How Lawyers and Clients Can Help with Blogging
In a previous post, I gave five smart reasons for lawyers to blog. In this post, I describe three ways to help you complete a blog post. Why? How hard is it to draft a few paragraphs on a legal subject? Apparently it is a challenge.
Just the other day, an associate mentioned she wished I were helping her organize her blog posts. She was basically referring to how hard it is to draft a post due to lack of time. Blogging is a non-billable activity that gets pushed down on the list of things to do. There is no perceived consequence for not meeting a blogging deadline, if one even existed.
If you feel you have no time to blog or are waiting for inspiration, it’s time to change your mindset. You do have time to blog and the ideas surround you in everyday practice.
Start right now by considering the point of one of your last client calls. Then open a new email, whether on your computer in your office or on a smartphone elsewhere, and type in the point of the post. Freely type in a sample fact scenario, short case summary, reasons on why clients need to care about the issue, etc. Then send the email to yourself to complete/edit later if you really can’t do so right now.
If you still need help finishing your draft post or even starting, consider using one of these three methods:
1. Be Accountable
If you feel you are accountable to someone, you’re more likely to accomplish the task. So find a marketing buddy and relate your blogging plan. Then set realistic, regularly-occurring deadlines to complete the blog posts. Your marketing buddy may be a mentor or supporter. He or she may even be a colleague down the hall who will remind you to complete your post simply by his or her presence.
A marketing buddy, however, does not have to be someone you work with internally. For instance, I help lawyers understand their personal brand and develop a blogging plan that aligns with their professional goals. By implementing an editorial schedule with reminders, or even a time to discuss a blog post idea or comments based on a review of a draft post, I help lawyers meet their blogging goals.
If it’s clients that trigger you to accomplish things, then ask a client to read a blog post you’re going to draft to get his or her thoughts on it. This also helps you see if the post is clearly written, relevant and resonates with your target audience. Your client may even suggest some blog post ideas for you.
2. Co-Write
Find someone to co-write the post with. This person can be a regular blogger whose discipline may keep you on track. A co-writer may simply be someone with more practice experience who will edit your draft post and provide statements of added value that will differentiate your post from other lawyers.
You can also come up with the ideas and have someone draft a post for your review. When sharing your ideas, remember to schedule a time to actually discuss and finalize the draft for posting.
Moreover, there are lawyers who no longer practice law but now help other lawyers write blog posts. For instance, Erin Cowling was a litigator at a large Bay Street law firm and a small boutique law firm. She now helps lawyers with legal content marketing, legal research and writing, litigation support and document review.
Co-writing blog posts is one of Erin’s legal content marketing services. She explains how co-writing works:
Co-writing is for lawyers who like to write but may not have the time to edit or perfect their posts, or simply need guidance on best practices. I also work with my co-writers’ previously written material, such as a client newsletter or conference paper topic, and help work it into one or a series of blog posts. Likewise I assist with providing feedback on length and tone.
3. Hire a Writer
If writing is not your passion or you prefer to outsource blog writing, Erin can also help. She has drafted blog posts based on ideas from her clients, including those scribbled on scrap paper. Sometimes she is credited as the sole author of the post. Other times, she ghostwrites and the hiring lawyer is the only named author of the post.
It is very helpful to have a lawyer draft blog posts instead of a student. You’re more likely to receive a draft from a blogger like Erin that requires little to no editing. Erin has many years of legal experience and continues to conduct legal research. Such experience and activity benefit the hiring lawyer who does not have time to make a draft more practical and easy to read.
I asked Erin to share some other benefits her clients have found by having a lawyer write or ghostwrite blog posts. She says:
There are many ‘content mills’ that will churn out blogs posts very cheaply. These writers are likely not lawyers and may not be aware of our Rules of Professional Conduct and our duties surrounding advertising and marketing, which cover social media. Also, as a lawyer with many years of practice I have a strong foundation in law and am constantly reading new cases and about trends in the legal profession. There is no need for my clients to educate me. Also, I know what it is like to practice law. I understand deadlines, client demands and how business development works for lawyers.
Once you develop a habit of drafting blog posts (by whichever means it may be), you may find yourself eagerly pushing out blog posts on a regular basis. Happy blogging!
