Ground rules for successful press relationships

Forming and maintaining good working relationships with the media can provide an excellent platform from which to market your firm, but it is all about give and take – especially when it comes to interviews. By Elizabeth Lampert and Amy Spees

Working with the media should not be difficult. In fact, it is pretty easy if you do some research and planning ahead of time. Most journalists conduct interviews in a similar manner, which provides you with the opportunity to create a general approach to working with them.

When talking to reporters make sure you are on the same playing field. Explain cases, laws and technology on a basic level, without being patronising.

Some journalists are assigned to a specific topic or ‘beat’, for example, intellectual-property law. They will immediately understand the nuances of, say, patent infringement. Other general assignment reporters are more likely to have less specialist items on their agenda – they might not know the first thing about patent trials. In these instances, write a two sentence, easy-to- understand explanation of the subject area in advance.

It helps to provide briefs and then point out the most significant argument and which pages to concentrate on.

Speak clearly so that your quotes are accurate and check that the reporter understands everything you say throughout. Do not use legalese or overly generic terms and always end interviews with a comment such as, ‘Is there anything we talked about that I should clarify?’

When talking to the media, your approach should incorporate the following ‘rules for success’ as a guide, which can then be modified where appropriate.

Timing is everything
Always return a journalist’s call promptly and before their deadline. Daily publications may need to get in touch with you within a matter of hours or, more likely, minutes. Returning calls allows you to maintain relationships with reporters in order to create ‘top of mind’ awareness and remain in their good graces. If you do not meet deadlines you will not be quoted and it is unlikely that the publication will contact you again. But if you make the extra effort to call back quickly, the journalist will remember you and will likely think of you the next time they need comment or leads. If you cannot reach them after two attempts, call your press department and explain your difficulties. It is likely that they will have an alternative number or contact.

Make sure ideas are timely
Reporters and editors like to be made aware of ideas well in advance. If the story you are pitching is older than a day or two, make sure it has not been reported elsewhere. If you must pitch old news, find an angle that has not been reported. If pitching trends, have some kind of quantitative data to back them up. Look for the unexpected or unusual. For example, if you prevailed on a securities class-action claim when many firms do not, that is worth noting.

Be prepared
It is important to know where the reporter is coming from and what they are looking for. Do your homework, especially if the interview pertains to a specific case, ruling or recent legislation. Be prepared to offer the reporter facts and supporting examples to help bolster the article. Generally, they will welcome any factual information, including statistics and citations, that will help to validate the focus of the article.

The person coordinating your press activities should be able to assist you with useful information about individual publications and deadlines, as well as help you to prepare for the interview.

Develop key messages
It is a good idea to prepare three key messages that you want to convey. During the interview, find opportunities to get your points across without ignoring the questions. Take the initiative; you are the expert. You need to understand:

What the issue is;
What the firm’s involvement in the issue is;
Why it is important;
The historical perspective.

Developing a list of anticipated questions and responses prior to the interview can also help.

An interview is not a conversation
Interviews are exchanges of information and the media is your conduit to the public, so speak to the public, not just the journalist. Be friendly and confident, but remember that interviews are purely business. Beware of the reporter who remains silent, or encourages you to ramble or dilute your original message. It is human nature to want to fill lulls with conversation but you should not – if there is silence, you can ask, ‘What are you looking for?’ or ‘Do you have any other questions?’

There is no such thing as ‘off the record’
An off-the-record comment may not be attributed to you, but that does not mean it will not appear in the paper or be used to confirm information. If you do not want something to appear in print, do not say it. You are always on the record, unless you and the reporter agree you are not. Every reporter has variations of definitions for on and off the record. If you are being interviewed and think you might need to go off the record, get a clear definition of what those terms mean to the reporter you are talking to, before you proceed:

On the record – what you say will be used in the story, some parts of it may be quoted and the quotes will be attributed to you;
Off the record – what you say off the record will not appear in the story, will not be quoted and will not be attributed to you;
On background – what you say may be used in the story, but you will not be quoted and it will not be attributed to you. Journalists must find another way to confirm what you tell them;
Anonymous sources – what you say is on the record, it will be quoted but it will not be attributed to you. If providing an anonymous quote, be explicit about how you wish to be described.

Keep it simple
Nothing ruins an interview faster than long, complex explanations. If you want your message conveyed accurately, be sure to communicate it simply. Reporters are looking for quotes. Practice answering questions in 20 seconds or less. Chances are, the reporters will use the first decent 20-second comment and skip much of the rest.

Tell the truth
Never lie or guess. You are a spokesperson for the firm not for yourself. If you do not know the firm’s position on a particular issue, or an answer to a question, it is perfectly acceptable to state that during the interview.

Illustrate your conversation
Your words matter, so make yourself vivid. One phrase or metaphor can quickly define your concept and uniqueness, as well as making your ideas more compelling. If you are making a complex point, simplify it with a metaphor.

Never say ‘no comment’
While journalists always respect confidentiality, simply stating ‘no comment’ makes you appear uncooperative and seldom positions you in a flattering way. The public views this as ‘I know, but will not say’. Instead, tell the reporter that you are unable to comment and, if possible, the reason for this. Offer to be available next time, or to provide a future news tip or exclusive – keep the relationship positive.

After the interview
When a story is well reported, let the journalist know with a phone call or letter to the editor. But do not over do it. If you are too complimentary, they may worry that their story wasn’t balanced enough.

Newspapers will run corrections, but prefer not to. However, serious errors and misconceptions should be brought to the journalist’s attention.

Using these rules, you can really make the most of your interactions with the press. So, the phone is ringing. Are you ready? Be confident, stay relaxed and remain self-assured, and the interview is likely to be a success – for you, as well as for the reporter.

Elizabeth Lampert is president of Elizabeth Lampert PR, a legal marketing consultancy in the US. She can be contacted at: lampert@elizabethlampertpr.com.
Amy Spees is an account executive at the same company and can be contacted at: amy@elizabethlampertpr.com.