Community PR For Lawyers

A common question asked by attorneys located outside the big urban centers is: will   getting press in local community papers build my credibility  Here me loud and clear the answer is YES, especially if that community is your target market.  Reporters with communities papers are sources to build relationships and get known in that area. Don't forget these reporters are plugged into those communities and are very well-connected.

So what if you don't have big city  marketing/public relations budget where do you start?

Here's a couple of pointers:

 Community news outlets (radio, community tv and print)  primary focus is  local concerns. That means localizing your message. Without that local  perspective, I can guarantee no-one will return your telephone call.

Create content with a shelf life, consider the hot topics of today. Its pretty certain that after the US Presidential Election the focus of the press is going to be the economy.

Weekly papers, in particular, are interested in well written, common-sense lifestyle, financial, real estate,  how-to and other service features, which aren't as time-sensitive as straight news announcements.

Remember many of these small papers are part of weeklies with circulation of 100,000+. If your news is of wide enough interest, it has a better chance of making it into the common pages that go into all of the chain's outlets, thereby maximizing exposure in that geographic market.

So its worthwhile spending some time researching what issues the papers are covering and developing story ideas with shelf life. For a consultation please contact me directly at pmahli@suncommunicationsgroup.com and for other articles on media visit our website.