Issue 14– Fall 2006

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Practice Perspectives

Article and Press Release Writing

Writing articles and press releases is one of the best ways to build your firm’s name recognition within your community and target markets - and even generate qualified leads without spending hard dollars. Through these activities, you can directly affect how readers perceive your firm and its products and services. By branding your firm in publications that are read by your target clients and prospects, you pave the way for your firm’s lead generation and selling activities.

Writing Articles

Once you’ve made contact with editors of the appropriate publications and asked them what types of topics they feel are important to their readers as we discussed in Leadership Lessons, brainstorm a list of possible ideas with abstracts and/or outlines to send them, along with an offer to either write the articles or serve as an expert resource for them on certain topics where you have expertise. If they express an interest in your ideas, offer them your biography and other press information kit items as outlined in Leadership Lessons, including your specific areas of experience that may be of interest to them. As you think of other topics that their readers would benefit from reading, be sure to call and share these ideas with them. Members of the press are always looking for applicable, timely news and you may offer some valuable answers in their time of need!

If you are offered the opportunity to write for a publication, be sure to request guidelines to help you meet the editor’s expectations, including:

• Whether you should write in the first person (using words like “I,” “me,” and “you”) or 3rd person, which is less “personal” (using words like “some people” and “they”) 
• Whether you should include and/or do they want graphics or other tools to accompany the article
• Approximately how many words your article should be
• The due date 
• How they expect the article to be submitted (via e-mail in a Word document, for instance)

Once you have this information, it’s important to follow the editor’s directions! The due date is especially important because, in supplying it, the editor probably allowed themselves a certain amount of editing time before their own publication deadline.  And, if you don’t make their deadlines and impact their ability to do their job, it can obviously impact the relationship and trust you are working hard to build.

As with any relationship, you’ll need to nurture the relationships with your editors in order to build up their confidence in you and your work.  By meeting their deadlines and honoring your commitments to them, they will begin to reach out to you more often over time for your articles and to ask you to serve as an expert for other articles.

It’s also important to remember to do the “obvious” in article writing, such as:

• Get the facts straight. Do not put anything in your article that isn’t 100%
  accurate – and certainly nothing that may be offensive to readers.
• Proofread. You might even want to take some time away from the article in between rounds of edits to gain perspective and take out any superfluous information.
• Ask others to read the article, specifically those without your topic expertise to be sure it is easily understood by all who may read it.
• Do a spelling and grammar check before submitting.
• Respond without delay if the editor has questions after you’ve submitted your piece.
• When submitting your article, provide a second contact in case you cannot be reached right away.

If writing isn’t one of your strengths or you lack the time, consider asking a ghost writer to write on your behalf so you and your firm can still benefit from the brand recognition that comes with having an article published.

Publishing Press Releases

Another way you can get your firm’s name in print is through press releases.  Again, you want to target those publications that will be read by your ideal target clients and prospects. Some press release topics to consider include:

• The addition of new employees or partners
• A significant promotion in your firm
• Awards your firm or staff members have received
• The addition of large or recognizable new clients
• To inform others about case studies
• When you open a new office
• To announce alliances or partnerships that you have formed

Be sure that your press announcements read like news rather than a firm sales pitch.  To do this, just include the facts alone, including the “who, what, where, when, and how” involved. Consider having all these facts stated clearly in the beginning of your release so the reader gets the point of your message right away. It’s important to include quotes from appropriate parties – not only to break up the narrative, but also to make it more interesting.  Also be sure to add a paragraph about your firm, called your firm’s “boilerplate,” at the bottom of the press release, probably beginning with your elevator pitch, and share how to contact someone at your firm for more information. Ask all involved parties, including those you quote, to review the press announcement before you finalize it and submit it to your press contacts.

Before you send the press release for publication, consider the date!  You’ll want to be careful to avoid Fridays and the day before or after a holiday for your announcement release. We recommend issuing it on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning via fax and/or e-mail.  Follow up the faxes and/or e-mails by calling each editor to ensure that he or she has received your announcement. And be prepared to be interviewed on the spot if you catch the editor live.

Having an article or press release published can have a powerful effect on your firm’s branding and name recognition pursuits.The exposure will position you as an expert in the topical area addressed, enhance your firm’s overall credibility in the marketplace, and potentially generate interest from both prospects and clients!