Public Relations for Law Firms
Strategic public relations for law firms can greatly impact business growth. Prospective clients hire attorneys they trust and see as credible, and a well-crafted and consistent law firm PR campaign can build that much-desired credibility.
Public Relations For Law Firms Resources
The Why: Why Does a Law Firm Need PR?
Growing Your Law Firm Through the Power of PR
Based on nearly three decades of experience working with law firms in nearly every practice and geographic area, award-winning Berbay Marketing & PR knows how to obtain PR results that make a difference. Here are some of the reasons to consider a PR campaign for your law firm:
- Increase your visibility so that prospective clients and referral sources become familiar with your experience and expertise.
- Reinforce your credibility so that you are seen as the experts in your practice area.
- Create top-of-mind awareness among prospective clients and referral sources so that they think of you first.
- Generate new leads from qualified prospects and referral sources.
The What: What’s Critical to a Successful PR Campaign?
PR for Law Firms and Lawyers Starts with Messaging
While media coverage is a coveted result of any successful public relations campaign, it’s not where PR begins. Effective law firm PR starts with strategy and the right messaging. Important questions you need to start out with: What do you want to accomplish? What are your business goals? Who are your prospects? What’s the message you’d like to convey to your prospects? What publications and media outlets are on your wish list? These are critical questions to not only ensure you have an effective PR campaign, but also that PR helps you achieve your overarching business and marketing goals.
As PR experts adept at creating engaging content for law firms, Berbay will be your advocate and “package” you – your knowledge, expertise and accomplishments – in a way that intrigues the press. Our experts help identify your business development goals and what sets you apart. We will then create a comprehensive strategy for achieving your objectives and put it into action. This content creation is an integral piece to any public relations campaign, and we work tenaciously to get you noticed.
Hear first-hand from our satisfied law firm clients who have found success through our results-driven PR campaigns. View testimonials here.
The How: How Do You Implement a Successful Public Relations Campaign?
Tailored Public Relations Campaign for Your Law Firm
We work with law firms to:
1. POSITION YOU AS AN EXPERT SPOKESPERSON
Inserting you into the news stream as an expert spokesperson will increase your visibility as a knowledgeable resource for editors and reporters seeking ideas and commentary on current news, trends, forecasts and more.
Many people think media coverage is obtained by sending out press releases and sharing firm news. While these are important pieces, firms can’t rely on having a significant lawsuit filing or case success to ensure their name is in the news. These types of newsworthy events may be less frequent, so how do you get consistent media coverage without these milestones to tout?
Berbay keeps an eye on trends, forecasts and industry insights in your practice area. Through research, news monitoring and brainstorm sessions with you, we develop story ideas that will pique journalists’ interest and generate opportunities for you to be quoted, featured and published in broadcast, online and in print.
Based on decades of experience working with the media, we are experts at crafting attention-grabbing pitches and putting them in the hands of media at the right time to secure opportunities.
2. TOUT YOUR NEWS
Through expertly crafted press releases, media pitches and alerts, and press conferences, we generate visibility for newsworthy events, such as client successes, lawsuit filings, noteworthy transactions/deals, verdicts and settlements, new practice groups, new hires, and more.
While the promotion of your achievements should be touted on your website and social media, much value comes from third-party validation. Earned media is one of the most credible marketing tools to create visibility for your practice and strengthen your firm’s brand, and Berbay knows how to get your achievements the attention it deserves.
It’s also important to understand what warrants news coverage – and what doesn’t. Our knowledgeable PR team provides guidance on the stories that will most interest reporters and where to pitch them so you’re not wasting valuable time and resources sending out every news item to see what gets picked up or not.
3. MAKE THE NEWS YOUR NEWS
Major national, regional, and local news stories happen every hour of every day. The Berbay team keeps our finger on the “pulse” of what’s going on in the news to see how we can relate it back to your work and capitalize on the opportunity. For example, if you are a defamation lawyer and there is a defamation story trending, we position you as an expert and someone that can speak to the trending issues.
We also develop a list of go-to topics – the things you could talk about in your sleep – and monitor the news specifically for those storylines. This allows us to make sure you are the first to offer commentary. Time is of the essence in the media, and we position you ahead of your competitors to land high-profile coverage.
