Do The Right Thing

What goes around, comes around.

Some say Pay it Forward.

Others say Create good karma.

It’s a professional responsibility, for me, to be alert to news opportunities — even for former clients.

When Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) held a fundraising luncheon in April 2014, in part to mark its 10th anniversary, I spoke with the reporter from The New York Law Journal whom I had invited to cover the event. She asked to be notified of any celebration on the actual anniversary date, which was December 8. The project ended soon after the luncheon, and SILS and I amicably parted company.

Early in December, at my suggestion, SILS Executive Director Nancy Goldhill contacted the reporter and secured an interview. Goldhill used the opportunity to cite impressive statistics of the thousands of people whose cases SILS had handled over the years: families recovering property damage from Hurricane Sandy, victims of domestic violence, homeowners avoiding foreclosure and immigrants securing legal status.

Success! The news story in The New York Law Journal highlighted SILS and its 10-year track record. It even re-published a photo of Goldhill and the honorees from the April luncheon.

This article put SILS in front of New York attorneys, a key audience of current and potential supporters — thanks to my reminder to this former client.

You can join me and start (or renew) the habit to do a good turn, make a referral and introduce two acquaintances. Do it often and do it selflessly, with no thought of recompense.

Please let me know the unsought favor you’ve done. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. They say I get half-credit for an assist in good karma.

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This entry was posted in Legal Themes, Media Relations Tips, Newsletters, Nonprofit Themes on 01/03/2015 by Janet L. Falk.

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Janet has given engaging and extremely practical programs at NYCLA’s CLE Institute. Attendees learned techniques that they could implement to build their networks, as well as hands on training on how to get noticed and quoted by the media. She is a pleasure to work with and a true professional, who I highly recommend.

Bari ChaseDirector of CLE Institute & ProgrammingNew York County Lawyers Association

Janet Falk spoke about Networking to 40 women professionals and members of “Risky Women.” Her presentation was excellent. She gave practical tips and step-by-step guidance on how to prepare BEFORE attending a networking event, how to interact with people there and how to follow-up afterwards. There was a lively Q&A and everyone was fully engaged in the discussion. I highly recommend Janet as a speaker for your organization.

Irina KrasnyanskayaManaging DirectorKrollNYC

Janet recommended some adjustments to our company’s website messaging to make it clearer and easier for people to understand what we do and how we can help. Since we revised our website, we have gotten a very enthusiastic response and I’m very grateful for Janet’s direct, honest and professional advice. I highly recommend working with Janet if you want support from a straight shooting, expert public relations professional who won’t hold back sharing what she knows that can help move you and your business forward.

Laurel CarpenterPresidentPearl Consulting NYC

As a former longtime reporter, I want to congratulate you on an excellent article [about speaking to the media]. Most of your points are well-taken and will be beneficial, both to the person being interviewed and the reporter.

Roberta Hershensonformer reporterThe New York Times

I have known Janet through activities in Women Owned Law. Janet is always a phenomenal resource for everyone. She just gave a webinar to Women Owned Law that I attended on LinkedIn. I have attended other webinars on LinkedIn and the information she shared with us on ways to improve our exposure was priceless. I would highly recommend Janet Falk for any type of Public Relations or marketing needs you and/or your company may need. She is tapped into so many resources and takes pride in the relationships she builds. She would be a great asset to any company.

Nancy LanardManaging PartnerLanard and Associates

Janet is a highly experienced author and speaker with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working at my continuing legal education nonprofit. Janet has authored several articles aimed at providing readers with practical advice and guidance about marketing, networking, speaking, writing, leveraging social media, and connecting with reporters, among others. Her ability to dissect each undertaking into detailed, actionable steps is remarkable and demonstrates her extensive knowledge of the legal, marketing, and PR industries. Her ideas are original, thoughtful, and tailored for professionals who need something more than generic, one-size-fits-all advice. For example, we all understand the importance of networking, but Janet recognizes that networking means more than building your own book of business; it requires organization, prioritization, strategy, and a focus on others. After compiling a list of contacts from numerous sources (e.g., email addresses and business cards, newsletter and blog subscribers, client lists, event attendee rosters, LinkedIn connections, etc.) and prioritizing the list according to shared interests, you are encouraged to introduce your contacts to potential clients; suggest co-authoring an article in an industry newsletter; send targeted announcements about an event, webinar, or podcast; invite them to attend your next speaking engagement; etc. As I said—remarkable. I’ve learned a great deal from Janet in the course of working with her and am pleased she has chosen to share her time and expertise with our readers.

