Expert Commentary is Still News and Lawyers are Experts
Press releases are not always about “breaking news.” A lot of high-traffic press releases amount to expert commentary. If you pick up or download a newspaper, you will find a mix of journalism, commentary, and the occasional interesting op-ed piece. If you watch TV news, you will find that many stories are accompanied by an expert’s opinion.
Expert commentary is a little more conversational than a traditional press release, which makes it a little easier to read by a wider audience. If you are sending out a commentary-style news release, you need to follow a few rules:
1) Make sure you are commenting on a current event. It should be relevant to something in the mainstream or niche news cycle. Most often, commentary is on high-profile cases, pending legislation (state or federal), or perhaps the effects of recently enacted laws.
2) It’s not an announcement. You should not comment on firm announcements. Opening a new office, adding an attorney, winning a big case – all of these items should follow a “news” format, as they are more in line with traditional press releases. Expert commentary should be reserved for things not directly involving your firm.
3) Feel free to add details. While a traditional press release should be 300-600 words, an expert column can be 1,000-3,000 words. If you are reaching out to a legal-minded audience, a longer tutorial may be appropriate, but a general audience will have a maximum tolerance of about 1,500 words – or less.
As an attorney, you can position yourself as a legal expert by providing expert commentary sent out as a news release – which is just another way get more exposure for you and your firm.
To learn more, visit http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com.
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