Hello Newsstand readers! We know that many of you are enjoying your time at the annual Legal Marketing Association event in Washington, DC, and so we will keep this tip about the intersection of PR and rankings brief. You can find several Jaffe people at LMA – Evyan, Terry, Cecilia and Candace at the Jaffe booth – and Steph is in the area this week too! Please visit us at the booth and remember to chat about your pets at home as they will definitely want you to come back with a Jaffe pet toy!
A Tip from RankingsForLawyers and Jaffe PR: Did You Know that Many Rankings Place a Value on News Coverage?
It’s rankings season. Well, it always is, right? As your internal marketing teams review criteria for nominations, make decisions on which new submissions you’ll prepare, and look back at prior submissions for ways to improve your chances, here’s a tip from our RankingsForLawyers and Jaffe PR experts: News Coverage Matters!
You already use public relations as a business development tactic to raise the visibility of your firm, its practices, your lawyers, your community connections – and you’re doing it to stay competitive within the legal industry and to build and maintain awareness with clients, prospects, lateral hires, and referral sources. You know that news coverage comes with the stamp of third party credibility, and that readers can distinguish media coverage from advertising based on the editorial reputation of the media outlet publishing the article or quoting your attorney.
You’re already using the results of PR and media outreach to bolster your RFP responses, assist in cross-selling initiatives, add content to your website and promote on social media channels. Don’t stop there! Bring your media coverage into the spotlight on your rankings submissions as well.
Some of the most reputable accolades in the legal industry allow you to include news coverage.
Law360
Law360′s very competitive nominations (MVP, Rising Stars, Regional Powerhouse, etc.) include this in an awards Q&A:
Q: Can I add links?
A: Yes. Our system can now handle links. Please limit these to news coverage of events, accomplishments, and wins being described in the submission. Law360 coverage is preferred! We don’t need links to outside awards the attorney has won or articles they’ve published — we don’t factor these into our decision at all.
Evyan O’Keefe, Jaffe’s SVP of Marketing & Rankings Strategy, says, “Take note of the importance of Law360’s own reporting, as opposed to articles the attorney has published.”
Chambers USA
There are two ways that news coverage supports a firm’s Chambers USA submission: in the list of matters and in the referee and peer interviews.
Each matter template on a Chambers form concludes with a field for “Other information about this matter – e.g. link to press coverage.” At the same time, matters are limited to a single page, which means you have to be strategic and thoughtful about how you use that field. Evyan explains, “If a matter was noteworthy enough to receive news coverage, the article link can help to show the quality of the firm’s work, the complexity of the legal issue, and the relevance of including the matter in the submission. Inclusion of an important and high domain media link may elevate the submission.”
Then there’s the researchers’ reliance on client referees and peer commentary. When a researcher asks a referee or lawyer to describe the attorney or practice under review for the directory, familiarity is all important. Media coverage takes the shape of quotes within news articles and in bylined pieces that examine a legal issue. The power of public relations is in the name recognition that the articles provide.
“Readers remember names they see in legal journals and business outlets, particularly about analysis of trends, cases and legislation pertinent to the readers’ own business operations. Readers also remember affiliated firm names. The more frequently the names and firms appear in media coverage, the greater the referee’s or peer’s familiarity. It makes sense to do media outreach for the attorneys and practice areas you are going to nominate so they are more front of mind for their peers during the research process.”
Evyan adds, “There’s good reason to try to time media coverage with the research schedule; resulting coverage can be useful to bolster a nomination.”
Legal 500
Similarly, Legal 500 has this prompt: “Please describe your team’s role and what made its involvement/the matter important. Please also include any relevant press coverage in this section.”
Regional/Local Accolades
Mary B. Smith, VP, Public Relations at Jaffe adds, “Many regional or local publications typically have a section in their awards forms for ‘other supporting information or documents.’ While it may be an optional field, we always recommend adding relevant and recent media placements when offered the opportunity, as that news coverage can demonstrate leadership and experience. This can go even further if the article was published by the media outlet presenting the award. But also, it’s a smart strategy for adding important details and context, particularly when the wordcount for the submission is limited.”
Have a great time at LMA!