Content creation Archives - The Attorney Marketing Center

Nothing to write about?

October 1, 2024 by David M. Ward

You promised yourself you would write an article or blog post or newsletter, record a video, or prepare a talk for your networking group, but you don’t know what to write about.

Don’t panic. And don’t force it. Skip the day and try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow, you might

Republish something you wrote a year or two ago; yes, you can do that. Most of your readers won’t remember (or care). And you have new subscribers or audience who haven’t heard that story before.
Cut up that old 1200-word article and publish one of your points, perhaps 300 words, and call it a day.
Rewrite that older piece. Update the law, use different examples or arguments, add a new story, change the headline, and you’re good to go.

Great. Immediate problem solved. For the future, here are some options:

Consider allowing (or soliciting) guest posts from other lawyers or experts. Or asking a colleague to co-author an article with you.
Ask your readers to submit questions they would like you to answer.
Collect articles by other lawyers and experts that might interest your readers and use those articles to spark ideas for your next post. I do that all the time; can you tell?
Set up an idea file. Anything you think about, wonder about, hear about… throw it in this file and dig through that file when you’re looking for ideas.
Document your days: jot down a few lines about interesting or difficult clients or cases, opposing counsel, problems you solved, or people you meet, because it’s all fodder for your next post.

You can write about anything. And you should because it will make things a lot easier for you and more interesting for your readers.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters, Public Speaking

Writing non-fiction without an outline?

September 9, 2024 by David M. Ward

Whether you’re writing an article or blog post, a memo to your client or your file, a brief or a demand letter, outlining before you write is almost always recommended.

It helps you include all the key points, put them in an effective order, and save time with the actual writing because you’ve thought about what to say before you say it.

Outlining is your friend. Especially for longer or complicated pieces that contain a lot of information.

But sometimes, outlining slows down the process of getting words on paper, and leads to a less interesting, more formulaic piece of writing. That’s okay for most of the writing lawyers do. We don’t need to be creative; we need to relate what happened (or will happen), what we think and recommend, and convey our thoughts succinctly.

And that’s usually what we do.

But if you’ve ever struggled to construct an outline, found yourself repeatedly re-organizing and re-writing it instead of getting on with the writing, as have I, you might want to try something many fiction writers do.

It’s called “Pantsing” and means “writing by the seat of your pants,” that is, writing (a story) without deciding what to write in advance.

No outline. Or much of one.

Pantsers start with a general idea of what they want to happen in their story, and usually not much more. They know what their main characters are like, what they want and how they might get that, but often only a few paragraphs which serve as a place to start.

They write and see where the story takes them. They let the story surprise them as much as they hope it will surprise their readers.

Pantsers say their writing is fresher this way, because they “hear” the story as they write it. They say it’s more enjoyable to write this way, unconstrained by the rigidity of a detailed outline.

Authors who write this way say they love the freedom and spontaneity this gives them. Authors who are committed outliners say that writing without an outline, without a net as someone put it, scares the heck out of them and they couldn’t do it.

What about non-fiction? Could lawyers write with little more than a general idea and a few points to cover?

I do this all the time with short pieces. What you’re reading now is an example.

I didn’t plan to write about pantsing today and yet here we are. This is where the writing led me.

Writing by the seat of your pants is liberating. I have no plans to make pantsing my primary modus operandi, however. Outlining will continue to be my jam.

On the other hand, for my current work-in-progress, a full length non-fiction book, I’ve completed a lot of the outline, but I’m experimenting with pantsing some chapters and parts thereof. After all, a chapter is really a collection of short essays.

I don’t know how successful I’ll be, but I’m confident it will help me finish the first draft.

Filed Under: Content creation, Writing

Originally is overrated

August 22, 2024 by David M. Ward

For creating content—blog posts, articles, videos, presentations, or anything else meant to inform or inspire your readers and followers, the writing is the easy part.

What to write is the challenge.

You don’t want to write what everyone else writes about, or say the same things, so you stay away from certain subjects or points of view, hoping to find something unique and borderline amazing.

But this is unnecessary.

Most of your readers and listeners aren’t reading or listening to others in your niche and if they are, they’re not reading or listening too carefully.

But even if you write something nearly identical to what others write, your article will still be different.

Because you are different.

Your experience, cases and clients, stories, opinions, and writing style might be similar, but they aren’t the same.

