Effective Media Relations

PR Prowess Blog writer, Joe Ferry, shared some insightful tips on how to achieve “Better Media Relations in 5 Easy Steps.”

Here are some of Joe’s tips:

• Understand what the reporter/editor wants
• Don’t waste anyone’s time
• Skip the small talk
• Offer to follow up in writing with additional background information
• No need to say thank you

For more information on effective media relations strategy, click here.

New Research Shows Overall Yellow Pages Usage is Growing -- 17.2 Billion Searches in 2007

People ask us all the time about Yellow Pages and the long-term outlook. According to the Yellow Pages Association, “Yellow Pages -- in print and online -- remains a go-to resource for ready-to-buy consumers.”

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ--(Marketwire - February 26, 2008) - The Yellow Pages Association™ (YPA™) today announced that industry research shows 2007 Yellow Pages usage grew to 17.2 billion searches in 2007, up from 16.7 billion in 2006.

Print usage remained stable with 13.4 billion print Yellow Pages references, unchanged from 2006, according to the 2007 Knowledge Networks/SRI (KN/SRI) Industry Usage Study, while comScore reports Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) searches increased 15 percent in 2007 to 3.8 billion, up from 2006's 3.3 billion IYP searches.

"The Yellow Pages medium is still a go-to resource for ready-to-buy consumers. Overall Yellow Pages usage increased in 2007 as Internet use continues to grow and print usage stabilizes," said Neg Norton, president of YPA.

Some of the other important statistics from the Association include:
- Approximately 87 percent of the U.S. population used the print Yellow Pages in 2007. (KN/SRI)

- Average number of monthly IYP searchers up 16 percent: 73 million IYP searchers per month in 2007, compared to 63.1 million IYP searchers per month in 2006. (comScore)

- Of the 144 million people performing local searches online in December 2007, over half (51 percent) used IYPs. (comScore)

To read the full story, go to http://new.marketwire.com/2.0/release.do?id=825649.

Leadership for Lawyers by Mark Beese

I recently met Mark Beese through the Legal Marketing Association and LinkedIn. He is the "marketing guy at Holland & Hart, a law firm in the Rocky Mountain West (www.hollandhart.com)." He maintains a blog focused on helping lawyers become better leaders at http://www.leadershipforlawyers.typepad.com/. He has great content on his blog - I highly suggest reading it!

Media Relations Campaign Vs. Paid Advertisement - Tip

With a media relations campaign, you don’t control the final message the way you do with a paid advertisement.

In order to maximize the value of your media relationships, take heed of the following tips:

• Determine your primary geographic market
• Create your general media list
• Double-check your contact file

For more information and tips from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, stay tuned!

Public Relations Propaganda, Hype and Fluff – Words Not to Use

I was doing some press material editing recently and read the phrase “state-of-the-art.” That’s a big red flag for me and I know it’s a media pet peeve. So I decided to come up with a list of words and phrases that you should avoid in your public relations outreach. This included press releases, media kits, pitching, blogs, etc. These words lessen the credibility of what you have to say.

• Always
• Best
• Best-of-breed
• Biggest
• Boasts
• Breakthrough
• Cutting-edge
• First
• Flexible
• Never
• Next generation
• Only
• Out-of-the-box
• Perfect storm
• Revolutionary
• Robust
• State-of-the-art
• Unique
• User friendly
• World class

David Meerman Scott hits the nail on the head. Check out www.webinknow.com, and The Gobbledygook Manifesto -- Cutting Edge! Mission Critical! An analysis of gobbledygook in over 388,000 press releases sent in 2006.
If you have words you want to add to this list, please post a comment or send me an email. Gina (at) furiarubel.com.

Put this New Promotional Web Tool to Good Use

In a recent PR Week article, Web tools enhance promotions for in-person campaign, Marc Longpre highlights a fabulous promotional web tool, Zvents. The new web tool helps corporations and organizations promote and market their events by:

- Organizing and localizing an event’s information
- Improving links on search engines like Google
- Increasing an organization’s ability to find niche audiences

Zvents increases a business’ ability to target specific audiences by featuring a database and search tool for events around the country. Ultimately, the site gives promoters more control over how the event is promoted which is always a challenge for PR professionals.

