Getting exposure via published articles has long been a marketing mainstay for lawyers. In the age of the Internet, there are even more opportunities than ever as the need for quality content has multiplied.

Many books have been written on writing and publishing articles. If you are serious about promoting your practice this way, I recommend reading a few books and learning to do it right.

The basics of getting published never change. The first step is to identify those publications that are a suitable outlet for your articles. Offline, the venerable "Writers Market" (from Writer's Digest) lists thousands of magazines and newspapers that accept outside submissions.

Online, numerous directories list electronic newsletters and web sites that accept articles. Go to any search engine and type in and you'll find thousands of ezines and the directories that list them.

Once you have determined which publications you are interested in, the next step is to obtain their "writers' guidelines". This is a description of the kinds of articles they want, how many words, the rights they purchase (i.e., "first publication"), and the procedure for submitting the article for consideration.

You'll probably find writers' guidelines on the publication's web site. If not, contact the editor and ask if they accept articles and if so, what they are looking for.

Once you know the guidelines, the next step is the "query". Some publications want you to submit your article idea in outline form, along with a sample of your other writing, some publications want to see the whole article first. Whatever the guidelines, your query needs to sell the editor on three things:

1. Why their readers would want to read your article
2. Your credentials for writing it
3. Your ability to write it

Your query letter should be well written and to the point. It should demonstrate that the article you propose will be relevant to their readership and interesting to read. Editors read hundreds of queries and sort through them quickly; if you want to be considered, you need to get their attention and immediately make them see the value in your article.

Getting the first article accepted is the hardest. Once you have built up a list of publications that have accepted your work, you should find yourself getting published more frequently. Until then, don't assume that being a lawyer is enough of a pedigree to be accepted for publication. Actually, being a lawyer could work against you. If an editor assumes you "write like a lawyer," you'll have to work harder to show them that you can write something real people would want to read.

Don't hesitate to start with small publications. It will give you experience in writing and submitting articles. You'll also get a list of publishing credits and that will make it easier to get other editors to give you the go ahead.

Don't be concerned about payment for your articles; most publications pay little or nothing anyway. But do negotiate a listing of your web site or other contact information at the end of the article. You want readers to be able to reach you.

Be patient; it will be worth the effort. Even if they don't allow you to list your contact information in the article, just being able to say you have been published carries weight. Reprints of your articles make excellent marketing hand outs that can be used for years. And you can re-cycle your material (make sure you retained the right to do so) in other articles, speaking engagements, web/ezine articles, blog posts, reports, and so forth. Also, having been published can lead to interviews and speaking engagements and could also provide material for press releases. For example, your published article might be referenced in a press release where you offer a free report that amplifies the subject matter of the article.

Writing for publication will give you exposure and credibility as an expert in your field. It can also lead to even more exposure in the form of inquiries from other publications, joint venture partners, meeting holders, teleseminar promoters, and the like. Getting published will help you grow your mailing list, develop new referral sources, and create more clients.  It will also make your mother proud.

Ben Glass is a Fairfax, Virginia personal injury attorney who knows how to market his services. One of the many things he does (and does right) is his newsletter, which I just got in the mail.

The first thing Mr. Glass does right is that he has a print newsletter in the first place. I talked about the advantages of print communication in this digital age recently. For the record, Glass also has an online newsletter and more than one blog.

One of the key features of his newsletter, which promotes his web site and blog, is his firm's "communication policy," which describes how to communicate with Mr. Glass and his staff. He scores a home run with the following statement: "Ben Glass takes no inbound unscheduled phone calls whatsoever. It makes him much more productive and helps get your case resolved faster." This is followed by information on how to schedule a call or in-person meeting. Why is this so powerful? Because it says his clients and their cases are important and he will not allow interruptions. It means when you are in his office or on the phone with him, he won't make you wait; your call or meeting (and you) are important.