So, relax. You don’t have to create original content.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that it is usually better not to. It’s usually better to write about the same things others in your space are writing about. The existence of their articles and posts and videos shows that there is a “market” for those ideas.

People read those posts and they will read yours.

Knowing this should not only encourage you to let go of whatever might hold you back from creating (enough) content, it gives you a simple way to find all the ideas you will ever need.

Here’s the plan.

Once or twice a month, browse through the list of blogs and newsletters or channels you follow, whether lawyers, industry experts, or other creators who inspire you, and bookmark several posts you can use as fodder to create your own.

I do it. Sometimes, I get the “perfect” subject to use for my next article or post. Sometimes, I get nothing and those posts go back into the slush pile or get deleted to make room for something new.

And sometimes, I zero in on a small part of something someone said and I’ll say something about that.

In a few minutes, I have my subject. I’ll add a headline or title and my new post is almost nothing like the original.

If you aren’t doing this now, try it. Nobody owns ideas. Besides, they are only a prompt. A place to start. And when you’re crazy busy cranking out billable work, a place to start is your best friend.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

A simple formula for attracting more clients

August 9, 2024 by David M. Ward

If you want to attract more clients, your job is simple. Share some of your knowledge, the benefits and solutions you provide, the way you do what you do, and how to get in touch with you, and put this where prospective clients will see or hear it.

Online, you can do that by writing articles, a blog, a newsletter, videos, or via advertising or social media.

Offline, you can do this via presentations, networking, speaking, advertising or direct mail.

Disseminate it wherever your ideal clients live, work, or “hang out”.

What are you good at? What benefits and solutions do you provide? Share this with people who need or want your help.

You can also share this with your clients and referrals sources so they can share it with their clients and friends.

As people discover you and read or watch or listen to your message, if they like what they see or hear, they will ask for more information and eventually hire you.

That’s how you attract clients.

But it takes time. Time for your audience to discover you, get to know, like and trust you, and decide to take the next step.

So keep showing them what you do and how you help your clients. Keep showing them your passion for your work. Keep telling them the benefits and solutions you offer.

And invite them to contact you to get more information or ask about their situation.

And they will.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

Transparency is overrated

August 2, 2024 by David M. Ward

Prospective clients, people who read your articles or listen to your presentations, want to know what you do and how you can help them.

Tell them what, not how.

It’s okay to speak about your process in general terms. A few words about how you’re different and better. But keep the details to yourself.

It’s your intellectual property and you don’t need to share it.

What about paying clients? Aren’t they entitled to know?

Not really. They’re paying for your efforts and results, not your methods. So don’t tell them “how” unless you want to.

In your next article, blog post, or presentation, give folks the big picture, get them excited about the results you can get for them, but just as the magician doesn’t share their secrets, you shouldn’t share yours.

As author William Zinsser put it, “Readers should always feel that you know more about your subject than you’ve put in writing.”

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Presentations, Writing

Simple and effective content marketing for attorneys

July 23, 2024 by David M. Ward

You write a blog or newsletter, do a podcast, speak from the stage, write books, create videos, show up on social media, for two reasons: (1) to build your list by attracting leads and others who are interested in your content, and (2) using that content to show people what you do and how you can help them.

The easiest way to do the latter, i.e., demonstrate your capabilities, is to create content in which you talk about your cases and clients.

Talk about the problems they came to you with and what you did for them.

And that’s it.

This is the essence of effective marketing, content, or otherwise.

The reason is simple. People like to hear about other people with the same or similar problems and desires and how they overcome those problems or achieved those desires.

They love a good story, especially when it’s about someone like them.

It’s also the ideal way to show yourself “in action,” helping your clients with the same issues.

This kind of content practically writes itself. You simply describe the case or client and what you did for them.

You rarely need to do any research. Just tell what happened.

It doesn’t matter if what happened is strikingly similar to other cases or clients you’ve talked about, or what other lawyers say about their cases or clients. Each story is unique because your clients are unique, and so are you.

So, easy?

Easy.

And effective. Since so much content online today is generic, either ai generated or devoid of stories about actual clients and an actual attorney with a unique personality, your content will stand out.

Filed Under: Content creation, Online Marketing

Invert your pyramids

July 19, 2024 by David M. Ward

Some prospective clients want to immediately know everything about what you can do to help them. All the details, the entire process, and as much proof as you can provide.

Others don’t.

When they first encounter you, most people simply want to know if you have something to say they want to hear. If looks like too much work to find out, they often don’t stick around.