Social Media Data Mining: YouTube Viewership Ratings

Here is an interesting article with new research on data mining which analyzes viewership for YouTube videos in the first month. The following are some key findings:

In the first month on YouTube:

• 70% of videos get at least 20 views
• 50% of videos get at least 100 views
• Fewer than 20% of videos get more than 500 views
• Fewer than 10% of videos get more than 1, 500 views
• 3% of videos get more than 25, 000 views
• Around 1% of videos get more than 500, 000 views

For more information, click here.

New York Times to Cut 100 from Newsroom

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the New York Times will cut its newsroom staff by 100 this year. According to David B. Wilkerson of the WSJ:

“New York Times Co. spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said Bill Keller, executive editor at the flagship newspaper, told staffers that newsroom jobs would be reduced by ‘not filling newsroom positions, attrition, buyouts and, if necessary, layoffs.’”

To read what the New York Times had to say, click here.

Effective Media Policy Management - Part 2

To recap on why we encourage every firm, no matter how big or small, to have a written media policy, is because law firms and their attorneys can and should control all messages pro­vided to the media. Several reasons include managing your messages, ethics and, in the cases of trial publicity, to protect the clients’ best interests.

The following media policy tips are issues that your firm’s media policy should address:

• How you handle calls about specific firm clients and/or cases
• How you handle calls for third-party commentary on specific cases or legal issues
• Crisis communications procedures
• The ethics of dealing with the media

For more tips and advice from the Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers guide, stay tuned!

We thought our readers would enjoy Gina's legal contribution to the Legal Intelligencer, titled What do Aliens, Pit Bulls, Scantily Clad Adults and Children Bouncing Balls have in Common?

For more information, click here.

PR Book Reccomendation: Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers

Mitch Kowalski , writer for the National Post's Legal Post section, wrote an article on Two books to read for marketing legal services.

In Kowalski's article, he recognizes Gina Furia Rubel's latest public relations guide for lawyers, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, as a must read for new public relations strategies.

For more information, go to the Legal Post for the full article.

Free Teleseminar for Public Relations for Lawyers and Law Firms Co-hosted By Gina Rubel and Rich Klein

We are pleased to announce that Gina Rubel will be co-hosting a Public Relations for Lawyers and Law Firms Free Teleseminar on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 2 PM.

The free teleseminar will provide public relations advice targeting lawyers, chief marketing officers, law firm executives and all law firm marketing and public relations directors / managers to enhance their public relations knowledge.

The following topics will be discussed:

• How to know what's news and what isn't
• Best practices for getting news out about your firm to the various media
• Do's and don'ts of media interviews
• Communications for law firms and their clients

For more information or to register online for FREE, go to http://tinyweblink-001.com/?pid=3532046.

Everyday PR for Lawyers - Chapter 3 Tip - Part 1

I encourage every firm, no matter how big or small, to have a written media policy. Simply put, law firms and their attorneys can and should control all messages pro­vided to the media for reasons of message management, ethics and, in the cases of trial publicity, to protect the clients’ best interests.

Your firm’s media policy should address: part 1
• Who may speak with the media on the firm’s behalf
• The procedures that members of your firm must follow when the media calls
• Record-keeping procedures for media calls and interviews

The Legal Intelligencer: Gina Rubel Contributes to Blog

I recently began contributing to The Legal Intelligencer online. I'm blogging on Lawyers and the Media . My most recent post addresses when the media receives an unintended email and media policies.

While you're there, check out my post in memory of Judge Cipriani.

Gina Rubel Featured In The Bucks County Women's Journal

The Bucks County Women's Journal, an educational and editorial newspaper providing categorized and objective information targeted to women, has featured Gina Rubel in the February/March 2008 issue - Bucks County Women In Profile section.

Published six times a year, the Journal serves its readers with valued information in a wide variety of special columns and features. It also offers local businesses the unique opportunity to reach an important, targeted consumer group through a focused educational and informational approach.

