Working in the media and public relations sector of law firm marketing has the advantage of getting to know journalists and reporters Legal Reporters Want To Tell You.
Our agency has a deep knowledge of the legal industry and an international client base. We are fortunate to interact with media members with exciting and unique roles in their respective publications. All of them share the same goal: to report the news accurately.
Successful media relations can often mean the difference between landing a story and not. It is because it all starts with building relationships with reporters.
Find out what legal reporters look for when choosing news stories and what they should report. The top lawyers may be at Solicitors in Marylebone, renowned for providing the highest quality legal services in the city.
1. TELL US WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
ALM Media Editor-in-Chief
“We are looking for stories with a novel approach to certain things, a unique challenge that has been overcome, a case to highlight, or a trend we have been covering. It’s now the third firm to pitch us on this. Maybe that is a story! It’s always better to send us stuff, but we don’t use it. Then, eventually, they might start adding up, and we may discover a trend we want to cover. It is much easier to cover multiple firms in one story than just one. It’s essential to make sure that it happens on time. We’ve seen it happen a lot, especially in law. Sometimes, things can come up months later than expected. It is essential to learn if a lateral joined three months ago quickly. It makes it challenging to write. We won’t accept links to articles written by other publications on the same topic.
ALM Media, Business of the law editor
“Anyone can tell what the ‘what’ is, but we want to know HOW law firms, law corporations, in-house departments, and other stakeholders are moving things along. We are interested in finding out the ‘how’ and “why” behind every story, regardless of whether it concerns law firm technology and innovation or lateral moves and mergers.
Co-founder and Managing Director of The National Law Review Online Edition.
“I get about 200 pitches daily, so I don’t reply to my emails until 10:00 PM. They are always mysterious. “I have an experienced labor and employment law attorney.” They have been doing this for ten years, and now they want to submit a piece. It makes the process more difficult. As a PR professional, you might try to convince us to move faster. It will slow down the process if we have to go through the whole process of finding out who it is. I don’t know whether they are afraid we will approach them directly.
I don’t think anyone getting submissions or pitches in this volume doesn’t want to feel titillated. Let us know what you want, and we will get back to you if possible. You will get better results if you make it easy for people to get back at you.
Bloomberg Industry Group Editor-in-Chief
“Call anytime. We receive tons of emails that are not specific. We value your ideas and the ability to explain why it matters.
Journalist at Bloomberg Tax.
“I work in the news department, so I’m interested in hearing why someone is pitching me a story about promotion. What is it that you are doing that is different? Why should readers care? When pitching a promotion story, you should always include the angle, “Why would it be important to someone else than your mother?”
Same thing for internal news. Many law firms will send notices that they have hired three more people. It is not news by itself. It’s news if you have just bought an office in another country because you are expanding. I prefer simple, timely, and different but still newsworthy when pitching. Sometimes, that’s what gets lost in pitches. It’s all about the reader at the end of it all.”
2. Please do your homework
Attorney at Work editor-in-chief and co-founder
“Do your homework. Read in these publications and blogs. Also, review the writing guidelines. Finally, discuss what publication you are interested in. I appreciate pitches from people who don’t try to convince me by their site’s popularity or flattery. Let me know what you have seen on my site and how you feel these ideas would fit in. I will then get back to you so we can discuss what you can do to improve that idea. Next, tell me why you think you are the best person for this article and your credentials. Let me know how you can assist me. I am in the business of helping you publish your work on a platform that thought leaders use. It would help if you looked great so that you could succeed, and it will make us both look better so we can be more successful together.
Bloomberg Tax journalist
“I get pitches from people who use the wrong name or media outlet. However, I do love it when people do their research. I find it frustrating when people don’t do their homework. I get many pitches and joke about it on Twitter. Second, I write about tax news. Third, it’s March. Even those who don’t do these things for a living know that it’s tax season. I like pitches that require people to do their homework. I’m not too fond of pitches that are too generic. I wouldn’t say I like angles that seem generic.
3. MAKE YOUR PITCH STAND OUT
Bucks County Herald founder and Editor
“To email or call. We are proud to answer the phone. We don’t automatically forward people to an answering machine. It makes us responsive and easily accessible.