Alyse GreerCurrent Awareness Editor and JournalistPractising Law Institute

I have known Janet for several years and am a former client of hers. I engaged Janet to help with a meeting sponsorship and she advised me on the best one to get. She arranged swag and setting up a table, and attended to many of the details. She did a great job and it was a very productive event. Janet is also excellent at advising on best marketing practices for websites and using LinkedIn effectively, among other activities. I have stayed in touch and Janet has alerted me a few times to relevant media and marketing opportunities, like calls for papers or reporters seeking a subject matter expert. I would hire her again when the need for a public relations and marketing expert arises.

Andrew Berks, Ph.D., Esq.Berks IP Law

I didn’t fully realize the benefits of a monthly newsletter and feared that writing one would be too time consuming. Reading Janet Falk’s newsletter for several months finally persuaded me to give it a try. To my delight, my first newsletter paid off immediately when several lapsed clients were reminded of their goals and got in touch with new projects. Janet’s tips have taught me how to maintain frequent communication with my clients, rather than waiting for them to come to me.

Margaret CopeleyNorthern Waters Books

Janet spoke at the fall conference of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) New York chapter on the topic of working with the press, a discussion that I organized. Janet’s participation was enthusiastically received by this group of plaintiff-side employment lawyers, and several participants commented to me that the presentation was very helpful. Janet’s recommendations for best practices when working with the media, her sample media profile and sample press release, and her on-point response to questions gave us all a lot to think about and work with. I know I have put several of Janet’s recommendations into use already in my practice.

Patricia KakalecEmployment AttorneyKakalec Law PLLC

[Janet Falk’s essay Your Daily Pie of Time is] a great way of making vivid the fact of opportunity cost and tradeoffs.

Oliver BurkemanAuthor, Four Thousand Weeks

We worked with Janet on a presentation that she gave to Women in Funds. Following the event, there was immediate feedback from at least half the people who attended – all of whom had glowing reviews. It was unanimously positive and people found it very helpful. We would love to do this event again with Janet and will refer members looking for advice to her as well. We met Janet thanks to Women in Funds Board member Jane Abitanta, who suggested that Janet speak to the group. Janet worked together with our organization to specifically tailor the presentation to the members of Women in Funds. Janet is Fabulous!

Laura T. SchnaidtFounderWomen in Funds

I am thrilled to recommend Janet Falk’s PR services for law firms. I recently retained Janet to work on some firm related PR initiatives. I drafted an article for publication. Janet was fantastic about editing it, making additional recommendations, and, once finalized, she was able to get the article placed with a reputable publication on the same day. Janet served as the liaison between me and the reporter, resulting in quick turnaround of additional information in a way that the reporter wanted it. Janet is extremely responsive, works quickly and is extremely efficient.

Ayesha HamiltonHamilton Law Firm

I’ve sat through a lot of networking meetings with well-meaning business people reciting their all-about-me elevator pitches. Mine was better than most, but with so low a bar, that still didn’t make it good. It just didn’t deliver any real value to the audience. Janet’s ideas helped me energize my pitch, sharpen its focus, and clarify the benefits we deliver to our clients. And it’s different enough from the usual uninspired intros that it has literally turned heads. Thank you, Janet!

Andrew SchulkindDigital StrategistAndigo

Janet’s monthly newsletter is a treasure trove of business growth ideas. It is the only newsletter that I receive from clients and business partners that I even take the time to look at. It is a true reflection of the benefits that one gets from working with Janet. I highly recommend that anyone looking to grow a business or law practice hire Janet to work with them so that they can focus on their business while Janet makes sure that all of their business development functions are executed to maximize the results.

Anne KleinmanPromotional ConsultantAd Infinitum

One of my business goals was to write an article for a leading nonprofit magazine read by prospective clients. I published my article thanks to Janet’s guidance, strategy, support, editorial skills and her gentle reminders to stay on track. She even taught me how to promote the published article. Thank you Janet!

