THE CLIENT
Wright Hassall is a top-ranked firm of solicitors based in Warwickshire that provide legal services across a range of key areas, including corporate law, commercial law, litigation and dispute resolution, employment law and property law.
The firm also advises on contentious probate, business immigration, debt recovery, employee incentives, information governance, professional negligence and private client matters.
Given the experience of their partners and specialist teams, Wright Hassall offer their expertise to potential clients through media opportunities, publishing in-depth articles that comment on topical issues.
Working alongside Wright Hassall, it is our job to identify these opportunities and create engaging articles that appeal to their target audiences. This means keeping a close eye on industry developments and offering advice where necessary.
THE PROJECT
Over the past couple of months, the coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19) has developed into a global pandemic, with thousands of people losing their lives and businesses closing due to the economic disruption.
Understandably, the severity of the situation has left many business owners with no choice but to temporarily close their doors, and in some serious cases, this has led to redundancies being made, with the government promising money to help cover people’s wages.
Under the new social distancing measures, only essential businesses like supermarkets and hardware stores can remain open, whilst non-essential businesses have been urged to let employees work from home.
Naturally, this unprecedented situation has put a strain on businesses and their ability to continue working productively. Meanwhile, there are some employees that fall into a grey area, such as construction workers and those who are self-employed.
Given the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus and its impact on businesses, there was a clear demand for information and advice on employment issues, which Wright Hassall were able to provide.
THE WORK
Like the business owners Wright Hassall were advising, the first steps were to take the official advice on board and understand how the precautionary processes would relate to other industries.
Whilst it referenced the health concerns raised by the spread of coronavirus, the article’s focus was on employment, so step-by-step procedures were included for businesses to follow.
Official guidance on important practices like handwashing and tissue disposal were also featured and businesses were advised on what steps to take if an employee displayed symptoms of having the virus.
At the time of the article, an official decision had not yet been made with regards to working from home, so the piece informed readers on the laws surrounding sick pay and potential complications due to self-isolation.
Finally, issues relating to discrimination and harassment were outlined, as the article encouraged employers to train their staff appropriately to avoid liability.
Drawing on the expertise of Wright Hassall and its partners, Work PR helped create the 1,200-word master article and short synopsis, which was sent to a range of publications to gauge initial interest.
As part of our commitment to maintaining strong and healthy relationships with the media, each version was tailored to meet the needs of that publication, delivering an industry-specific article that was unique to the others distributed.
THE RESULTS
In total, the coronavirus advice article generated 38 confirmed pieces of coverage, reaching publications across a range of sectors and industries. This coverage featured a healthy balance of online and printed articles.
Most of these articles were by-lined and accompanied by company information about Wright Hassall and the services they offer. In some cases, a link to the Wright Hassall website was also included, which is a significant result for improving website traffic.
Rather than being a ‘one off’ article, we have developed familiarity between Wright Hassall and target publications in recent years, building a reputation for providing high-quality and insightful articles on relevant issues.
This consistency means that any future articles will stand a better chance of receiving coverage, further enhancing exposure for Wright Hassall and its partners.