The Bucks County Women’s Journal is an essential resource for business women in Bucks County. For more information on Gina's profile, click here.

The PR Lawyers In Top 50

The PR Lawyer Blog ranked in the Top 50 PR Voices for Public Relations Blogs today! Thank you for reading and commenting. Please let us know via the comment tool what topics are of most value to you.

Blogging Do’s and Don’ts

To some business practitioners, the thought of blogging is like getting your teeth pulled. In reality, blogging is a highly effective way to create credibility among your target audiences. In a Rueters.com article, Business of Blogging: How To Make It Work, industry experts give advice and tips on the do’s and don’ts of blogging for the everyday business practitioner.

Here are some of the tips provided:

• Create credibility for your business by posting informative and educational industry news
• Drive the content of your blog by compiling key debates and issues affecting your industry
• Provide an outlet for readers to become part of the discussion by posting frequently
• Monitor your traffic to understand your audiences’ wants and needs

For more information go to the Business of Blogging: How To Make It Work article.

McCain and Lawyer Jokes

Until now, I've been quite about the presidential election. I've been listening - not voicing an opinion. However, my friend Rich Klein of Riverside Public Relations forwarded me Peter Lattman's post today from yesterday's Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

John McCain: Not a Lawyer, But Loves a Good Lawyer Joke
Posted by Peter Lattman

The Law Blog hasn’t focused much on John McCain because, well, he’s not a lawyer
and the other leading candidates — click here for Law Blog art — all wield JDs.
Perhaps it’s because he’s emerging as a front runner, but today we’re shining
the spotlight twice on the Arizona senator.A Law Blog reader alerted us to a
lawyer joke that McCain delivered on the stump today in Boston. We checked in
with our WSJ colleagues on the campaign trail, who told us that he delivers the
routine at many events, and even told it on the Tonight Show last week:What is
the difference between a catfish and a lawyer?One is a scum sucking bottom
dweller. The other is a fish.McCain then says, “There goes the lawyer vote.” (We
wonder what Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of his closest confidants, traveling
companions and an Air Force reserve JAG attorney, thinks of the bit?)Law Blog
Question of the Day: Law Blog readers, what should we make of a leading
presidential candidate going after the profession so aggressively? And while
we’re at it, any wannabe presidential speechwriters care to give McCain more
lawyer joke fodder?Update: We just heard from Jill Hazelbaker, a spokeswoman for
the McCain campaign. When asked for clarification on the comment, she said,
simply: “It’s a joke.”

Personally, I am so disappointed to read this. In response to Jill Hazelbaker's statement that negative stereotyping is a “joke,” then perhaps McCain’s speech writers should come up with some “jokes” targeted at other professions. While they’re at it, perhaps they want to “joke” about race, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc. There are a lot of great diversity training programs out there - perhaps it’s time the McCain camp invests. Until now, I was on the fence about who I was voting for. This has made up my mind!

PR for Lawyers Tip #6: Make Your Public Relations Programs and Plans Solid and Measurable

A solid public relations program should:
- Build awareness of your firm and your services
- Position you as knowledgeable within your areas of practice
- Position you as a valuable contributor to the legal profession
- Create an environment that will enhance good will among your target audiences
- Educate and persuade your target audiences
- Have a measurable value to you and your firm

And these steps are essential to developing a measurable and sustainable public relations plan:
- Establish your goals and objectives
- Define how you want to be perceived
- Determine your target audiences
- Decide what you want your target audiences to do
- Identify which tactics will persuade your target audiences to act in the desired manner
- Implement each tactic to generate optimal results

For the next step in your public relations planning, check back next Monday for The PR Lawyer’s Tip #7.
_______________

Excerpt from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, Copyright 2007. Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. To purchase book, click here.

The Gratitude Campaign - Thank a Soldier Today

The Gratitude Campaign... have you heard about it yet? If not, check out this amazing public relations awareness video. It's about saying thank you to all the men and women who serve our country.



Can you only imagine if we were able to thank all the parents, spouses, children, other family members and friends of those who have fallen? It is to them I say, "we remember."