Frank AbdaleFounder and Chief Consultant, Abdale Consulting

Janet gave a terrific workshop at my firm, to a group of women attorneys from various walks of the profession, on how best to position oneself as a resource for the press. At my request, she tailored her presentation to that audience, so that her comments and suggestions were specific and relevant; she was also responsive to the group, and made a point of making sure she answered everybody’s questions. As a result, the audience was highly engaged and the presentation was very well-received. But of equal importance, Janet spent time informally with the group before and after the presentation, sharing her insightful thoughts and ideas in smaller, more individual conversations. This made the evening doubly enriching. I highly recommend both Janet’s workshops and Janet as a workshop leader.

Adrienne B. KochPartnerKatsky Korins LLP

With Janet’s help, one of our cases received local and nationwide attention from print and internet news outlets, and even from television producers. We highly recommend Janet and believe her efforts have helped raise the firm’s profile.

Kenneth J. KatzPrincipalKatz Melinger PLLC

I’ve known Janet for over a decade. She posses a depth of experience in public relations and marketing and whenever we come into contact, I learn something new. So many consultants offer only boilerplate solutions to organizational challenges. Janet doesn’t. I spend a lot of time reading a variety blogs, social media posts, reports, etc. that relate to marketing and often I feel as if I’m in an echo chamber. Janet’s thoughts on marketing and PR are always original and I come away with ideas I haven’t seen before. I’m pleased to recommend her.

Eric GraigUsable Knowledge, Inc.

Janet Falk is a great practical motivator: the term requires a definition. Some people are very good at setting you off in the right direction in your career, but they don’t know the mechanics of how to get there. Janet does both. When first I met her, I had been down-sized and had vague ideas about going into business for myself. She helped me set up a complete marketing plan, including everything from a website, to provocative business cards, to getting my first article published in The New York Law Journal. I am not yet exactly where I want to be, but I am unquestionably on the road. I recommend her highly.

William B. StockOffice of William B. Stock

If you’re an attorney looking for press coverage, Janet can show you the various tools that will help you to get ‘in’ with reporters and journalists. It’s a no brainer for private practitioners, regardless of the substantive area of law they handle. Trust her, she knows what she’s talking about.

Jose AlmanzarPericoni, LLC

Janet says “Reporters call the people they know; they don’t call someone they never heard of.” She introduced me to a reporter for an interview on employment law. After my quotes were published in an online article, another reporter from the same publication contacted me on a different employment issue. She quoted me twice in one article and once in another news story. Thanks, Janet!

Randi (Melnick) CohenRandi Melnick Consulting

Janet had great insights on (media relations), a topic that’s foreign to a lot of lawyers. She kept our audience of solo attorneys and legal professionals completely engaged.

Dana Heitz, Esq., Co-founder, Deliberate Solos (attorney networking group)

Janet promoted Staten Island Legal Services’ first fundraising luncheon in 2013 to The New York Law Journal. She was able to secure an article in advance of the event, which is very unusual, and that news story helped us sell more tickets. The NYLJ also came to the event and provided coverage of the luncheon with a prominent photo. She repeated that success for the second luncheon in 2014 as well. […] It’s no exaggeration to say that the news stories and [the launch of our] newsletter turned out so well thanks to her persistence.

Nancy GoldhillExecutive DirectorStaten Island Legal Services

It’s not easy to get on the front page of The New York Law Journal, and it’s usually for something bad. Here, we are on the front page and it’s for doing good! Thank you, Janet.

Robert J. Miller, Former Chair of New York Litigation Group at Reed Smith LLP

This is one of the few times in my career when the realization exceeded the anticipation. Even though Janet was highly recommended by several professionals in the Public Relations industry, this Southern gentleman was not excited about doing business with a New Yorker. I must confess she did an outstanding job for our company. Not only did she listen to me (the customer), she was patient, persistent and persevered, and so was successful in getting our article in a key publication. Thank you for doing such an outstanding job.

