"x x x.
But not all blog posts are created equal. A bad post can drive your potential clients away. Good posts attract them. Here are the key ingredients to getting there:
- Your Practice Area(s). Focus on your expertise, not on other aspects of the law that don’t relate to your specialty. Blogging is inexpensive marketing, but you don’t want to waste your time writing about subjects that don’t matter to your potential clients.
- A News Hook. Put your reporter hat on. You shouldn’t write about, say, your take on oil spill law if a spill hasn’t happened recently, or at least garnered enough attention to be common knowledge among the general public. Picking a topic that is in local or national discussions will give your post more relevance.
- Your Point of View. Don’t simply regurgitate facts. Flex your legal muscle and give your opinions. After all, visitors are looking to see how you are different from the competition. Just make sure the opinions are reasonably argued. Simply ranting could alienate people.
- Brevity. No need to take up too much of your time writing a long post. Many readers will leave your website if the post looks long — they want information fast. A good rule of thumb on length: no more than 500 words.
- A Dash of Informality. You’re not writing a legal brief or even the practice area pages of your website. A blog is meant to speak conversationally to its readers. Treat each post as a communication with a client where you use helpful analogies and even a little humor.
- Simple Terms. Whom are you trying to reach? Most likely, not other attorneys. So avoid jargon and legalese. Don’t dumb it down, but be down to earth.
- A List. People are attracted to lists. A list makes the information you present more digestible for readers and can lead to an enticing headline. It also makes writing your post a little easier.
x x x."
