Substance matters over length

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

Two Birds with One Seminar

Posted on: Feb 25, 2013

Seminars are one of the most effective forms of personal marketing, which is why it should not come as a surprise that they are also a popular press release topic.

However, you don’t have to stop with just advertising the seminar; you can get two press releases out of one event.

First, write a press release announcing the seminar, topic, event time(s), and location. It’s best to do this about two-to-three weeks before the scheduled event.

Secondly, about one week after the event takes place, send out a follow-up press release that talks about the success of the seminar and shows off some photos. If your firm does regular seminars, you can use the second release to encourage people to sign up for an email notification for when the next seminar is scheduled.

Seminars and press releases show that your firm is an active member of the community and an expert in your practice area. A “before” and “after” news release can double the value of one event.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

Connect Your Firm to the Story

Posted on: Feb 11, 2013

If your law firm is writing a press release to comment on a popular story, current event, or high-profile case, make sure you connect your firm to the story.

Let’s say there is a high-profile divorce in your city or state and you want to comment on it. Rather than writing a press release such as, “Local NFL player entangled in custody battle,” the press release should be about an increase in similar custody battles.

The difference is subtle, but noticeable to news publishers. If our fictional NFL player is facing a full custody battle wherein his spouse does not want him to have any custody rights, the press release could be about an increase in similar cases in your state, and then reference the high profile divorce as an example.

You can also use popular stories to outline a growing problem. A hospital being sued for medical malpractice might provide a good opportunity for a malpractice attorney to comment. Rather than releasing a story about the hospital’s lawsuit, the story could be drafted in a manner like, “Lawsuit against local hospital highlights growing number of birth injury claims.”

Always give a quote from an attorney with your firm and clearly state whether or not your law firm is involved in the case. Providing commentary or popular stories is a great way to get exposure for your firm.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

Press release subtitles increases readership

Posted on: Feb 4, 2013

Titles grab a person’s attention, but the subtitle can commit them to reading the whole story.

Titles are very important. They position your press release in news aggregators, they define the topic of your news, and they can often determine how a press release performs. But the subtitle is where you make a reader not just interested, but actually excited about the story.

Build your press release on three levels.

Level 1, the Title – You are going to think this is interesting. The title states something of interest that will grab someone’s attention.

Level 2, the Subtitle – This is why this is interesting. The reader agrees that your topic is interesting and now wants to know a little bit more. Encourage them to read the whole story by giving a little more information than is in the title, but not the full details.

Level 3, the Body – This is what is in interesting. Now you deliver. The title and subtitle are, in a way, promises made to the reader. You want to make sure that those promises are met in the body of the press release. If you promise something huge in the title and deliver a mediocre story, the reader will feel cheated. However, if you say something is interesting, then convince them that they want to know what exactly is interesting, and then prove in the story that is is really interesting, the reader is more likely to share your press release.

Think about the subtitle as a way to convert someone with passing interest in your topic to a full reader of your press release.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

The Press Matters with Press Releases

Posted on: Jan 28, 2013

press interview with lawyer A lot of time is spent focusing on how online press releases can directly engage with your target audience. Unlike the traditional press release process, where you draft it and send it to an editor and hope it gets picked up by the press, your online release allows your firm to speak directly to potential clients.

But your press release shouldn’t ignore the press. In fact, media outlets are paying more attention to social networks and online news than ever before.

Understanding the power of the press, Law Firm Newswire posts news releases to offline databases like LexisNexis, CEDROM-SNi, Cengage Gale, Copyright Clearance Center, CQ Roll Call, Emerging Markets, Postmedia Network, ProQuest, QuoteMedia, and Thomson Reuters Westlaw through NewsTex.

Many of these databases are used by the press and by researchers. However, many law firms do not provide clear press contact instructions. Here are a few tips to make your news more press-friendly:

1) Make sure your news is real news from your law firm. Press releases related to something your law firm is doing is more likely to catch the eye of major news sources.

2) If a release is about an event, make sure the date, time, and location is clearly published within the news release.

3) Provide a press contact. Encourage the media to contact an individual from your firm with any questions.

4) Create a press room on your website. This will provide facts about your firm, key personnel, and print-ready graphics, such as your firms’ logo and images of your attorneys.

Make your news press-friendly and make your firm readily available to the media. With some cooperation, the press can become one of your firms’ most powerful allies.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

Images and Video Boost Press Release Performance

Posted on: Jan 22, 2013

Press releases that include images can attract as much as 20 percent more traffic than a text-only release. As websites and content publishers become more visual, providing quality images with your news may encourage more readership on third-party sites.

Go beyond your law firm’s logo and include photographs. Logos may make your news look like an advertisement, whereas photographs give the press release a more genuine news look.

The next time your firm sends a press release, include a few images to attract more readers.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.

Posted in News Publishing, Press Release Writing and tagged attorney news release, attorney press release, lawyer news release, lawyer press release, legal news, legal press release, news distribution, press release distribution

A Good Case of the Mondays

Posted on: Jan 14, 2013

Some see Monday as a blank slate and a fresh new start. A good Monday can mean a better, more productive week. Others see it as an uninvited interruption to a perfect weekend.

For press releases, there is no better day than Monday. After reviewing statistics from Law Firm Newswire, it was recently determined that press releases which went out on a Monday received an average of 8% percent more readers than those submitted Tuesday through Friday.

Of course, news happens every day and some topics will trend even on Sunday. Overall, press releases performed best Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday and Friday showed the weakest performance.

Always an Exception

The exception to the Friday rule was found for personal injury and immigration-related news releases. These topics often attracted the same readership, regardless of the day they were published. News related to business law drops substantially on Thursday and Friday, except intellectual property which also maintains a similar reader count Monday through Friday.

If news is hot, it should go out right away, regardless of the day. But if your news can wait, Monday may deliver the best results.

To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.