Spill The Ink

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King talks with Ross Todd, editor and columnist for The Am Law Litigation Daily, about what separates a genuinely newsworthy case from a routine update, how the Litigator of the Week nomination process works and why some stories don't make the cut. Ross also discusses how his newsroom uses AI, what he wishes PR professionals and lawyers understood about pitching him and where he thinks human judgment still beats a machine. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn Why a result alone doesn't make a story, and what Ross looks for instead How Ross and his team sort out who deserves credit when multiple firms are involved in a case What separates a pitch Ross acts on from one he passes over Where Ross sees AI changing legal journalism, and where he doesn't think it can compete with a human reporter About Our Featured Guest Since July 2020, Ross Todd has been the editor/columnist for The Am Law Litigation Daily, where he covers the intersection of disputes and the business of law. He started his legal journalism career at The American Lawyer magazine in January 2006 and has covered litigation since 2014 when he joined The Recorder, Am Law's California affiliate. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out The Am Law Litigation Daily Connect with Ross Todd on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.  Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

In this episode of Spill the Ink, Michelle Calcote King sits down with John Harrison, Head of Research at ITR World Tax, to break down how the rankings and awards process actually works and why it matters for tax and legal marketers. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn What actually separates a tier one tax firm from a tier three firm (hint: it's not deal size) What ITR's submission process looks for and the two biggest mistakes firms make How much weight client interviews and market feedback carry versus the written submission Why ITR says its rankings aren't pay-to-play and what that actually means What firms new to ITR should expect in their first few years About Our Featured Guest John Harrison is the Head of Research for International Tax Review (ITR), part of Legal Benchmarking Group. He leads global research into tax and transfer pricing practices for law firms and professional services advisory firms. Before joining ITR, he worked as an awards research editor for Delinian. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out ITR World Tax Follow ITR World Tax on LinkedIn Connect with John Harrison on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.  Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

A holiday greeting that goes out on time starts with one person who owns the project and a team willing to plan earlier than feels necessary. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," host Michelle Calcote King talks with Jessi Bruton, group creative director at Reputation Ink, about how law firms, AEC firms and other professional services firms can trade the annual December dash for a plan that works. Jessi explains how to choose the best medium for your message, how to brief a designer on tone instead of tactics and why feedback works best when it explains the why. She also covers mailing list cleanup, production time after approval and where holiday marketing is heading. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn Why you should start planning earlier than you think Why one person should own the project and how to keep the review team small How to choose between print and digital based on your brand and your relationships How to brief a designer on tone and give feedback that explains the why How to keep list cleanup and production from derailing your schedule About Our Featured Guest Jessi Bruton is group creative director at Reputation Ink. An award-winning creative director with two decades of experience in graphic design and brand strategy, she has earned recognition for her visual storytelling from the American Advertising Federation, HSMAI and AIGA Jacksonville. She is also an award-winning podcast host, a certified Scrum master and a performance-minded creative thinker with a passion for testing and data metrics. Jessi has crafted branding, design and messaging for national and international brands, including Omni Hotels & Resorts, HomeVestors, Morocco World News and Brightway Insurance, along with challenger and regional brands. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Follow Reputation Ink on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram Connect with Jessi Bruton on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.  Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

Gavin Jenkins, Head of Content at Roads & Bridges (Endeavor Business Media), reads dozens of pitches a week deciding what gets covered and what doesn't. In this episode of Spill the Ink, Jenkins joins host Steven Gallo to walk through what actually catches his attention in a pitch email, how newsworthiness and timing factor into his decisions, and the difference between pitching a story idea, a source and contributed content. He also talks about how editorial priorities shift across the Roads & Bridges website, print magazine and podcast, what it takes to land a spot on the Top 10 Roads & Bridges Awards list, and where he sees AEC media coverage headed as the industry moves deeper into AI adoption. It's a practical look inside a trade editor's inbox for AEC marketers trying to break through. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn What makes Jenkins stop and read a pitch right away The biggest time-wasters in his inbox Pitching a story idea vs. a source vs. contributed content Where the line is between mentioning your company and being too promotional Tips for entering the Top 10 Roads & Bridges Awards About Our Featured Guest Gavin Jenkins is Head of Content at Roads & Bridges, part of Endeavor Business Media, where he oversees the website, print magazine and Infrastructure Technology Podcast. He also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Allegheny County and has freelanced for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic. Before joining Roads & Bridges, Jenkins was an associate editor at Pitt Med Magazine, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's quarterly publication. He holds a master's degree in nonfiction writing from the University of Pittsburgh and has won two Golden Quill Awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. He is based in Pittsburgh. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out Roads & Bridges Follow Roads & Bridges on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram Say hello to Steven Gallo on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.  Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.  

In this episode of Spill the Ink, Ellen Jones, Senior Editor of Expert Analysis at Law360, pulls back the curtain on what actually gets attorneys published in one of legal media's most widely read outlets. Law360 distributes newsletters to more than 3 million recipients every business day, and its Expert Analysis section is where attorneys can reach the GCs, compliance officers and business leaders who rely on it for substantive analysis. Ellen walks through what separates a strong submission from one that goes straight to the slush pile, how the 90-day news hook works in practice, what the editorial collaboration process looks like and how legal marketers can position their attorneys to succeed. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn How Law360's Expert Analysis section differs from its breaking news coverage and why that distinction matters for legal marketers The 90-day news hook rule and what options exist when a topic doesn't fit neatly into that window Why submissions that simply recap what happened get rejected and what editors want instead How to pitch in 150 words and what the collaborative editing process looks like from there How AI is changing the visibility equation for law firms and why expert analysis matters more, not less, because of it About Our Featured Guest Ellen Jones is an experienced legal content strategist with a strong background in writing and editing. She serves as a senior editor for Law360's Expert Analysis vertical, where she works directly with attorneys and marketing and communications pros from AmLaw200 firms and beyond to create guest bylines for a premiere legal news brand that reaches more than three million readers across law, business and government daily. Her journalism background, relationship-building skills and keen understanding of legal industry trends guide her approach to curating thought leadership content that connects with audiences. With a passion for helping lawyers and firms spotlight their knowledge and capabilities, she collaborates with world-class legal experts to distill can't-miss business news into compelling analysis for busy decision-makers. She is a member of the American Society of Business Publication Editors and holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and information sciences from The University of Alabama.  Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out Law360 Follow Law360 on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram Connect with Ellen Jones on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.  Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.