How Lawyers Can Write Effective Blog Posts

Blogging is essential for establishing thought leadership, but many lawyers are intimidated by the process because they don’t consider themselves great writers. The truth is: you don’t need to be a terrific writer to have a terrific legal blog! People who don’t write professionally can learn new skills and apply best practices that make for compelling blog posts. Here is a list of our favorite tips for lawyers who want to create impactful blog posts. 

1. Narrow Down Your Audience and Topics

It’s definitely easier to elaborate on subjects when you understand who you’re speaking to. Hopefully, you’ve created client personas in the past that can help direct your efforts. What are your ideal clients’ needs or challenges? Once you have a short list of topic ideas and know who you’re writing for, perform keyword research to drive content creation. A simple way to begin keyword research is by evaluating monthly search volume (MSV) for industry-related terms. The results of these searches will point you toward certain words or phrases that you can build content around. By having a thorough understanding of your audience, topics that are important to them, and data-driven insights into keywords, you can begin a conversation with your readers. 

2. Begin a Dialogue on Your Legal Blog

As you write, imagine you are talking to a friend. Your goal is to be knowledgeable yet personable. You want to demonstrate your expertise while remaining relatable. Remember that readers don’t want to be talked down to. When they arrive at your legal blog, they’re looking for quality information from a credible source. Take that responsibility seriously and do your best to help them understand the information provided, in a way that makes sense to them. 

3. Include Internal and External Links

Certain elements of a well-performing blog don’t have much to do with writing. Including links to other reputable websites – as well as links to your own website or other content – can boost the quality of your content and the credibility of your blog. 

• Interlinks – These links guide readers to other content on your website, which ramps up overall exposure. It also helps search engine crawlers index more pages on your site. Plus, having these links extends the amount of time someone spends with your content and on your website. Try to link to items that provide relevant resources and other knowledge on the topic of the blog. 
• Backlinks – These links are simply those between one site and another. A backlink strategy is part of comprehensive content marketing. Search engines give favor to blog posts that link to other credible websites, and providing further information is part of a good user experience. Prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to links. Do your best to create valuable content so that other blogs may someday link to yours. 

4. Create Content That’s Easy to Digest

People aren’t attracted to walls of text. Pay as much attention to how you present information as you do to writing on your legal blog. Make sure to use the following elements in your blogs:

• Headings and subheadings – Use keywords and break up your verbiage
• Lists – Bulleted lists call attention to key points and keep things organized
• Visuals – Images, infographics, and video can strengthen your blog

5. Use Tools That Can Help With Writing

Today’s digital landscape provides several ways to improve in areas where you aren’t comfortable. There are writing assistant software options like Writefull or Grammarly. You can also use tools to help with optimizing content, such as SEMRush or CoSchedule’s headline analyzer. 

Takeaway: 

Use the tactics above to become more comfortable writing, and your legal blog will continue to improve. However, if you’re still not excited about blogging – or simply don’t have the time – don’t be afraid to utilize professional content services. We can help you craft blogs that demonstrate your expertise and reinforce your law firm’s brand. Contact us today to unlock your law firm’s potential through blogging.