Many lawyers do just the opposite. They take calls from other clients (or whoever), they make clients wait in the waiting room instead of seeing them at their scheduled time, and their attitude is that they are more important than the clients they serve. Showing respect for your clients is simple and effective. Remember, clients don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Another key to the newsletter is telling stories. Facts tells but stories, sell, and Glass' newsletter is full of stories. For example, one story is about the tiger who killed a boy at the San Francisco Zoo recently. It discusses the law in a very informal, easy to understand way, and provides insights to what readers have seen on the news. It makes people think and quietly positions Glass as an expert in matters involving injuries and legal issues.

Another story is about a $1 million dollar verdict Glass obtained for a client in a "delay in diagnosis" medical malpractice case. It doesn't overwhelm the reader with facts, the law, or hubris. Further, it concludes with four "lessons from the case" readers can use to protect themselves and their loved ones from a similar fate. And it "proves" that Glass is good at what he does, without him saying so.

Another feature is a "contractor recommendation," lauding a company Glass and his wife hired recently. It's an endorsement (with web site and phone number) readers will appreciate if they're looking for a reliable contractor. If the company is a client, Glass also gains points with them. The lesson is that it's smart to position yourself as the hub of your clients' life, someone they can count on for information, recommendations and referrals for all matters important. When your client's think of you first, you're doing it right.

Finally, the newsletter does a good job of humanizing Glass with a (front page) story about the director of an orphanage where one of his adopted children used to live. Message: he's a real person and he cares about people.

Well done, Ben!

Gary Halbert was one of the greatest copywriters of all time. He wrote some of the most successful headlines, ads, and sales letters in the history of direct marketing, earning millions for himself, and billions for his clients. The headline that brought you to this page is my homage to his talent (how can you NOT read this?), based on a fake headline he wrote for one of this clients.

Halbert, who passed away last year, believed that in advertising, the headline is everything. I agree. An ad with a bad headline but brilliant copy will never be read. A mediocre ad with a GREAT headline, however, will pull far greater response simply because more people are reading it. 

Headlines are not just in ads. The title of your article or report is a headline. Same for your brochure. The title of your seminar is a headline. So is the opening line in your presentation. The "re" in your letter is a headline. And the "P.S."

What goes at the top of your web page? That's a headline. What's the first thing you say when you call a potential referral source to introduce yourself? Yep, a headline.

Halbert, who styled himself, "The Prince of Print," sometimes spent 80% of his time on a piece crafting the right headline. When you get the headline right, everything else seems to fall into place. Get it wrong, and nothing you do thereafter seems to work.

My love for copy writing began when I subscribed to The Gary Halbert Letter in the late 1980's. I read and re-read every word he wrote. He was also the inspiration for the sales copy I wrote to promote Referral Magic marketing program and my own newsletter, The Attorney Marketing Letter. Copywriting is the highest paid skill in marketing, but I consider it essential for any kind of marketing, and that includes marketing professional services.

Copywriting can be learned. I used to write like a lawyer but I trained myself to write copy that sells. It is a skill that has earned me millions. One of the best investments you can make in your career is in studying and applying the lessons of the great masters of copywriting. There is, of course, no better place to start than by reading the back issues of Halbert's newsletter. Fortunately, all of them are posted online at the web site that survives him, TheGaryHalbertLetter.com. I encourage you to spend some time reading through this treasure chest of brilliant lessons in copywriting. But I have to warn you: Don't start unless you have several hours available, because once you start reading Gary Halbert, you won't be able to stop.

Bill Cosby is purported to have said, ""I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." Have you found that to be true? I have. I'll give you a recent example.

