Jennifer Brown is a journalist and content creator. She is the former Managing Editor of Canadian Lawyer InHouse and Law Times, and has recently joined Osler, Hoskin, & Harcourt LLP as a Content Marketing Manager. In this article, Jennifer provides key takeaways for legal marketers on how to engage the media and work effectively with editors and writers to get your message out.
With media outlets shrinking and even disappearing altogether right now, it can be tough to know how to get your clients quoted in the news or have their opinions published in reputable publications and platforms.
The reality is that reporters, podcasters, freelance writers, editors and content creators of all kinds are always in story development mode and love having good sources to tap. A well-crafted and straightforward pitch can be so helpful to a reporter working to a deadline or a podcast host looking at a blank spot in their content calendar.
When pitching an idea, think about newsjacking opportunities and look around at how your firm’s practice areas and programs can dovetail with other trending issues.
HONE YOUR PITCH
Some of these tips may sound obvious but are worth repeating:
- Keep it short – A pitch doesn’t have to be something you labour over for days. Reporters need to know the gist of an idea quickly. Write a short email with a sentence or two highlighting why it’s a relevant idea. Better still, have your lawyers write it and send it.
- Suggest a key contact – Who can speak to the issue and why are they well-positioned to do so? Keep in mind the younger associates who have a passion for the topic, not just the senior partners.
- Include data points – This can be the magical elixir of story development.
- Have a headshot ready – Reporters need current headshots, in colour.
REPORTERS CULTIVATE SOURCES – NURTURE MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
If it seems like the same lawyers show up in media interviews over and over again, it’s likely because they are at the top of a journalist’s contact list, and they got there for several good reasons. This may seem lazy – journalists are often accused of going back to the same well, but usually, it’s because the source fulfils one or more of the following:
- Provides useful story tips
- Responds quickly to requests for interviews
- Provides context beyond the current coverage on a topic
- Are fun to talk to (okay, that’s just a bonus)
- Gives a good quote (and doesn’t ask to read the story prior to publication)
- Suggests other sources (by that, I mean peers and colleagues or other experts in the subject area)
Along these lines, I like the “filter by status” tool the source website Qwoted uses:
- (1) quick to respond,
- (2) frequent source, and
- (3) on the record.
This tool may be an option to consider for your lawyers.
Media-friendly lawyers who are keen to speak to journalists come in various forms. Some are solo and small practitioners; others are top-ranked large law firm corporate lawyers who understand the value of taking 15 minutes (honestly, that’s all it takes sometimes) to speak to a reporter or editor. I have had my share of excellent large law sources over the years. Sources like the trade law lawyer who will call you from a GO Train platform on the way to the office. Or the energy law lawyer who calls after leaving the courthouse to tell you about a significant win. We love them.
It’s wise to coach lawyers on the importance of a quick-response mentality if they are interested in being quoted in the media. Journalists are often working on multiple deadlines and filing several stories a day. They may also be procrastinators and need a source for a deadline that has crept up on them, but an opportunity is still an opportunity.
BE A RESOURCE, NOT JUST A SOURCE
Knowing when an important court decision is about to come down can be a valuable resource to a journalist who may not have time to keep up to date on what’s happening at the Supreme Court or other jurisdictions. Send a note about a decision that’s coming down and suggest why it has significance and what the unpopular opinion on it might be.
Take some time to get to know a reporter or freelance writer who may cover several different beats across a range of sectors. They may find it valuable to have a legal viewpoint on a topic not specifically legal-related. They may not bite every time but when something significant develops the relationship is established and trust has been built.
Always try to avoid the technical legal jargon – or at least explain what it means so the writer understands and can explain it in plain language to their audience.
THINK OF THE QUIRKY AND CURRENT
One of the most popular legal stories in 2018 was one about a Toronto lawyer obtaining an order in the Ontario Superior Court to serve a statement of claim using Instagram. And recently I heard a corporate commercial lawyer say that at the height of the pandemic they had a “millennial client” looking to give instructions via IG message. That right there is a great idea for a blog post — in the age of social media and remote work, how are lawyers adapting to take instructions from clients?
In another story, a lawyer at a top intellectual property firm in Toronto offered a reporter a fun take on how companies were responding to copyright infringement in creative ways. In this case, it was about how Hasbro Inc. was handling fans who wanted to use its My Little Pony brand in various ways. Apparently, “Bronies” were men fascinated with the animation and characters of the TV show. The interview was about how Hasbro was giving up a little control but maintaining strong command of their brand, which, it was pointed out, you have to do as a trademark owner. (BTW, IP lawyer Noel Courage at Bereskin & Parr is one of my favourite lawyers to interview).
Think of the lawyers in practice areas who don’t get much love from the media but who have great stories to tell and love talking about what they do. One of the most interesting and quite frankly fun pieces I have ever done involved interviewing half a dozen tax lawyers for a feature on how they are the new corporate superheroes. “Tax Guy to the Rescue” looked at how tax lawyers have been propelled to centre stage because there is so much tax competitiveness between countries today.
As Al Meghji, a partner in Osler’s tax practice, said in the interview: “The tax practice traditionally was one where the tax lawyers would work in tandem with the corporate partners, but it was the corporate lawyers who had all the swagger, and the tax lawyers were the geeks doing all the paperwork. But tax litigation has become a huge part of the business now.”
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DATA
Data journalism is the hot ticket, and any reporter that can include a credible data point or reference a study/survey/statistic in their article will get the attention of an editor and reader – it’s also highly shareable on social media and in graphics.
Law firms collect a lot of data (on fees, on sector-specific deals, on decision outcomes, on how courts treat matters by jurisdiction).
A large Bay Street firm once shared with me a study they had done on private equity mergers and acquisitions it handled over a three-year period. The firm looked at 150 deals signed between 2014 and 2017. By reporting on aggregated data, confidential information was not disclosed. One of their partners provided an interview on the data.
Does your firm collect data on what’s trending in terms of client requests or searches? If so, it could help others and form the basis for a contributed column or story idea to submit to a media outlet. For example, are people searching for information on what is happening on employment cases as they move through the courts following unprecedented pandemic layoffs/downsizings and general mayhem?
CHOOSE ONE EXPERT TO SPEAK TO THE MEDIA
On occasion, a firm will want to offer two or even three (!) lawyers to speak to a journalist for an article. I have seen this done when the idea is to pair a senior partner with an associate who has gained experience in a particular practice area. Save everyone the awkward conversation and provide the best person for the interview. It could be that two or three voices are better than one for background, but the reality is most reporters will only quote one source from an organization.
FIND ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL EARNED MEDIA
Podcast and radio hosts are always looking for articulate speakers to offer their opinion on developments in the news, legislation that is coming forward, or even changes to law practice. SparkToro has a useful tool that allows you to identify media outlets, podcasts and other influential social accounts associated with a specific topic.
Trade publications are an old standby but with shrinking teams and an increased need for content they are often keen to take a column submission or have a story idea floated their way. There is probably a title that aligns with each practice area.
Yes, some will say they would like you to spend some money with them on advertising but it’s worth reaching out to create a relationship.
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