Contact from the media can, by turns be flattering or frightening. So much depends on the circumstances.
This eTip focuses on both scenarios, firstly when media attention is welcome and secondly when it is not.
Use these common sense guidelines and tips so you are ready to put your position positively, whatever the situation.
Positive attention from the media – whether you have great news to share, want to embark on a media campaign, or the press want a comment on an issue, be ready for positive attention.
Get the “story straight” across the firm – good external communication starts internally. Arm all your partners and employees with facts to shortcut wild rumours and damaging gossip. If everyone is “told” in advance, you won’t leave a vacuum to be filled by speculation and tittle-tattle.
Determine in advance who is authorised to speak to journalists and other media. In the absence of a pre-briefed partner, have a regular default setting for escalating inquiries: the managing partner, CEO, or marketing director are usually safe choices.
Consider investing in some expert media coaching for regular firm ambassadors. Make sure your designates have a smattering of defamation and media law knowledge, plus are comfortable in these forums.
Be ready with any supporting materials to send to the media for deep background. Consider having a media kit at the ready. Include a pithy firm description, high resolution good quality photographs of key team members, your logotype, and other images related to key practice areas.
It’s crucial to understand and anticipate their needs: “what will the media contact expect from me for this issue, or story, to get a good run?”
When you email a press release, be sure to place the complete text in the body of the email so journalists don’t have to download and open attachments before they can view any of your content.
Also, always attach the release as a separate document. As journalists and editors work on a wide variety of email systems (including Macs) body copy may not appear, or display as a “mess” which is annoying, and instantly prejudices time-pressed journos against you.
Make it so easy for journalists and editors to read and use your copy that they would be foolish not to use your information.
When you do attach a press release favour Word format after carefully checking that the version is widely compatible and "markup" text is turned off. Many have been sorely embarrassed when the full history of a document is laid bare. Remember, journalists will often copy and paste some information, especially quotes, to save time.
A locked PDF is an absolute nightmare for journos - making you look disorganised and way out of your depth with the media.
Prefer email over faxing press releases. Fax if you like, or prepare a parchment scroll with a quill and ink in beautiful Copperplate, but always, always also email. Media organisations, and the editor you want to act on your release, and the journalist writing the story, will be checking their email, not the fax machine. As one journo says “it’s no longer 1993”.
If a press release is time sensitive make it clear that the story is embargoed and when that embargo ends.
If you really want a particular outlet to pay attention to your media release, follow up and get in touch with the right people.
Don’t be put off by layers of bureaucracy - be persistent until you speak to the right person. Never just send a release and assume that the right writer will notice it, let alone act on it. No matter how much you complain the following day, it’s usually too late and nothing will turn back time.
Always check the journalist’s deadline and respect it or else you may miss out.
You should request a review of any attributable quotes for checking and approval before publication of the finished article. Be sure the journalist is crystal clear about information which is “on the record” (for use in an article attributable to you) or “off the record” (that is, purely deep background and not for publication material).
Remember, you will have little control over the final story: it’s naive to think otherwise.
The journalist is writing a story, not your story and little of what you as a professional, and your law or other, professional firm does day-to-day is truly broadly newsworthy.
The only way you will get full control over your messages is to take the (much less credible) path of paid advertising.
When there’s likely to be negative media attention to your firm, your client, or you, it also pays to be prepared.
Despite what you may have heard, in the business world, all publicity is not is good publicity. Reputational damage is downright costly, and the damage is not always overt or easy to track.
Long term, rumours and innuendo can affect many aspects of your firm subtly and insidiously: from turning off the best recruits to missing out on appointment by first-choice clients.
Put these tips into practice and you’ll go a long way to minimising damage, and possibly even “kill” some adverse stories.
Client confidentiality is always paramount. Make sure all your people understand they are not to discuss even the most minor details (regardless of what a journalist might ask or say to them, or offer as "comfort").
Every team member should be alerted to any impending media attention as early as possible.
Stress the importance of passing any media enquiry to your pre-designated spokesperson.
Perhaps most importantly, brief your receptionist and have them ready to put any journalists through to your nominated spokesperson. Being “out to lunch” is not a good look during a crisis and journalists mostly don’t just wait.
If you and your firm have determined to make “no comment” make sure your receptionist and other staff are clearly briefed on this.
At a time when no one is available to handle an inquiry, make sure reception accurately records the caller’s name, organisation the person is calling from, the deadline for a response to the enquiry, and multiple contact numbers: fixed line and mobile to reach the journalist promptly.
Be sure to ring journalists back. Even if you have “no comment”, journalists have long memories for those who have been cooperative and courteous. This will better position you for next time, and may even lead to an invitation to comment on a positive story.
When speaking to journalists, scrupulously avoid any criticism of clients, ex-clients and target clients of your firm, the Bar, and the judiciary. Be ultra-careful when commenting about government departments, government ministers and their staff, public authorities, and your competitor professional firms.
Avoid strongly stating a position directly adverse to the interests of your clients or target clients of your firm. In these days of 24 hour news cycles and the google cache, your off the cuff remarks can remain in the public domain for a very long time.
Get back to journalists promptly. Despite digitisation of many publications and disappearance of “print deadlines”, timing matters more than ever. Being prompt may have a huge impact on how you are presented – returning a call tomorrow may well be too late.
Really, it is best to be prepared. That means ensuring your firm has a media protocol or clear guidelines in place. Importantly, all your team members need to be clear about your media guidelines, or at least where to escalate issues and direct inquiries internally.
And, lastly, for really serious emergencies and ultra-controversial issues, have your preferred expert at the ready (be that a public relations agency, defamation lawyer, or marketing consultant) at a moment’s notice to advise on damage control.
For advice on media strategy and to craft attention-getting external communications, please get in touch.
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