I just launched a new website, PassiveIncomeForLawyers.com. Passive income is a hot topic and in a very short period of time, the site got a large number of visits and subscribers. Several attorneys have already joined me in the program. I've heard from many others who have said nice things about the program itself and about the way it is presented. The feedback has been very positive. Of course you usually don't hear from people who don't like something. They usually just quietly go away. But I did get the following email from one attorney:

"Please take me off of your miserable site. At first I thought you were legitimated, now we are getting the mass marketing crap. Passive income my ass! You wouldn't know passive income if it hit you in the face. And what's with the long winded motley fool type advertising site. Un professional. Get lost."

I didn't reply, I simply removed him from the subscription list, and deleted his email. But then I got to thinking about what could be learned from his response and I retrieved the email. After all, this is not just anybody; according to his email signature, this individual is a partner in a firm of at least five lawyers. I presume he is influential. He may or may not be interested in something I offer, but I'd like to think he would reject the offer, not the person (me). But not only is he not a fan, he was so angry, he took the time to embarrass himself with this email.

From a marketing perspective, what should I do? He was turned off (to say the least) by the sales-y copy on my web page, although I have to wonder why he filled out the form to subscribe if he was so offended. Should I assume that others would be, too, and change it? Should I try to please the ones who don't like what he calls "long winded motley fool type advertising," even though most people find it acceptable and the site is successful? The Motley Fool folks seem to be doing okay.

But if I create something that is less of what he does not like and it dramatically reduces the number of subscribers, I haven't done myself any good, have I? So no, I shouldn't try to please everyone. That truly is a formula for failure, and it's an important marketing lesson.

Marketing is about metrics. You do something, measure the results, and compare those results to something else. It's called testing, and it's crucial to the success and profitability of any marketing campaign. So, I will create other versions of the web page and compare the results to the ones produced by the current one. Whichever version produces the highest percentage of conversions (subscribers) will become the "control," against which I will continue to test, seeking to best that control. But one does this to improve results, not in an effort to please anyone, let alone everyone.

You can't please everyone anyway, and you'll only hurt yourself if you try. So, as you design your marketing messages, intelligently consider the ethical standards of your bar association and your own sense of propriety, and perhaps the concerns of your spouse or partners, but beyond that, do what works best, and what works best is what brings in the most results.

If you write a newsletter or a blog (and you should) you need content. But it takes time to write something worth reading and attorneys have precious little time to spare. There are services now that sell articles you can use, copyright free. You pay your money and you can print them under your name.

It's a new twist on an old idea.

Canned newsletter for professionals have been around for years. My state bar sells pamphlets lawyers can send to their clients with their name stamped on the back. Of course you can hire a ghost writer, or assign someone in your office to write material for you. There are plenty of ways to get content that you don't originate. The question is, should you?

In my opinion, you should not. Canned materials are never a good substitute for creating your own newsletter, articles and reports. They are better than nothing, but not much.

One reason is that far fewer people will read it. These articles and newsletters are very general and very bland. And a lot of people will know you didn't write them. I toss my insurance agents newsletter in the trash, unopened, because I know it comes from a staff writer in New York and has little value to me. There is nothing personal or interesting in it. My dentist writes a personal newsletter, but it is terribly boring. I open and glance at it, in case there might be something that pertains to me in it (e.g., a change in his office personnel or procedure) but I don't read it.

(Here's a clue that it's canned: there are no stories in them. Facts tell, but stories sell, and if what you write doesn't have stories in them, either, you're missing the boat.)

Now, there is some value in your clients getting something from you with your name on it, even if they don't open the envelope or email. They are at least reminded that you still exist. But you're missing the opportunity to build a relationship with them, and that's costing you more than you can imagine.

The purpose of newsletters and reports and blogs is to (a) stay in touch, reminding people that you still exist, (b) demonstrate your expertise, your ability to deliver the benefits they seek, and (c) create a dialog with the reader that supports your relationship with them. With canned material, you can only stay in touch, and poorly, at best.

You want people to read your words, and "hear" your voice. You want them to believe you are writing just to them. You want them to read and appreciate your special news or offer. And you want them to see that you care enough about them to take a couple of hours once or twice a month to write something "just for them".

