Company: Foley & Lardner LLP
Agency: In-House
Budget: No cost or budget
The Chicago office of the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP found itself in a unique niche market: Offering expertise on the legal aspects of the nanotechnology industry.
But spreading the word on Foley & Lardner's nanotechnology know-how was a headache-inducing challenge for the firm's senior public relations manager, Clay Perschall.
"I consider reading to be a requisite part of the media relations profession," explains Perschall. "A great way to alleviate the tension of the job is to pick up a national
newspaper or trade magazine and read the daily news and trends that are affecting the nanotechnology industry. However, too many times my stress meter rose when reading an
article on the nanotechnology industry that did not include my organization."
As a means of reducing his stress levels and raising Foley & Lardner's nanotechnology profile, Perschall created his own media resource that doubled as a PR tool: the
Nanotech News Email Newsletter.
"The objective of the Nanotech News Email Newsletter is to fight the never-ending battle for the top spot in the Rolodex of the media covering the nanotechnology
industry by positioning our attorneys as subject matter experts on the industry," explains Perschall. "Because the newsletter is designed as a resource for the media, it doesn't
really compete with the media. The newsletter does compete with other media relations professionals that represent organizations in the nanotechnology industry for the attention
of the media covering the industry. But having said that, I should add the content of the newsletter is what makes it stand out. Our nanotech attorneys generate a large amount
of intellectual capital in the form of speeches and presentations, legal articles and e-mail brainstorms. This content has helped the reporters stay in tune with what is
happening in the nanotech industry, and helped them develop story angles."
The newsletter content is compiled from speeches, presentations, bylined articles and e-mail brainstorms written by Foley & Lardner's nanotechnology attorneys. "I edit the
content in order to shape it so that it is as newsworthy as possible for the reporters," says Perschall. "The content mainly covers the nanotechnology industry, but if there is
Foley & Lardner news pertinent to the nanotechnology industry, I would include it."
The Nanotech News Email Newsletter made its debut on April 27, 2004. Perschall recalls its creation was fairly quick. "The only piece of the newsletter that took time
was designing the graphic pieces of the email, which took our Creative Services Group about two days," he says. "I already had the content and the beginnings of the distribution
list so I was able to distribute the first newsletter immediately."
Perschall does not maintain a set distribution schedule for the newsletter. "I distribute it only when I have content that I think is newsworthy or helpful to reporters," he
says, adding that his current readership consists of 160 reporters covering nanotechnology.
Perschall acknowledges reporters and editors are buried in information overload and thus he made certain his newsletter would not add to the digital deluge. "I have made a
concerted effort not to bombard the reporters with e-mails and they can 'opt-out' at any time by sending me a reply e-mail if they feel the content is not helpful to them," he
explains. "However, none of the reporters that receive it have asked to be removed from the mailing list."
Indeed, nanotechnology reporters are reading the newsletter. Perschall points to newsletter-inspired coverage in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the
Dow Jones News Service, Japan's Nikkei Newspaper and a wealth of technology and legal trade journals.
And how much did this spike in press attention cost? According to Perschall, there was no cost whatsoever - the entire endeavor was coordinated from his desktop computer
without requiring any special funds. Perschall and Foley & Lardner earned an honorable mention in the 2005 PR News Platinum PR Awards for their remarkable ROI - in
this case, the acronym stands for Return on Imagination.
Five Quick Tips For Newsletter Success
For PR professionals considering the launch of a digital newsletter, here are some tips to consider before hitting the "Send" button:
- Remember your format. You are writing a newsletter, not War and Peace. Keep it short and succinct - people will be reading off a screen and thus it will be
easier if the text is compact.
- HTML or Plain Text? The temptation to sprinkle full-color graphics into the newsletter is rich, but not everyone appreciates graphics in their digital newsletters.
And for those who, for whatever reason, are accessing their emails from If possible, ask your readers if they prefer to read just a plain text version.
- Cut the attachments. Do not send your newsletter as a PDF attachment. If the corporate firewalls don't repel it, the spam filters will block it. Keep everything
within the body of the e-mail.
- When "No" means "No." Provide an unsubscribe option within the newsletter for those who don't want to receive it. This could either be a link to an online subscribe
feature or just a simple line reminding people they can unsubscribe if they want.
- Run the Spell Check. Never send out any newsletter unless it has been thoroughly proofed. A missive pockmarked with typos is the ultimate in amateurism.
Contacts: Clay Perschall, 312.832.4510, [email protected].