Page 60 - Legal Leaders 2018 Master Copy - 9
P. 60
As you move ahead, here are tips to make your blogging experience more worthwhile:
1.) Listen to What’s Happening in the World Around You
Blogging involves authentic audience engagement that requires you to listen (read) first
and then talk (write) later.
For most bloggers, advanced listening tools are integral. You can set up listening tools to
follow influential bloggers, reporters, and news publications. In addition to these sources, follow
subjects relevant to your niche. The listening tools of choice for lawyers are Feedly, a popular
news aggregator, and Twitter.
Reference and share what you have read while providing your own insight and
commentary. More important than simply covering legal updates, joining the “conversation” and
demonstrating that you are tracking developments grows influence and a following.
2.) Write to the Medium
This is a blog, not a legal alert, corporate whitepaper, or newsletter. The best law
bloggers write conversationally and with personality.
Write on general news and apply it to your niche. For example, if a hurricane is hitting
the Gulf Coast, write about how HR professionals should treat those missed workdays. With the
Apple iWatch and other wearable tech, how does that stand to impact privacy issues? Unlike
writing on the latest legislation, litigation, and regulation, the opportunities are limitless.
Proper formatting is important. Avoid long block paragraphs. People scan on the web, so
use short paragraphs — one to three sentences long — and bullets as appropriate. Use block
quotes to make sources stand out. Use subheads to break up sections. Don’t worry about an exact
word count, but a post as brief as 300 to 500 words may be appropriate.
Use images for every post. It’s low-hanging fruit that many lawyers miss, but images
show personality and subtly add a great deal of visual appeal. Posts without images are less
attractive on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Such posts are also less
likely to be shared on social media.
Keep titles short (65 characters) but descriptive. Your titles determine how your posts get
indexed on Google and how they are displayed in news aggregators. Do not pack your titles with
keywords; just make sure they describe what you’ve written. Short, professional, and enticing
titles get shared on social media.
3.) Be Proactive
Too many lawyers get tunnel vision when it comes to blogging, only reacting to the latest
legal tidbits. Merely reporting on litigation, legislation, regulations, and narrow news stories in a
reactive fashion won't cut it; you need to add value. Readers want to know what’s inside your
head. What’s your take? What’s it mean for them? What’s coming next?
Depending on your niche and firm, being an advocate can work well. Immigration, food
safety, employment, privacy, cruise, medical malpractice, IP litigation, and divorce lawyers have
developed large followings because they take stands on issues that matter to their clients. They
46
1.) Listen to What’s Happening in the World Around You
Blogging involves authentic audience engagement that requires you to listen (read) first
and then talk (write) later.
For most bloggers, advanced listening tools are integral. You can set up listening tools to
follow influential bloggers, reporters, and news publications. In addition to these sources, follow
subjects relevant to your niche. The listening tools of choice for lawyers are Feedly, a popular
news aggregator, and Twitter.
Reference and share what you have read while providing your own insight and
commentary. More important than simply covering legal updates, joining the “conversation” and
demonstrating that you are tracking developments grows influence and a following.
2.) Write to the Medium
This is a blog, not a legal alert, corporate whitepaper, or newsletter. The best law
bloggers write conversationally and with personality.
Write on general news and apply it to your niche. For example, if a hurricane is hitting
the Gulf Coast, write about how HR professionals should treat those missed workdays. With the
Apple iWatch and other wearable tech, how does that stand to impact privacy issues? Unlike
writing on the latest legislation, litigation, and regulation, the opportunities are limitless.
Proper formatting is important. Avoid long block paragraphs. People scan on the web, so
use short paragraphs — one to three sentences long — and bullets as appropriate. Use block
quotes to make sources stand out. Use subheads to break up sections. Don’t worry about an exact
word count, but a post as brief as 300 to 500 words may be appropriate.
Use images for every post. It’s low-hanging fruit that many lawyers miss, but images
show personality and subtly add a great deal of visual appeal. Posts without images are less
attractive on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Such posts are also less
likely to be shared on social media.
Keep titles short (65 characters) but descriptive. Your titles determine how your posts get
indexed on Google and how they are displayed in news aggregators. Do not pack your titles with
keywords; just make sure they describe what you’ve written. Short, professional, and enticing
titles get shared on social media.
3.) Be Proactive
Too many lawyers get tunnel vision when it comes to blogging, only reacting to the latest
legal tidbits. Merely reporting on litigation, legislation, regulations, and narrow news stories in a
reactive fashion won't cut it; you need to add value. Readers want to know what’s inside your
head. What’s your take? What’s it mean for them? What’s coming next?
Depending on your niche and firm, being an advocate can work well. Immigration, food
safety, employment, privacy, cruise, medical malpractice, IP litigation, and divorce lawyers have
developed large followings because they take stands on issues that matter to their clients. They
46
