Legal Blogging: Do Your Posts Resonate with Your Audience?
I spoke at a law firm retreat recently about how lawyers can leverage LinkedIn and Twitter in their law career. When I was introduced, I was asked what a “Clawbies” was. This question arose because I had won a Clawbies award for Best New Blog in 2016 and was a finalist for Best Business of Law Blog in 2018.
In case you’re not aware, Clawbies stands for the Canadian Law Blog Awards. I elaborated by saying bloggers who have won a Clawbies award write content that is relevant to, and resonates with, their audience.
Whether you already or will soon blog, here are two key questions to help you create posts that would resonate with your audience:
1. What does your audience want to read about?
To answer this question, you need to define who your audience is. The answer is not any person who wants to retain you. Tailor what you write with a specific audience in mind.
Once you’ve identified your target audience, do more than simply summarize legislation or case law your target audience should know about. Present information of value. For example, are you providing practical take-aways instead of only identifying issues?
Review the analytics of the posts you’ve published to help determine what types of posts are of interest to readers. Do you see a trend, such as blog posts with certain kinds of information that lead people to stay longer on your website or to subscribe to receive your blog posts via email? Do you notice certain social media posts receive more engagement after you share the blog post on your social media account?
Don’t be afraid to ask your target audience what they want to read about, and which of your blog posts they found to be of value. Also, dive deeper and ask them what their business goals and challenges are in their roles at work and in the overall business. You may discover a unique issue lawyers don’t often address, and that may be the blog post that captures someone’s attention when you share it on your website or social media, or via your email distribution list.
2. Are you writing for the lay audience?
You may be a legal expert in your practice area, but if readers can’t easily understand what you’re saying, you will likely lose your audience at the beginning of your blog post.
Writing in legalese is not a smart way to convey your expertise. Speak like you would when you speak with people you meet at an event. A conversational tone is acceptable. Even if your audience is in-house counsel, their audience are business people; so help them be more efficient and effective by communicating your information in a more understandable manner.
When you write for the lay audience, it’s more than simply the words and tone you use. It includes the issues and examples you discuss in your post. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Draft a blog post that makes your target audience feel like you understand them and their business. If you come across as someone who understands what they do and speaks in their language, your audience will find it easier to envision you being easily integrated into their team.
Legal blogging shouldn’t be viewed as a marketing chore. Immerse yourself in your audience’s world by learning about your client’s business, nurturing relationships, and sharing your expertise to help make them shine at what they do. When they need legal assistance, guess who’s going to sparkle in the sea of lawyers?
Happy blogging!