The time you invest in this process will not only be "worth it," it is the single most profitable thing you could do to build your practice.

Seriously. The people who know, like, and trust you will hire you again and again and they will efer people to you, too. There is no cost to acquire these clients, other than printing/mailing costs if you do that (and you should) and your time.

Now, don't panic. Once you get the hand of it, it doesn't take as long as you think.

Start by producing some "evergreen" materials, reports, for example, that once written, you can use over and over again for years to come. You have expertise in your field and you can write a report in two hours. Here's your assignment for your first one: Take the five or ten questions you are asked the most by prospective or new clients, and answer them. There, you have a report.

A newsletter or blog require continual replenishment of material, but this is worth it, too. You don't need as much as you think. A monthly newsletter could be two pages. A postcard, if that's all you can do. Far more important than quantity is that they hear from a real person, sharing a story, a thought, a piece of your mind.

For a blog, three to five paragraphs, one to three times a week can be enough. What's important is that it be your voice, your opinion, a glimpse into your world. Your clients and prospects (and referral sources) need to feel they are a part of your life and you a part of theirs. You want them to "know, like, and trust" you, and to do that, your material needs to be your own.

I've told attorneys in the past to order the canned newsletter or articles if they feel they must, but to make them their own. "Rewrite them, add your commentary, offer examples and advice that are specific to your practice. What do you agree with? Disagree with? What else does the reader need to know?"

Today you can pretty much do that without paying a service. Just go online, find something someone else has written, and use it as an outline or idea starter for your own material.

A few years ago, a staff writer from the ABA called and asked to interview me for an article on marketing. When the interview was done, I asked her if a "resource box" would appear at the end of the article. Typically, this includes the name and email address or web site of the interviewee. It might also list the title of a recent book they have authored. A resource box is important–it gives readers a way to find you, dramatically increasing the number of leads or subscribers to your newsletter and, ultimately, the number of clients for your services.

Considering that the interview took all of 15 minutes and didn't cost me a cent, I'm a happy camper. I just feel bad for all those readers who won't take the time to find me, and, as a result, be denied the benefits I offer.

Grant Griffiths, at Home Office Lawyer, wrote about his disappointment with a recent ABA Journal article, 50 Ways To Market Your Practice: Top tips from successful solos and small-firm practitioners, because the list doesn't include blogging or, indeed, much of anything about marketing legal services online.

I agree. It is a glaring omission.

Many of the tips came from the ABA’s Solosez discussion group, comprised of more than 2000 solos and small-firm lawyers, and you would think that lawyers in that demo would be more progressive. But this is THE ABA we're talking about and we really shouldn't expect them–or their readers–to be on the leading edge of thought regarding the business of law, any more than we should expect this of law schools.

I suspect that many of their readers know about blogging but don't do it, and that's why they didn't offer it as a "marketing tip". Let's face it, most attorneys from all demographics still don't have a web site, let alone a blog. Attorneys are risk-adverse and most aren't early adoptors (I still consider November, 2007 to be early in the blogging game). Congratulations to those of you who have been at this for awhile–you can be proud of your leadership.

As more attorneys consider blogging, I predict that most will come around slowly, at best. Here's why:

1. The don't see the benefits
2. They don't know how to do it
   
3. They see it as too much work
4. They don't (believe they) have the time

Many lawyers will eventually see the benefits, and monkey-see, monkey-do. (Does anyone remember that expression?) We'll start to see more attorneys at least talking about blogging.

For those who are challenged by technology, there are ebooks that show how to do it quickly (and free), and other information resources. There's also software (which is what I used), and firms like this and this who will design and set up a blog for you. We'll see more resources coming along, so that lack of "know how" will no longer be an excuse "not to".

Those who say it's too much work are right, of course, assuming they don't see the benefits or don't believe they have the time. And then there will be those who say they will set up a blog only if they can delegate the work to someone else, and, of course, that's not blogging.