Ed KatzFounderInternational Office Moving Institute

Janet graciously guest speaks in my NYU graduate class in Marketing. Her presentations are thoughtfully put together and demonstrate numerous points with clearly articulated case histories from different sectors. She presents a wealth of expertise and is very generous with her time and patient with student questions. Janet also speaks at my FastTrac New Venture classes and her presentations there are equally excellent.

Sandra HoltzmanPresident, Marketing Cures

Janet Falk has such fabulous ideas in her newsletters. I save nearly every one.

Sallie Mullins ThompsonSallie Mullins Thompson, CPA, PFS, CFP, CDFA

Janet gave a wonderful interactive presentation on Best Practices in Board Communication and Media Relations to nonprofit professionals at the Board Leadership Workshop for the Nonprofit Sector Resource Institute. It was outstanding and participants commented afterwards that they had learned a great deal from her. The fact that Janet prepared it on an extremely tight deadline made the presentation all the more impressive.

Audrey Winkler, Director, Nonprofit Sector Resource Institute at Seton Hall University

Janet gave a presentation How YOU Can be the Attorney Reporters Call at the New York City Bar Association. It was absolutely fabulous.

Alla RoytbergDirector of Small Law Firm Center, New York City Bar

Janet gave an excellent presentation to the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) not for profit special interest group on networking. Her approach focused on making connections with the leaders of organizations hosting networking events and was a refreshing change from the usual networking strategies. Janet is a very engaging speaker. I would recommend her to present to any group.

Paul KonigsteinFinancial Executives Networking Group

Janet Falk was a wonderful guest lecturer at our Farmingdale State College Public Relations class. Janet shared a wealth of knowledge about a variety of public relations topics. Prior to the class, we discussed what had been taught already and she tailored her presentation to expand on their PR knowledge base. Janet covered a vast landscape while keeping things interesting and organized. Janet contributed an educational presentation to our class!

Sharyn O' MaraAdjunct/Assistant ProfessorFarmingdale State College

I highly recommend Janet Falk, a networking colleague who gives freely of her time to members of the group. When she noticed a reporter wanted a source to comment on first-time home buyers, she sent me the request, plus she suggested how to respond. I was contacted by the reporter and was thrilled to be quoted in The New York Times! Afterwards, Janet gave me ideas on how to promote the news story and my quote. Thank you, Janet!

Sandra SmithR New York

Thank you, Janet Falk, for the smart, strategic information you provided on public relations and business communications. I now have excellent action steps to implement. I recommend Janet to all business owners who want to seriously improve their marketing materials and communications. Sign up for her newsletter, too. Janet is a total pro.

Teri ScheinzeitBusiness Consultant & Coach

I thank Janet Falk for taking on the task of communicating our efforts and fundraising to bring the historic Queensboro Bridge lamppost base to Roosevelt Island. She kept me on task for four years and was undeterred when I told her of another hurdle to surmount.

Judith BerdyPresident and HistorianRoosevelt Island Historical Society

Thanks so much for making this happen! Heather [Cabot of the TODAY Show] made YardShare sound very cool! Great job…loved the segment.

Bryan PowellFounder and CYS (Chief Yard Sharer)YardShare.com

… the NYLJ (New York Law Journal) reported on our recent move and developments in the practice. We couldn’t have made that happen without Janet.

William R. SamuelsFounderW.R. Samuels Law

Getting in the media is a great way for a small business to establish and grow its credibility, and generate interest in its products and services. Janet provided practical and easy to implement tips that any small business can follow. My NYC Small Business FastTrac students found these tips invaluable.

Geri StengelFacilitator, FastTrac

Janet helped me achieve my dream as a pianist: to play in a concert at Carnegie Hall. First, she arranged for The New York Daily News and The New York Times to interview me about a benefit recital I gave at the Brooklyn Music School. […] I was asked to audition for [The New York Piano Society’s] annual performance and invited to play at Carnegie Hall.

Chris Yip

Janet did not know anything about our business and, very quickly, she totally understood it and she makes sure the reporters get it, too.

Vito PaganoCEO/President and FounderIndependent Merchant Group

It was Janet’s wonderful press release that put us over the top and sold the story to The New York Times.

Hy WolfeDirectorCentral Yiddish Cultural Organization

Janet L. FALK

Strategic Public Relations and Marketing Communications

Do The Right Thing

What goes around, comes around.

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