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PM Forum - Frankfurt
Easy to get in touch with journalists?
What’s interesting for journalists? What helps journalists? Which journalists are helpful for me? On the occasion of the April Forum event, supplements editor for the Financial Times Deutschland Volker Bormann gave some interesting answers. Baker & McKenzie’s newly renovated building in the inner heart of Frankfurt provided the perfect setting to a lively audience of more than 20 listeners, mostly spokespersons of major law firms. Looking across the roof-tops towards Frankfurt’s famous old and new town hall (the Römer), the listeners were provided with a couple of facts which might be as old and new as journalism itself. It all starts out surprisingly simple: The most important device for journalists is - a wastebasket. The speaker stressed the fact that he and his colleagues do not only have to deal with more than hundred mails, but also with loads of paper letters, not to mention a dozen telephone calls on an average working day. So if a journalist wants to stick to a research topic at all, he’s got to fight for it. Which means, in case you as a press speaker want to make him aware of your message, there are some Do’s:
Be actual. Be interesting. And be exclusive for exclusiveness sells.
And there are some Don’ts:
Keep away from flowers of speech. Don’t try to misuse journalists as advertising pillars. And absolutely refrain from pointing that your law office is going to place an advertisement in the journalist’s product.
However, there’s more to account for – and according to Bormann many a man misses these standards: Be aware of whom you are talking to, meaning: don’t simply produce mass mails, but give some thought about whom you are communicating what content to. It’s counterproductive if you make your media partner mad of mails. “You” in this context also being “your PR agent”: Keep away from those with large address books. Instead, impress with a certain level of know-how every now and then. Meaning that in every respect be specific.
In order to really get in touch with journalists, you can provide them with information which might be generally helpful - however, as one of my press speaker colleagues stated, this might also add to mail masses. Maybe it’s a good idea to stick to your law firm’s web presence then. Which, on the other hand, might deprive you of any control in terms of who publishes what about your business. In order to prevent the misuse of photos, Bormann e.g. recommended putting them on the net in low resolution.
Regarding strategies, one should keep away from journalists’ editorial deadlines. So step back and think about when the publication goes to the market. You try to place something in the FTD? So better don’t call at 8:29 p.m., since the regular deadline is at 8:30 p.m. Try to convince the Spiegel? Since it’s being published on Sunday/Monday, stay away from Friday afternoons. No idea of deadlines? Don’t hesitate to call or mail. However, as one might add, be aware of the specific risk to be forwarded to the wastebasket …
As it showed, relationships between press speakers and journalists are pretty complex. Having been an editor for many years and having sort of changed sides, the authoress can full-heartedly affirm a colleague’s appeal to the journalist: Please be aware of our contacts being a two-way street. If a press speaker gets the chance to accurately and specifically show what his or her law office can add in terms of legal expert knowledge, that’s not only to the benefit of the lawyers. It also serves the media.
Dr. Anette Hartung
Baker & McKenzie Germany/Austria
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