4. PLACE BYLINED ARTICLES AUTHORED BY YOU
Bylined articles reinforce your authoritative positioning and allow you to control your messaging. By having your article published in a media outlet, you are inherently earning credibility. You’re also garnering visibility among readers in your target audience and generating marketing collateral that you can leverage numerous ways.
The article can be posted on your website, shared on social media, included in an e-newsletter, distributed at your next speaking engagement, and more. This builds a body of work which positions you as an expert and creates additional ways for prospects and referral sources to learn about you.
5. GET YOU LISTED ON NOMINATIONS AND RANKINGS
With hundreds of legal nominations and rankings (and new ones popping up each year), it’s difficult to determine which are legitimate and worth your time going after. Not only does Berbay vet opportunities and makes recommendations on where you should be submitting, but we also have been successful in getting our law firm clients ranked on these coveted lists. We have in-depth knowledge of who typically gets selected and the best approach to get you ranked.
Once we identify the awards that are most important to you, we develop compelling nominations for your inclusion. Our team gathers information by interviewing your attorneys, compiling recent successes, and other information that demonstrates why you warrant making the list.
Learn more about our process for obtaining law firm and attorney awards and rankings.
The Then What?
Leveraging Content to Create Visibility for Attorney PR Clients
While it’s great to be featured in the media, even more power comes from maximizing the reach and impact of that content. We amplify the effect of third-party validation by publicizing, repurposing and leveraging the news to your other channels; for example, by posting it on your website, distributing via social media and e-newsletters, incorporating it into your marketing materials and more. We also look at how we can take one topic and leverage it multiple ways, such as taking a blog and turning it into an article and/or media pitch, creating a webinar on the topic, or drafting a series of social media posts.
By repackaging public relations content, we can get your expertise in front of additional prospective clients and referral sources, while extending the shelf life of your news.
Why Hire Berbay Marketing & PR?
Unique Expertise in Law Firm PR – Creating Visibility. Reinforcing Credibility. Fueling Growth.
As an attorney, you are an expert at advocating for your clients. In the same way, we are skillful champions for legal professionals. We work with clients specializing in nearly every facet of law, including corporate, employment, environmental, insurance, intellectual property, litigation, personal injury, real estate and more. This means we have the knowledge necessary to develop the content vital to your firm’s PR growth strategy, regardless of your practice area.
Law firm PR can be challenging but we apply our decades of experience to ensure you stand out among your peers. And just like your business and practice constantly evolve, we are always seeking out innovative ways to market your firm, while relying on the tried-and-true methods we know are successful.
We have the experience and expertise to help you develop more of the kind of business you want – the Berbay team is ready to deliver on your behalf. For a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can achieve the growth objectives of your law firm through public relations, please contact us today at (310) 405-7343 or email info@berbay.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a public relations campaign help my law firm?
A public relations campaign can help your law firm by increasing your visibility and reinforcing your credibility so that when there is a need for a lawyer, you and your firm are first to come to mind. For 30 years, we’ve implemented results-driven marketing and public relations solutions for our clients so that they can concentrate on what they do best – run their firms and businesses.
How do you effectively measure the success of a legal PR campaign?
The overall goal of a public relations campaign is to generate more qualified leads – opportunities to be in front of someone, understand their needs and demonstrate how your services will meet those needs. However, it’s notoriously hard to draw a direct line between specific activities and a phone call from a prospective client. In terms of the public relations aspect, our goal is to increase your visibility and reinforce your credibility. One way to internally measure our progress is by the number of marketing tools we create for you, such as media quotes, list rankings, published articles, etc. These bring value not only in terms of increased visibility and credibility but also create the opportunity to magnify that visibility/credibility through other distribution vehicles, such as your website, reprints, e-blasts, social media, etc.
Why should I hire Berbay Marketing & PR to run my law firm’s PR campaign?
By hiring Berbay Marketing & PR, you can expect that we will reignite your marketing and over time, move your marketing and business objectives forward. Many hire us for our bench strength, experience, media connections, creativity, efficiency and resources. You can also expect we will bring our 25+ years of marketing experience and success to bear on our focus on creating the visibility and credibility that fuel revenue growth.