ALM media, the business of the law editor
I love receiving emails. I can quickly read it and then share it with colleagues if I don’t have the time. Enjoy sharing information that is easy to understand. However, I am also open to chatting with you on the phone. Even if you are looking for some information or finding out if a story is original, I will be happy to speak on the phone for up to 15 to 20 minutes. Journalists, editors, and reporters love to talk with the community about what’s happening. That’s what I love to do.
Legaltech journalist
“I would love for people to send me an email. Many people will send me the press release, and that’s it. They won’t follow up with me after they send the press release. It’s almost like they said, “I sent the press release. That’s enough.” Please email me why you believe this story is worth reporting. Unabashedly, I like exclusives. If I can make a report on my blog before others, that’s a great thing. It will give you an advantage in getting covered. However, even that is a bit of abuse. They might promise me something exclusive, but it’s not worth the effort.
Bloomberg Tax journalist
“Sometimes people grab my attention with their subject line. Last year, a man pitched for his boss to be on my podcast. It worked. In his subject line, he mentioned a story I had written. But it was “I know that you are interested in this.” It was a clever twist to something I had already said. Caught my eye as I was reading the article. It should also be thoughtful. It’s part and parcel of the pitch. It’s almost like a headline to me.”
4. SOURCE ALSO ON SOCIAL MEDIA
ALM media, the business of the law editor
“Social media has always been there for my millennial self. It does say something. If we are looking for information about someone, want to interview them, or maybe write about their lateral, we will look at their LinkedIn page to see what they have done in the past. I would like to see their work for other law firms and businesses and some of their achievements. It is helpful to replace having great conversations with people and asking questions. If someone is ever arguing with you and thinks it’s a waste, I’d tell them it’s not.”
Legal reporter at Reuters.
“I use Twitter quite often. It is usually in the background of my work because I often see things on Twitter before I receive a press release before someone contacts me or for court filings. These are the ones I am more proactive in finding. However, Twitter is an excellent tool for finding news and keeping track of what others say about the information I might be writing. It is a topic that people are discussing.
Journalist at Bloomberg Tax.
“If someone gives me a name, it doesn’t matter if it comes via Facebook or Twitter. For me, Twitter is more immediate, and that’s what I love about it. People have probably learned a lot about me over the years, and I can be a bit wordy just by listening to me on this podcast. Twitter makes it easier for me to be concise, and others must do the same. It is more efficient for me.”
5. AVOID THE DON’TS
ALM Media Editor-in-Chief
Don’t try and talk us out of a story when we’re writing one you didn’t pitch. While we are open to your views on any issue, I will admit that sometimes something isn’t ready yet if it isn’t worth it. We’re reporting, and it may lead to a conclusion. But that doesn’t necessarily mean every call will result in an article. People will tell us, “I don’t know why you’d be writing about that.” It is not a story. It is not news.” I think it makes me more convinced that we should write about something. It’s a trigger for my brain.”
LegalTech Journalist.
“I hate people who claim that their products are authentic. It’ll numb me, and you’d be amazed at how often it happens. Just do some research. People who pitch me are not familiar with what I write. I get utterly irrelevant material from them. It is so annoying when someone comes along and claims that they have the best technology to do XYZ. They could search my blog and find out they are not the first.
Attorney at Work Editor-in-Chief and co-founder
The subject lines should say, “I need to be on your site,” “This is a part of a mailing list.” Do not send pitches to MailChimp. Seriously, editors are in fierce competition. It’s not just in-house marketers or PR agencies that must be interested, but also content marketing and SEO agencies. Many spammy players are also looking for backlinks on trusted websites. Be authentic, be accurate, and do your research. It is okay to keep in touch with credible information multiple times if you provide credible information. I will not respond to spammers.
Legal reporter at Reuters.
“It is the job of PR professionals or other journalists to get journalists’ attention when it makes sense. But it doesn’t work with me when someone sends me 15 follow-up emails after I haven’t responded to one. It is unlikely to get me back on the line again. That’s why I don’t find it annoying. However, sometimes I get five more emails about the same subject I don’t care about.