Whether you are a PR working in the legal sector or a lawyer looking to build your own profile, the key to media success is building successful relationships with your target journalists and publications.
So what do legal journalists really want from PRs? We got in touch with five leading legal journalists who kindly answered three key questions.
Edward Fennell, freelance legal diarist
Jess Harrold, the legal and professional editor at the EG, the leading property title
David Opie – reporter, Today’s Family Lawyer
Eduardo Reyes, features editor at The Law Society Gazette
Maria Shahid – freelance journalist specialising in legal, property and tech
What criteria do you have when choosing a quote from a legal expert?
Edward Fennell – “Good powerful quotes normally just jump out at you. They are direct, revealing and punchy – and, ideally, a little surprising. Unfortunately, there are far too few of them. All too often there is a bland similarity in quotes giving little away of real significance and being merely a statement of the predictable. I feature quotes, ideally, to move the story on and to give a specific insight from a named expert who has an individual personality. I rather worry that, maybe, too much standardised PR training is constraining and flattening what commentators say.”
Jess Harrold– “A few factors influence me on this – first, is it coming from a trusted source I have worked with or met before, and is the lawyer concerned one that I already know, or from a firm that I know I can depend on? I do like to encourage a wide and diverse array of voices, though, so am always open to approaches from new PRs (and law firms directly). In those cases, particularly, I am looking for someone with an original idea that stands out – whether it is a new issue to highlight (perhaps from a recent or upcoming piece of legislation, or an important court ruling) or a fresh perspective on a time-worn topic. I like to see evidence that the author/PR has really thought about the topic, their approach to it and the best way to present it to the audience (through us). It is really useful to see clear, easy to understand bullet points that sum up what a proposed article would address.”
Eduardo Reyes– “So long as they are the right type of expert, timeliness and availability is really important. If they have been in touch in advance of, say, a judgment being handed down, that can be really helpful. If they tipped me off on the timing and significance of what’s coming, then I’m disposed to returning the favour.
They need to be very clear, and show they understand our readers’ interest in this. It is a disadvantage to sound vague or non-committal.
If they fuss over how they have been presented post publication, or try to ‘curate’ their appearance, and I think that’s unjustified, it’s a black mark for the future. There will be other easier people to deal with where I have a choice.”
Maria Shahid– “I am looking for people who are active in the field that I am writing about, and who are available to talk to me prior to my deadline. An interview can take around 30 mins plus, so they need to have the time to do that.
Ideally you want them to have something new or novel to say, so it’s worth giving this some thought before the interview. If you can give some examples from your own practice, so much the better.”
David Opie– “The critical criteria here is the relevance of the speaker and quote to the audience. The speaker should either be known to the audience you’re writing for (or looking to build a voice or brand) and/or they should be providing some critical analysis or adding something to the discussion.”
In terms of working with the press, what advice would you give to a beginner in legal PR?
Edward Fennell – “By far the most important thing is to be at least slightly familiar with the publication that you are talking to and, ideally, the journalist as well. Read one or two of the pieces they have written and get a grip on the angles that they are looking for.”
Jess Harrold – “Try where possible to make email pitches stand out from the crowd without going too overboard or wacky. Be courteous and friendly – I, personally, respond well to people with a more informal approach, but that would not be true for all journalists. Try to get a sense of the content that the title/organisation you are pitching to typically features, the audience they serve and how they go about it. Tailor the ideas that you pitch towards that market. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back – we are often very busy, and frequently will receive multiple pitches covering similar ground. Inevitably, the person who gets in first with a strong idea or approach to a topic will be the one who is successful.”
Eduardo Reyes– “Read/watch or listen to the paper, magazine or broadcast programme you are pitching to. Know what we do, and think about our audience. Search for what we’ve done before on a topic you’re pitching. You’re more likely to engage our attention if we think you’ve engaged with what we do, even if you’re junior and just starting out. Follow up on social media. Share things we write/broadcast.”
Maria Shahid– “Make sure that your stakeholders are available for interviews at short notice. A lot of lawyers are very nervous about talking to the press and being quoted. In reality most journalists, certainly in the legal press, are very good at ensuring that quotes are accurate, and just want to get the story filed. They are not there to trap you into saying something you didn’t want to say.
Also, build up a rapport with the journalist, so that they are likely to come back to you if they are on a short deadline and need a quote quickly.
Maybe think about investing in some media training, or at least practice an interview with someone at the firm.”
David Opie– “There are some really interesting dynamics in legal PR. If you look at B2B comms I think as with any PR, it’s about knowing your audience and communicating with them in their language. Legal is a very particular field of expertise and having empathy with your readers is critical; being able to put yourself in their shoes, tell a story that resonates with them and speak in their language is so important. When it comes to B2C comms again it’s important to understand who you’re speaking to, and helping the reader understand why the story or information is important to them.”
What things annoy you most about PRs?
Edward Fennell- “It is the natural follow-on from the point above i.e. when a PR approaches you on a random or scatter-gun basis and clearly has no idea of one’s publication or the subject matter in which the journalist is normally interested. So unless you already know the journalist pretty well or the story is really special I strongly advice against trying to sell a story over the phone – which does still happen. Just send the press release or even better, if it is something special, a personalised message.”
Jess Harrold– “I try not to get annoyed by PRs like some other journalists do – they are doing a tough job, no doubt with their own pressures to be dealing with. However, my best advice to avoid any irritation on the part of journalists is to properly research a title like EG before sending pitches over. I get inundated with emails offering celebrity stories and “innovative” new products which, after a modicum of research, should be obvious have no hope of being covered in EG. I have had experiences of PRs being over-zealous – sometimes even aggressive – over the way their stories/material has been treated, usually with little or no justification. That is a surefire way to ensure that I will not take pitches from them or seek out their assistance in future.”
Eduardo Reyes– “There are certain phrases commonly used that journalists hate. “Just circling back to you…”; “I’m sure you’re very busy…”; and offering an article “exclusively” to us. Damn right it’d be exclusive if we take it! Also saying, “X other paper reported on our client, we thought you would be interested too,” As that is too late; over-familiarity when we don’t/barely know each other – “Hiya” is an absolute no-no. Don’t hold back the name of your client, saying “Our leading lawyer…” I’m busy and need to see it now or not at all. Put everything I need to see in the body of an email. Don’t send cc-d emails where you’re showing off in front of colleagues. Don’t over-promise to a client, then take out your stress when interacting with us. Be straight forward, authentic and get to the point.”
Maria Shahid– “People who ask for quote approval. Especially when this comes at the end of the interview, as by this time you will have wasted the journalists time, which isn’t the best way to build up a rapport! If you have any questions of that nature raise them at the start of the interview or even better when the interview is being arranged.
Asking for questions in advance is becoming very common, and while I can do this sometimes, it’s important to know that any good journalist is likely to dig a little deeper and ask further questions during the interview. My other advice is to only have one spokesperson on a call. It can be tempting to have two or even more, but it’s really logistically tricky for a journalist for a number of reasons. Editors usually don’t like it when we quote two people from the same organisation in the same feature, and logistically it’s really tricky to decipher afterwards which quote came from whom.”
David Opie– “Hyperbole! As an independent news publication the volume of PR we receive which announces “ground-breaking” partnerships, or “industry-leading” technology solutions can be draining. Help us understand the story quickly and share supporting information and data. Any PR will tell you whatever you submit will be rewritten… give us something to work with!”
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