{"id":125478,"date":"2019-09-30T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T07:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=124771"},"modified":"2019-10-24T16:11:54","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T15:11:54","slug":"what-journalists-want-from-prs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/what-journalists-want-from-prs\/","title":{"rendered":"What journalists want from PRs"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes a good story to pitch to legal journalists? It\u2019s not as straightforward as you might think, according to the panel at the PRCA Legal Group\u2019s Meet the Legal Editors event. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Legal Group Chair Gus Sellitto<\/a> of Byfield Consultancy<\/a> led a discussion with Rose Walker<\/a>, news editor at Legal Week<\/a>; freelance journalist and former barrister Catherine Baksi<\/a>; Eduardo Reyes<\/a>, features editor at the Law Society Gazette<\/a>; and James Booth<\/a>, a reporter at City A.M.<\/a> covering legal and insurance topics.<\/p>\n

No matter what industry you\u2019re working in, the<\/span>\u00a0panel\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0advice can be used by PRs to shape their pitch and build meaningful\u00a0<\/span>media\u00a0<\/span>relationships.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like any other\u00a0<\/b>area<\/b>\u00a0of PR, know your audience and\u00a0<\/b>understand\u00a0<\/b>what they want<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>Catherine Baksi said that as a freelance journalist she\u00a0<\/span>needs<\/span>\u00a0to know the publication<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>thoroughly\u00a0<\/span>in order to sell a story and PR professionals need to do the same<\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span>read several issues, know the audience\u00a0<\/span>inside out,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>be certain<\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>the story you\u00a0<\/span>pitch\u00a0<\/span>is what you would expect to read in that publication.<\/span>\u00a0When she\u2019s writing for the national\u00a0<\/span>press,<\/span>\u00a0she\u2019s looking for a wider consumer angle or impact<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

James Booth\u00a0<\/span>also said\u00a0<\/span>his readers are<\/span>n\u2019t focused on legal intricacies<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>hey\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>in a hurry and\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>little specialist knowledge or interest in law firms\u00a0<\/span>so they want to hear about\u00a0<\/span>City scandals,\u00a0<\/span>pay-outs<\/span>\u00a0and financial angles, or huge court cases and appeals rather than corporate news<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>However,<\/span>\u00a0both Rose Walker and Eduardo Reyes had recently turned down stories around divorce law as their readers focus on corporate law, or are already clued up on family law.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes a good story for the legal press?<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>Scandal<\/span>s<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>firsts<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0like a ruling, case or failure that<\/span>\u00a0has<\/span>\u00a0happened for the first time<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>exclusives<\/span>, particularl<\/span>y<\/span>\u00a0if it\u00a0<\/span>offers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>novelty<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0<\/span>controversy.\u00a0<\/span>Your story needs to be fresh and<\/span>\u00a0not something that\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>\u2019<\/span>months old<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0or has been used recently, even in another publication<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 again this is where being familiar with the outlet you\u2019re targeting will help<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Eduardo Reyes said if you can get a\u00a0<\/span>picture of\u00a0<\/span>dog in the story, that will help<\/span>\u2026).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The difficulty with good quotes<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>Jame<\/span>s Booth said that he will often turn to a reliable source he can trust to offer quotes that are colourful, challenging or entertaining as well as accurate \u2013 and<\/span>\u00a0that<\/span>\u00a0this is easier said tha<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0done. Eduardo Reyes reminded PRs to brief<\/span>\u00a0their law firm clients<\/span>\u00a0that while accuracy is crucial<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>media quotes\u00a0<\/span>don\u2019t need as much precision as when offering legal advice. Catherine Baksi also asked for novel, interesting and succinct quotes in plain language, from spokespeople confident about speaking to the media. Both Baksi and Reyes warned against asking to check quotes or headlines \u2013 both time and ethics mean this is impossible.\u00a0<\/span>Another tip was to remind clients<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>sound\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>more like a person than a lawyer<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0and avoid starting quotes with bland\u00a0<\/span>clich\u00e9s like\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m delighted\u2026\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One audience member said that it can be difficult to get a client to accept their PR expertise to make a quote interesting and not just accurate.\u00a0<\/span>The panel suggested asking further questions can help to get an interviewee to say something in a different way and result in a quote that\u2019s more\u00a0<\/span>punchy, non-generic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>easy to digest<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 and ultimately one that\u2019s more headline-worthy. Going back to your client and saying confidently\u00a0<\/span>\u2019<\/span>this is what the journalist says they need<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0can help.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does\u00a0<\/b>\u2019<\/b>exclusive<\/b>\u2019<\/b>\u00a0mean to a journalist and when can you offer an exclusive to another journalist?<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>This is all about honesty and clarity. The panel agreed that an exclusive\u00a0<\/span>doesn\u2019t come with qualifiers \u2013 it\u00a0<\/span>means it\u2019s something that\u2019s not been covered before, in any sector or outlet, and you\u2019re sharing\u00a0<\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>with that journalist or publication alone.\u00a0<\/span>However,<\/span>\u00a0you can give a\u00a0<\/span>clear\u00a0<\/span>deadline so that if they aren\u2019t interested or can\u2019t use it, you can offer it to another outlet. If you offer an exclusive to a journalist and they accept, you should commit to that or it can damage your relationship with that outlet or journalist in the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This also applies to your own company or client blog<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he panel again agreed that you should offer news first to journalists, who don\u2019t have time to monitor individual websites. If a journalist picks up your story (including appointments, reports, or opinion pieces) you\u2019ll reach a wider audience than if you post it on your company blog or website first.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mechanics of pitching<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>Give plenty of thought to your email subject line<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 this helps a journalist decide quickly on whether they want to use your story (or find out more). This should contain the sexiest bit and the first line should sum up the story.\u00a0<\/span>Catherine Baksi said it\u2019s important for there to be contacts available to answer further questions after you send out a story. If you\u2019re offering a range of spokespeople on a topic, partners can be more confident and quotable than associates who may lack confidence, but fresh and diverse voices are also good for journalists.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building a relationship with journalists<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>All the panel agreed journalists are increasingly short of time, especially with the\u00a0<\/span>\u2019<\/span>24-hour deadlines<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0culture of online content. Email overload is still a problem and at the same time they<\/span>\u2019<\/span>re monitoring social media for trends and\u00a0<\/span>stories and<\/span>\u00a0facing more scrutiny.\u00a0<\/span>However,<\/span>\u00a0you can support your journalist contacts by following them and sharing their content on social media (just don\u2019t DM\/@ them unless they say that\u2019s their preference \u2013 a well-<\/span>targeted<\/span>\u00a0email or phone call remains the best way to contact them).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meetings in person need to be brief (coffee rather than lunch), convenient (near to their office) and have a point. Rose Walker said one hour out of the office can mean missed deadlines or losing the opportunity to make several phone calls so it\u2019s important that the journalist gets something concrete out of a meeting \u2013 for legal PRs that could mean bringing one of the firm\u2019s partners along.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do<\/span><\/b>:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n