Attorney Marketing News

Posts Tagged ‘press releases’

I ran across a press release recently for a law firm in New York and thought it would serve as a good example of what not to do on a variety of scores.

The so-called “press release” is a waste of Internet space (no offense to the law firm, who, undoubtedly did not even publish the release, but some attorney “marketing” firm most likely did on their behalf.)

Here is the lead in:

NEW YORK, NY, July 20, 2010 /thinkAlchemy/ — Antin, Ehrlich and Epstein offers a free, no obligation consultation and they accept personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This enables clients to get the representation they need without having to contemplate the financial burdens of obtaining legal counsel.

We are committed to our clients. Visit us on the web for more information (hyperlink omitted).

Our own news flash:  This is not a press release.

Do not get me wrong, I am not frowning at the law firm, but at yet another way some company is taking advantage of attorneys.

When a Press Release Site is Not a Press Release Site

ThinkAlchemy.com, whose tag line is “the agency for growing business” may mean well (but I personally think a more honest tag line would be  “post any silly thing you want to grow our business for us.”)

Perhaps Think Alchemy just assumes people posting press releases are educated enough to know what goes into a good press release.  But law firms, take heed:  talking about your services is not a press release – it is a marketing pitch and this site is full of nothing but poorly written ads trying to pass themselves off as press releases so that media sources, like Google Alerts (how I received notice of this “press release”) will pick them.

Think beyond Alchemy:  Do you think a serious print publication would ever pick up a press release that has nothing to say and only services to sell?

If you want to know what should go into a press release (and the proper format to use) visit Bill Stoller’s website, PublicityInsider.com and read, “How to Write a Press Release.”

Tips a Press Release Service May Cheapen Your Law Firm’s Image

The release is cheapened even more than the venue itself because of what follows (and was added by Alchemy – not the law firm) and serves as a clear warning this site is not promoting information quite on the up-and-up.  At the bottom of the release the following appears:

Press Release Keywords:

• personal injury lawyer new york, pi attorneys ny, construction accident lawyer ny, accident lawyers new york, wrongful death lawyer new york, injury attorney new york, wrongful death attorney ny, medical malpractice lawyer ny, car accident lawyer ny, work related injuries new york

The above example is known as “keyword stuffing” and is a black hat technique.   A black hat technique is anything Google (or any other search engine) decides you should not do at any give time or they will slap your website wrist.   Google hates black hat techniques, and you should, too — not because Google does, but because they make you look bad.

The “keywords” are not even keywords, and are not serving as tags for site visitors to find other related information – they are deceptive hyperlinks to law firm websites.

Trickery is Not the Way to Get or Impress Clients

Any media outlet that has to resort to forcing keywords on a page is one to steer clear of.  And, any media outlet that tricks site visitors into clicking through to an attorney’s website is also one I strongly recommend you do not associate yourself with.

Think of it this way:  you want your clients to trust you with resolving some serious legal matter.  What image does your law firm present on your website?  Do you skillfully trick people to pages with misleading information and falsely directed hyperlinks?  No, or course not.

But if people are driven to your website because they accidentally land on your home page due to the trickery and deceptive link building by a marketing outlet, you may be found guilty by association of being untrustworthy yourself.