The biggest group will be those who see it and want to do it, but don't think they have the time. Of course if one compares blogging to other marketing activities, i.e., seminars, public speaking or networking, fifteen to thirty minutes a day, a few days a week doesn't sound like much, and it's not, especially if you blog not just for the material benefits but because you enjoy it. Nevertheless, a lawyers' time is precious and I'm going to do my part to demonstrate that with a little thought, you can easily line up more material for your blog than you will ever be able to use. Let's use the ABA article to demonstrate.

The article presents 50 ways to market a law practice, and while they aren't all gems, most are good ideas. Marketing is often simple ideas, well executed, and so while these tips might be in the "I already know that" category for some, they will be completely new, for others. And everyone can benefit from knowing not just what to do (the tip) but how to do it (or do it better). That's where I come in. From this one artcle, I can get enough ideas to write my blog for an entire year.

The first tip is to join your local chamber of commerce. Well, now, I could write a dozen articles on that subject alone! There's what to look for in a suitable chamber, how to do due diligence before you join, how to meet people, what to say when you introduce yourself, which committees are best to volunteer for, how to start a conversation with people you meet, how to get others interested in you, how to leverage your membership to create other marketing opportunities, and so on.  Two, maybe three weeks worth of material from the one tip, and who knows what other ideas that will lead to.

The second tip is to have a unique business card and hand it out frequently. I've written on this subject before, and have more advice in my head (and in my marketing course), and, in addition, a quick search on the Internet will bring other ideas, as well as resources I could recommend (e.g., designers, printers).

And so on. Enough ideas for a year or more.

It's true that a tip is not an article (I have to produce that), but when you are an expert on something (marketing, your practice area), you have a lot more to say than you may realize. What is obvious to you is often brilliant to those who don't know it.

And blog articles are usually short. They provide a few pointers and/or resources, share a story, or offer an opinion about something in the news or on someone else's blog. It doesn't take a lot of time to write a few paragraphs, especially when you are knowledgeable about (and interested in) the subject.

One caution if you're thinking of starting a blog: it can be addicting. If you're not careful, you could spend too much time writing and not enough time doing everything else you need to do, like I have done today. Maybe I should reconsider that delegating thing. . .

Headlines account for 80-90% of the effectiveness of any marketing document. Why? It's simple. A good headline compels people to read the first sentence of the body of the piece. A bad headline doesn't.

Not only won't anyone read the newsletter, I'm almost sure that 80-90% of his patients who have been receiving his newsletter for any length of time are throwing it away unopened.

Learn to write, or at least recognize, good headlines.

Wouldn't it be great to have hundreds of people referring clients to you on a commission basis?

Technology makes it easy to automate the selling process and track affiliate commissions. All you do is find more affiliates and tell them about your book and the opportunity to market it. The affiliates sell the book, the book sells you, and hundreds of prospective clients find out about you and the services you offer, and pay you for the privilege!

Another strategy is to give away your ebook. Offer it as a download from your web site in return for the visitor's contact information. You can also invite others to offer it from their web site, as a free resource to their readers, or, perhaps, as a premium for subscribing to their newsletter. The viral nature of ebooks could bring you an enormous amount of target traffic to your web site.

If your book is available online, you're likely to get inquiries from prospective clients in jurisdictions where you do not practice. Now you'll have the delightful problem of finding lawyers in the appropriate jurisdictions and developing reciprocal referral arrangements.

There are many other benefits to publishing a book and most lawyers are capable of writing one in about 90 days. If you don't have the time, you could hire a ghost writer, work with a collaborator, or create something you do have time to do, i.e., a recording of one of your seminars.

One last thing (and I wish we lived in a world where I didn't have to say this): check with your jurisdiction's authority (bar association, law society, et. al.) regarding the ethics of this strategy. If they say you can't do it, move. This is too good an idea to pass up.