Bringing in a PR agency or consultant is an investment for any law firm looking to enhance its visibility and reputation. However, success doesn’t come from simply handing over a brief and waiting for results. Here are some practical tips to ensure you get maximum value from your PR support.
- Set clear goals and expectations
Effective PR starts with alignment. Your PR activities should directly support your firm’s commercial objectives, whether that’s increasing sector visibility, expanding your client base, or attracting talent.
Begin by definingwhat success looks like, consider setting specific targets for each practice area, perhaps two pieces of coverage per quarter. This approach creates accountability and helps measure return on investment.
Keep in mind that PR success often builds gradually over time. While quick wins are possible, the most valuable results typically come from consistent, regular engagement with your target titles.
- Dedicate time to your PR agency
Your PR team can only promote what they understand. Take time, especially early in the relationship, to explain your practice areas and how you support your clients. Moving forward, make sure your PR agency is given access to your fee-earners. I would suggest monthly or six-weekly meetings with key spokespeople from the practice areas you are focusing on. The more your agency understands your firm and culture, the better they will be able to promote your firm.
- Prioritise media opportunities
When your agency presents a media opportunity, treat it as a priority. Client work can often wait 20 minuteswhile you provide a comment on a breaking news story. These opportunities are like gold dust – journalists work to tight deadlines and delaying your response typically means losing the opportunity entirely.
Lawyers who consistently make themselves available to journalists tend to build the strongest profiles, think of Nick Freeman (‘Mr Loophole’) and Ayesha Vardag, the divorce lawyer. Your PR agency can open doors, but you need to make sure you walk through them!
- Trust your agency
Remember that your PR agency is made up of experts – listen to their advice which will be grounded in years of experience. While they can advise on angles and approaches, they can’t work miracles! If they say that a certain deal isn’t going to make the FT, it won’t but they will be able to advise on where you could secure coverage.
- Choose the right spokespeople
Not every lawyer enjoys PR and that’s okay.Start by identifying partners who are naturally communicative and enjoy marketing and BD.
- Integrate PR into your broader marketing strategy
PR activity should never operate in isolation, make sure it complements and amplifies your broader marketing strategy. For example, press coverage can be shared on social media, in pitches, in legal directory submissions, and via internal comms.
An integrated approach will multiply the impact of each piece of coverage, thereby enhancing market presence.
- Look Beyond the Headlines
While media coverage is the most visible outcome of PR efforts, consider how PR supports longer-term BD objectives – for example, enhanced credibility in key practice areas, opening up conversations with clients and potential clients, and attracting and retaining clients. While these benefits can be hard to quantify, they often represent the true long-term value of effective PR.
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