Six steps to take after your management committee says "let's do PR".

• Author: Lindley, Liz

"OK, let's do PR."

The go-ahead from a management or executive committee to proceed with a media relations program is music to any marketing professional's ears. No doubt, time, energy and forethought on everyone's part has gone into the decision. But before you and your media relations team get on the fast lane with the tactics you know so well, there are steps to take internally, regardless of whether you are taking the responsibility on in-house or hiring an external media relations firm.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Step 1: Spend time on a Strategic Media Relations Plan

A firm must spend some time over the course of a few weeks to clarify messaging and positioning, an allocation of budget to specified media relations tactics, benchmarking and measurement tools and a list of participants with whom to start. The media relations plan should complement any existing strategic public reputation plans or business development plans in order for it to be most effective. It may seem counter-intuitive to the attorneys who just gave you the green light and budget for media relations that they now need to do a plan--more interruptions to their billable time, they may think--but explain to them the significance of avoiding random acts of media relations.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Step 2: obtain Approval on the Media Relations Plan

Ask the attorneys to review your media relations plan; be sure that they understand your allocation of time and budget against tactics such as expert commentary, blogging, bylined article placements, rankings, speaking engagements, social networking, source guides, social media press releases and search engine optimization. Check that they appreciate the expectations you have of their availability and time, and that they, in turn, understand what you are trying to achieve. If a profile in the NYT Sunday Magazine is not in the cards, be sure you say so now, and explain why. Get the plan approved, with a signature, and use it as a road map for the next 12 to 18 months, with scheduled assessments and reviews built into the process.

Step 3: train the Staff

We like to do a Media Relations 101 course with our new clients, or as new attorneys join our existing clients. This process requires more than simply telling the lawyers how we place news stories in newspapers, trade publications and blogs. Start by explaining the firm's objectives and the plan's roadmap. All of the firm's attorneys--participants or not--should know the plan. Use...