Should we DIY our PR? Advice for law firms… Honestly, I’m not going to lie to you – I WON’T tell you that DIY PR for your law firm isn’t for you. Why not? Well because for some firms, it makes sense to DIY their comms, at least in the short term.
So what are the benefits of DIYing your PR?
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1. Cost – sort of
- Certainly doing your PR in-house or by yourself will not require you to spend any cold, hard cash. So for the start-up law firm, it may make sense.
- However, don’t forget that the time you spend working out your key messages and target audiences, creating a strategy, pitching to journalists, creating angles, carrying out research, and drafting comments, features, and curating / creating content across your social channels, and engaging; is all time that could be spend (probably more immediately profitably) fee-earning or undertaking business development activities.
- Key take-away: PR hours tend to be cheaper than lawyer hours, and we’re generally better at the strategic and delivery side of things
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2. Creating and owning your relationships
There’s something to this. Relationships are powerful things, and are very necessary for PR. So yes, building relationships with journalists is a GOOD IDEA. However, you’ll need to create a strong network of journalist relationships to ensure that your coverage isn’t heavily skewed into one or two publications, tv or radio shows (repeat performances are good of course, but you don’t want to miss out on other areas to showcase your expertise to your target audiences).
Key take-away: building relationships with journalists is never wasted time, but keep the net wide
3. Making use of slack time
Again, a reasonable reasoning for DIY PR is the logic that it can be used to fill otherwise ‘dead’ time. This is a sensible proposition, as long as this PR time is properly carved out and utilised. Don’t let it become the never-reached or actioned item on the ‘to-do’ list, or everybody loses.
Key take-away: ensure you prioritise PR
4. How difficult can it be?
Yep, fair enough. It isn’t a dark art and you can quickly learn to ‘do’ media relations and other elements of PR; in the same way that you can do your own accounts, serve your own papers, create your own logo and make your own tea.
But didn’t you go into the law to practice it? On a slightly left-field note, the personality type of an analytical, problem-solving lawyer doesn’t typically display the same strengths or features as that of a typical a PR. So whilst you can certainly do it, don’t count on enjoying it…
Key take-away: remember your strengths
In conclusion: DIY PR for your law firm is certainly something you can do. However, before you commit to it, remember that outsourcing is a great way to free up your own time to work upon, rather than in, your fledgling law firm.
And if you are thinking about PR at the moment, our handy guide on choosing the most appropriate PR agency may be helpful.
If you’d like to know about how PR can support your law firm, please get in touch on info@lexrexcommunications.com
About LexRex
LexRex Communications is a boutique PR agency serving the legal services market. Working in partnership with boutique law firms and businesses that serve the legal profession, our team is passionate about the law and its practice.
Managing director and founder of LexRex Communications Ltd, Victoria Moffatt is a former solicitor turned legal PR specialist. She practised in South Yorkshire and Leeds over the course of her 6 year legal career.
Victoria honed her PR skills at some of the UK’s leading and award-winning PR agencies in Manchester; working across a variety of prestigious law firm accounts including regional big-hitters and Top 100 firms.
Driven by great communications and measurable results, Victoria loves creating and implementing bespoke campaigns. Her strengths include understanding exactly what clients want to achieve, and creating strategies that meet their objectives.
LexRex is singularly focused on helping the legal services industry stay in the news, for the right reasons.
To find out more about our services, please visit: https://www.lexrexcommunications.com/
You can also contact us on 0161 393 6121 or email us on info@lexrexcommunications.com