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It’s not personal! Why being the story isn’t always the best approach for any business leader
It’s become something of a PR shibboleth that organisations need to show their human side to get ahead in the PR stakes. Making it personal, so the mantra goes not only makes it more interesting but helps to build trust in your brand and engage more effectively with...
10 key ingredients for a successful law firm press release
Despite the changing nature of journalism precipitated by social media, press releases still play an important role in any law firm’s PR operations. A well drafted and targeted press release can be a simple and very effective way to get the right...
How to become a guest on your favourite business podcast
Podcasts have become fairly ubiquitous in the last few years with over 19.1 million people in the UK listening to podcasts on a regular basis, see my previous blog: Podcasts - the cool cousin of the written word for more information. It’s easy to see why they podcasts...
Law firm mergers: how to get the PR right
The consolidation of the legal market shows no signs of abating with the Law Society Gazette reporting on numerous law firm mergers and acquisitions across the country this spring. Even more recently, my old firm Allen & Overy announced that it is joining forces...
How PR will help your law firm in the war for talent
PwC’s annual law firm survey for 2022 found that shortage of talent was one of law firms’ top concerns. In fact, 88% of the top 100 UK firms said they were concerned that a shortage of talent would stop them meeting their ambitions. Shortage of talent impacts law...
Is your law firm stuck in PR rut? How to shake things up this spring
Spring is traditionally the time to sort out, clean up and get on top of all those jobs you’ve been putting off all winter. If one of the items on your “to do” list is your firm’s PR, now could be the perfect time to assess your current strategy, take stock and make...
How law firms can use influencers to boost their brand
Social media is now a crucial aspect of any marketing strategy, for almost any business – including law. The “cyber space” can’t be overlooked, but it’s a big, busy, loud place so how can law firms be heard, stand out from the crowd and effectively promote their brand...
Legal 500 submissions: how to choose your referees
When it comes to the annual endurance trial known as the legal directory submissions, your referees and what they say may be the most important factor in whether you or your firm climb the rankings (or maintain your ranking). You need to make sure you pick the best...
National media coverage for lawyers: is it worth the effort?
For many lawyers and law firms, exposure in a national newspaper or established news outlet is the holy grail of PR. Many clients have told me over the years that getting into The Times or on the BBC or Sky News is what success looks like to them – it’s at...
How to follow up on a written pitch or tender
Hands up who likes putting proposals, pitches and tenders together? Exactly … nobody! Proposals, pitches and tenders are laborious, labour intensive and fiddly. Worse, the conversion rate rarely matches the amount of effort that goes into them. ...
Five things PR can help your law firm achieve in 2023
As the legal marketplace becomes increasingly crowded and disrupted, a focus on PR could prove to be a worthwhile investment in 2023. PR could make all the difference when it comes to differentiating your firm and getting your brand in front of potential clients....
How to write a Christmas message to staff
2022 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for all of us. On the upside, the country shook off the lockdown restrictions of the last two years but we also witnessed a war in Ukraine, the death of our longest serving monarch and political turmoil which saw three Prime...
How to increase your law firm’s following on Twitter
Whether lawyers like it or not, social media tools such as Twitter are now vitally important to enhancing professional reputation and winning business. This applies to both individual lawyers who are trying to build their own personal brand and law firms who are...
Top tips for getting a broadcast interview right
In recent weeks politicians have provided some painful examples of how NOT to do it when speaking to the media (you all know who I mean!). While professional presenters might make it look easy (it is their job after all), it really isn’t and for the vast majority of...
Five magic PR ideas for law firms this Halloween
While we wait to see whether the full financial statement will go ahead next Monday, it was inevitable that the press (and others) would have a field day when the Budget date was originally set for Halloween with the inevitable horror headlines ensuing: “Economic...
Top tips on how to make the most of a legal directory ranking
Last month, saw the publication of the 2023 edition of The Legal 500 while next week will mark the launch of the latest edition of Chambers and Partners' UK Guide. As usual, law firms and barristers' sets will waste no time gushing over their new and/or improved legal...
Legal PR: what’s a news hook and why does it matter?
While the importance of a good news hook will be familiar to anyone working in PR, if you fail to understand this simple but key concept of journalism, PR success for your law firm may well prove elusive. So what is a news hook? Put simply, it is the peg that...
SEO: three simple tips to help your law firm rise up the Google rankings
When I first heard the phrase SEO, short for search engine optimisation, I immediately understood how it could help my business but I assumed that it was a highly technical issue that would require specialist support that would beyond my paltry freelance marketing...
How to generate five star reviews for your law firm
It sometimes seems like we can’t move without being told a business “values our feedback” or we are asked to “rate the service you received today” or directed to “review us online”. If I didn’t know better, I might assume there was a collective crisis of confidence...
Law firm marketing: how to ensure perfection doesn’t prevent progress
I appreciate this may not sit well with some but when it comes to law firm marketing lawyers it really is easy to let perfection prevent progress. What do I mean? All too often a combination of a lawyer/accountants’ natural eye for detail (understandable...
Why images are key to taking your blog to the next level
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but, when it comes to content for social media and online platforms, a picture really can be worth its weight in gold. Images are key to taking your blogs to a higher level in terms of attracting interest from your target...
Seven quick wins to ensure your law firm has a consistent social media strategy
There was a time, not so long ago, when some law firms may have queried the need for a social media presence at all. Today, it is just a given that law firms and other professional services need to be operating on social media. But exactly what that looks like and how...
When should start-ups embark on PR?
Founders of start-ups might be forgiven for regarding PR as something of a luxury purchase, a service afforded only by larger, established businesses. In the early days of getting up and running, this might look like a “nice to have” for which the budget is just not...
Why lawyers need to build their own personal brand
In the legal sector, where the introvert personality type tends to proliferate, the idea of building a personal brand makes many lawyers shudder. Many of us Brits are reluctant to blow our own trumpets and feel uncomfortable when the spotlight is on us; self-promotion...
Top tips for successful networking
The key point of networking is to expand your horizons by meeting people you may like and may work with in future. Few people do it well and most hate the concept. Having spent my life and career enjoying networking, I am still learning about it from daily...
Legal 500 deadline looms: five last minute tips to launch your submission
If it’s not already etched in your memory, let me remind you that the end of this month, 31 March 2022, is the deadline for this year’s submissions to the Legal 500. Most of us need a bit of a deadline to spur us into action, here are my five last minute tips for...
Podcasts: the cool cousin of the written word
If content is king, then what better way can there be to draw in an audience than by getting them to, well, listen to you!? In many ways, the podcast is the cool cousin of the written word. Unlike reading, podcasts have the advantage of being accessible while on...
How law firms can love their LinkedIn page a little more
LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and is the oldest of the major social networks. In 2021 it was estimated to have more than 774 million users in over 200 countries. While this means it isn’t the biggest (Instagram is currently estimated to have over 1 billion users), it...
Repurposing your law firm content: how to squeeze every ounce out of your efforts
Whether you’re a small law firm that doesn’t have huge support functions (or a huge budget to outsource them) or a big hitter which does, working smarter not harder is always a sensible goal – who doesn’t want to be as efficient as possible or, even better, get...
PR strategy for 2022: how to focus your efforts
With businesses more likely than ever to be watching costs, demonstrating the effectiveness of even a modest PR spend is likely to be crucial. Focusing whatever PR resources you have (be that in-house or, an agency or consultant) will ensure you can deliver more with...
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