Successful Pitching It’s a lot like fishing

Barbara Brown Director of Marketing and Business Development 33 South Sixth Street, Suite 4400 Minneapolis, MN bhbrown1

Joshua Schneck Founder, CEO, Snow Communications years law firm PR experience Helped gain $1,000,000 account for client through PR Also represents 3M, Hormel, Cargill

WIIFM (Why are we here today?) Agency perspective (Josh) Agency perspective (Josh) Support business development with strong PR Have a strategy and a plan Develop PR talent Measure and report Law firm perspective (Barbara) Pure PR vis-à-vis M&BD benefits Savvy Content Law firm perspective (Barbara) Pure PR vis-à-vis M&BD benefits Savvy Content Thought leadership Media Team What you don’t know can harm you Thought leadership Media Team What you don’t know can harm you

Ten Top Ways to Turn Off Editors 10. Ask them if they’ll cover the opening of your new office 9. Call them back after their deadline 8. Pitch an old story 7. Be unfamiliar with their publication 6. Tell ‘em the attorney is in depositions 5. Decline to confirm the obvious

Tens Ways Ask them if you can read the story before it’s published 3. Use the word “estoppels” in a sentence 2. Tell them everything you just told them is “off the record” And the #1 turn off for editors...

#1 Turnoff for Editors 1. Ask them if they received the press release!

Pitching is Like Fishing Strategy - what are you fishing for? Strategy - what are you fishing for? Focus - where are you fishing? Focus - where are you fishing? Timing - when are you fishing? Timing - when are you fishing? Pitching - what’s the best bait? Pitching - what’s the best bait?

Strategy - What are you fishing for? Promote specific expertise Practice groups Address weaknesses

Focus - where are you fishing? Industries? Industries? Type of client? Type of client? Job titles Job titles

Timing - when are you fishing?

Half-life of a news lead Print pubs: 1-30 days Print pubs: 1-30 days Online pubs: 1-30 minutes Online pubs: 1-30 minutes Blogs, Twitter: 1-30 seconds Blogs, Twitter: 1-30 seconds

What’s the best bait? - the pitch Think like an editor Think like an editor Publication specific Publication specific Inform/entertain Inform/entertain Brief! 1 short paragraph Brief! 1 short paragraph

Q. How do you interest the WSJ in a patent law firm with no litigators? “The law firm that’s never tried a case, and never will.”

Let’s do some pitching! North Face is suing South Butt, a parody site run by a college student, for trademark infringement. How would you pitch one of your trademark attorneys as a source on this case to The Wall Street Journal? To an IP pub? North Face is suing South Butt, a parody site run by a college student, for trademark infringement. How would you pitch one of your trademark attorneys as a source on this case to The Wall Street Journal? To an IP pub?

Pitching A large company in your market is filing for bankruptcy in 24 hours and your firm isn’t handling it. How do you pitch your firm’s bankruptcy specialist as the expert source to the local business media? To Law 360 Bankruptcy Law? To CBS News? A large company in your market is filing for bankruptcy in 24 hours and your firm isn’t handling it. How do you pitch your firm’s bankruptcy specialist as the expert source to the local business media? To Law 360 Bankruptcy Law? To CBS News?

More Pitching Congress just passed a law requiring shareholder votes on executive pay at public companies. How would you pitch one of your corporate governance attorneys to local business publications? To Corporate Counsel? To Business Week? Congress just passed a law requiring shareholder votes on executive pay at public companies. How would you pitch one of your corporate governance attorneys to local business publications? To Corporate Counsel? To Business Week?

Pitching It’s February 1st. You want to raise the profile of your employment law practice. Who do you pitch to? What do you pitch? When? It’s February 1st. You want to raise the profile of your employment law practice. Who do you pitch to? What do you pitch? When?