The Barustors Report

Getting Your Story In
THE BUSINESS PRESS


Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Bay Area Program
November 15, 2000

COPYRIGHT 2001 THE COSMIDES GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


Moderator: Ellen Blattel, marketing and public relations consultant

Panelists: Steve Symanovich, editor of the San Francisco Business Times; Sheila Muto, reporter, California edition Wall Street Journal; Vivien Chen, reporter, Bloomberg News



Know Your Reporter's Beat
The panelists emphasized two obvious, yet often overlooked facts: each publication targets a different general audience, and each reporter covers a specific beat within the publication. It is, therefore, crucial that marketers locate the appropriate reporter for their stories, and that they position their stories to fit the reporter's beat.

For example, the SF Business Times covers business-to-business stories related to the five Bay Area counties. As to relevant legal news, Symanovich says his paper looks for "the business of law" type stories. These can include major lateral defections, firm dissolutions, and stories with multiple angles. As an example of the last, he refers to their recent story entitled, "Venture Law Office To Dock At Pier 1," as offering legal, real estate, and high tech story lines. His paper also looks for stories about the intersection of work and life, such as when successful professionals leave their careers to pursue religious or social work.

Muto, on the other hand, is on the lookout for stories that explain the ramifications of major legal cases on California business. On the lighter side, she also seeks stories that offer an offbeat or "quirky" angle on novel approaches taken by companies to solve sticky problems.

Chen, whose beat serves a national and international audience, looks for stories that convey the money or reputations that are at stake in high profile cases, such as the dispute between Visa and American Express over sponsorship of the upcoming "Grinch" motion picture. These cases are usually found in the federal and appellate courts.


Severe Time Pressures
According to the panelists, reporters are very busy, and deadlines are inviolable. Therefore, marketers must be succinct and brief when sizing up stories to reporters. The speakers also reminded the audience to introduce story ideas before the event occurs, not after, in order to give them time to pitch the stories to their editors.

Chen summarized the competitive nature of her profession when she said, "If we can beat the Wall Street Journal to a major story, that's the greatest thing in the world." However, the speakers cautioned marketers against playing one publication against another. While it is acceptable to give a reporter a "heads-up" on a pending story, a marketer can damage his or her relationship with a publication if they leave them out of the scoop.

Reporters turn to experts when they need an analysis, or a better understanding, of a complex issue. This need gives marketers the opportunity to position key attorneys as experts on esoteric areas of law. Moreover, as Symanovich reminded, if one paper turns to an expert, other papers will turn to that expert, as well. However, Chen warned that before positioning someone as an expert, a marketer must be sure that the lawyer actually is an expert. She advised, "Know what you're talking about, inside and out, before you make connections with the media. Be succinct, and craft your words appropriately for the topic."

Muto, who is relatively new to her beat, revealed that new reporters must be brought up to speed, which in turn, creates opportunities for attorneys to capture the "expert" position.


Be Available
It was during this phase of the discussion that Blattel offered a very important reminder to the group: "Make sure your experts are accessible to the media when an important legal decision or story breaks." She recounted a story from her own experience to bring the point home. One of her law firm clients had won an important legal victory. On the night of the victory, the attorneys went out to celebrate, forgetting to tell their office where they were going. Frantic reporters were unable to reach them for comment and analysis, costing the attorneys an important media opportunity. "At the very least," she reminded the audience, "give reporters your attorneys' cell phone numbers."

There is no "best" way to reach a reporter, and the savvy marketer will learn each reporter's preference. For example, Chen admits that her email is clouded by too many messages. She prefers a telephone call first thing in the morning, with a summary of the story. If she is interested, she will accept information via email. Muto, on the other hand, prefers the exact opposite - email, with a follow-up telephone call.

In either case, the panel urged discretion when pitching stories. "Don't be so ever-present in our lives that we grow tired of you, and over-look the big story when it comes in," they cautioned.


Do's and Don'ts
In what was arguably the most relevant stage of the talk, the panelists educated the audience on the do's and don'ts of talking to reporters. From the reporter's perspective, one of the most frustrating experiences is having to remove facts or statements from their story that have turned out to be inaccurate. They emphasized that when speaking to a reporter, one should never state as fact something they are unsure of, or over-state certain points. Calling back the reporter to retract factual inaccuracies can ruin one's reputation with that reporter, and it can prove embarrassing for the paper if the inaccuracies are not caught before the story is printed.

From the marketer's perspective, the panelists explained the proper procedure for sharing delicate or confidential information with reporters. The guiding principle: set the ground rules before you say anything. Going back to the reporter after the interview, to ask that they not use certain remarks, is unprofessional and awkward for all involved. The panelists defined three media terms that should become part of our lexicon:



In closing, Chen reminded the audience that what we tell a reporter will seldom appears in print exactly as we expected it to appear, because the reporter's angle on the story is seldom the same as our own. To minimize this difference, Muto advised that it is entirely appropriate to ask a reporter to read back quotes, in order to be sure they got them right. Reporters generally favor this practice, as well.

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Bay Area legal marketing consultant, John Cosmides, is principal of The Cosmides Group and director of Barustors, a State Bar-certified referral service for business and corporate clients. John can be reached at john@barustors.com or at 415-957-1330.