletter with links when possible.
5. If your coverage is from TV news, purchase copies of the clips and add them to your firm’s Web site. Create a channel on YouTube. When adding to YouTube, be sure to include keywords in the description including your firm’s name.
6. Do not forget all the audiences who care about what’s happening at your firm. They include: clients, prospects, vendors, strategic partners, employees, colleagues, alumni offices, boards on which you participate, associations to which you belong, other members of the media, friends and family.
7. If you or others you know maintain relevant blogs, share your media coverage there and ask other bloggers who share relevant content to do the same.
Proactive sharing your media coverage is a great PR tool. It will increase the buzz, generate awareness, build a solid corporate reputation, and assists in communicating your news to your target audiences. The more often these audiences see the great work you and your firm are doing, the more likely it is that they will remember you when searching for legal services.
Gina F. Rubel, Esq., is the owner of Furia Rubel Communications, Inc., a public relations and marketing agency with a niche in legal communications. A former Philadelphia trial attorney and public relations expert, Gina is the author of Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers. Gina and her PR firm have won numerous awards for legal communications, public relations, media relations, strategic planning, corporate philanthropy and leadership. She maintains a blog at www.ThePRLawyer.com and is a regular contributor to The Legal Intelligencer Blog. You can find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ginafuriarubel or follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ginarubel. For more information, go to www.FuriaRubel.com.
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