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In today’s world of 140-character tweets and hashtags, there are some who think that the old-fashioned press release is dead [1]. The Internet contains constant distractions, to the point where one may wonder who has time to read a page-long press release.
However, a well-crafted press release can greatly benefit your law firm by drawing attention to anything newsworthy you might be doing [2]. An upcoming seminar, a merger, or a newsworthy verdict are all great opportunities to bring some positive media attention to your firm, and will also make you more visible to potential clients.
If you want to make the best use of a news release, though, you will need to put some time into crafting it the right way. With recent updates to Google, too much shameless self-promotion can easily get labelled as “spam.”
In addition, reporters are flooded with thousands of press releases every day. They just don’t have time to read them all. So you have to make sure that your press release (especially the headline and the first paragraph) really stand out. Avoid the sloppy mistakes of an amateur, as this will definitely cause your potential audience to lose interest.
First, make sure that you have a catchy headline! This is your first and best chance to get their attention. Make sure that it clearly summarizes the newsworthy angle of your story, and includes your firm’s name. A subhead can be added for further detail. A reader should know the main message of your story simply by reading your headline and subhead. It’s also a good idea to do some research on high-volume keywords and include some of these in your headline, if possible.
Keep in mind that in a press release, the conclusion must come first! This is completely the opposite of legal writing, in which you must give background information and slowly work up to your conclusion. The first paragraph needs to provide all the relevant information about your story. It must be written in such a way that the reader can learn all the most important facts simply from reading the opening.
In the remainder of your press release, expand on these details with information that can help a reporter verify the information you provide. By offering information about things like case numbers, filing date, and the court in which a verdict was filed, you will make the media’s job much easier.
Also include a paragraph about your law firm. Take this opportunity to describe it and outline what kind of practice it is. Don’t forget to hyperlink your company’s website.
Once you have finished, the next step is sending your press release out to the media. An easy way to do this is to open the online order form at Press Release Jet. Just enter your body of text and we will distribute it to all the premium news outlets (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW) as well as Bing News and Google News. This solution is very cost-effective; you can send out your legal press release for a price as low as $69.
If done correctly, a legal press release is the best tool to get the word about the great, newsworthy things that you are doing. Don’t miss the opportunity to let the world know about your work!
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