How to Write a Law Firm Press Release
By PaperStreet on March 28, 2016 in Content Marketing & Promotion
A press release is an effective way to gain free publicity and drive traffic to your website. A well-crafted press release can increase your visibility on the web, attract media attention and reach potential clients. Below are a few guidelines for writing a law firm press release.
Topic
The purpose of a press release is to make an announcement or convey a newsworthy piece of information. To get accepted by a press release distribution service, you need to convince the editors that your message is newsworthy. Your topic should be unique and timely.
Examples of newsworthy topics for law firms include a new office opening, website launch, new hire, attorney award or recognition, court ruling, partnership announcement, book or white paper release, special event, new service offering, class action lawsuit or ground-breaking legislation.
Style and Tone
Your press release should be written in an objective, third person point of view in the journalistic style of news writing. Most press releases are one page or less in length (usually around 400 words).
When writing the press release, keep it concise, stick to the facts and avoid editorializing. You should also avoid business jargon and over-promotion.
When writing the press release, keep it concise, stick to the facts and avoid editorializing.
Quoting and Attribution
It is important to include one or two quotes from firm members or other experts to support your story. In addition, any statements you make in the article must be attributed to your source. Do not exaggerate or embellish information; stick to the facts and forgo the fluff.
Headline
Press releases need a strong, engaging title to pull readers in and entice them to click through and read the article. You want to keep the headline short and powerful. Incorporate keyword phrases or trending words, if possible. It sometimes helps to write the headline last, after you have written the article.
Structure
Press releases follow a unique structure:
- Headline – Optimize the headline with a keyword phrase, if possible.
- Dateline and the city/state – Include the date and the area the news is coming from.
- Body – Discuss your announcement and include quotes to support the story.
- About [Insert Name of Organization] – Add a paragraph about the firm and its services.
- Call To Action – Ask readers to contact the firm.
- Contact – Include the firm’s contact information, including the website link, and link to the firm or attorney’s social media platforms, if applicable.
This law firm press release offers an example of how to format your press release.
Optimization
To rank well in the search engines, it is important to optimize your post with a keyword phrase. Include the keyword phrase in the meta information and weave it naturally once or twice into the body content. Do not keyword stuff or force a keyword where it does not contextually fit. Ideally, you can work the keyword phrase into the headline.
Press releases are a powerful marketing tool. Follow the steps above to convey your message, gain credibility and boost SEO results.
Further Learning
Are you interested in learning more about legal marketing? Head on over to our SEO Guidelines & Best Practices page. Our guide will teach you the do’s and don’ts for law firm SEO along with what we include in our SEO plans.