One solution is to write shorter pieces so visitors can see at a glance what you have for them.

For longer pieces, the simplest thing to do is to fashion your marketing documents and website content with an inverted pyramid. Newspapers used a journalistic style to do this, with the most important information at the top, followed by increasingly less important details.

Use a headline to capture attention and give readers the big picture and follow that with the “Five Ws” (who, what, when, where, why) in descending order of importance. This way, the passing reader can quickly get the gist of your message and move on if they aren’t interested, while others, with more interest in your subject, and more time, can continue reading and learn more.

In the digital age, you have other options than they did in the 1800s when the inverted pyramid structure was first used. You can link to additional pages, use call-outs, charts, photos, and other visuals such as larger or colored fonts, and other graphic flourishes, to call attention to elements you want to emphasize, “hide” others from immediate view (and link to them), or “stage” how and when certain information is delivered to the reader.

Pay attention to how bloggers and online publishers make it easier for their readers to consume their content and emulate them.

No matter what you do, if you want more people to read your words and decide they want to talk to you about representing them, follow this rule of thumb: don’t tell them everything at once.

Filed Under: Blogging, Communication, Content creation, Online Marketing

3 questions readers want to know about your article

June 24, 2024 by David M. Ward

Everyone who sees your article, video, podcast, report, or other piece of content asks themselves 3 questions to determine if that content is worth their time consuming:

What is the subject?
What will I get out of reading it?
How long will it take me to read this?

First, they read your headline or title, to learn the subject of your article. They can’t read everything and will choose subjects that are relevant, important or interesting.

Second, they ask what they (might) get out of reading the article. They consider the subject and what they know about you. Have they gotten value out of your previous content? Do they see you as an authority on the subject? Do they like reading what you write?

Third, they decide how long it will take for them to read your article, based on the length and complexity of the information. This helps them decide to read it immediately or save it for later when they have more time.

And they make those decisions quickly.

Therefore, do your best to

Know your audience. What do they need and want to know? What problems do they want to solve? What information do they want you to provide?
Focus on crafting a title or headline that conveys the benefits of reading the article
Make your content easy to read (short sentences and paragraphs, simple language (mostly)
Consider where your readers see your content, i.e., on your blog, social media, Medium, or in their email
Consider a mix of brief articles that can be skimmed, and longer, comprehensive articles

Finally, writing often is more important than writing brilliantly. Your job is to keep your name in front of your audience and remind them what you do and how you can help them. Do that regularly and when they need your help, or know someone who does, they’ll see you as the best choice.

Filed Under: Content creation

Use more legalese, not less

June 17, 2024 by David M. Ward

Many experts tell you to “speak like your prospective clients speak,” mirroring and matching their language, word choices, and style, so they will more easily understand and relate to you.

They say that most people don’t have a legal background and might be confused and/or intimated by your use of legal terminology and references.

Basically, they’re saying “don’t talk like a lawyer”.

I disagree.

Prospects are looking for a lawyer or looking to learn something that might lead to hiring a lawyer. They expect you to act and speak like a lawyer, and if you don’t, they may think you don’t have the requisite experience and gravitas they’re seeking.

In addition, using appropriate legal terms will help people searching for those terms to find you.

So don’t eschew Latin and legal terms-of-art. But make sure to explain what those terms mean and use examples and stories to give them context that might be important to your reader.

You want your reader to understand you but you also want them to know you understand them. So, also make sure you speak like them.

Localize your message by using your target market’s terminology and references. Mention the names of well-known people in their industry or market, for example, as well as problems and solutions that are familiar to them.

Do both and not only will your readers and listeners better understand your message and how it applies to them, they will be more likely to see you as a better choice for them than other lawyers who don’t speak their language.

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Writing

My 3 favorite sources of ideas for blog posts and articles

June 6, 2024 by David M. Ward

My goal is to write something people need to or want to read, aka “quality and value,” and do it quickly so I can get on with the day.

If that works for you, consider using one of these 3 sources of ideas:

(1) Respond to questions (from readers, subscribers, clients, etc.)

Don’t underestimate the value of simply answering questions about your area of expertise. You have plenty of information and relevant examples from your practice to write about, and if one person is asking about a subject, you know others want to know the same thing.

Check your email, questions and comments posted on social, and you might have enough ideas to last for months.

(2) Write what other lawyers (bloggers, experts, etc.) are writing about.

I get a lot of ideas this way. It’s easy to adapt a business consultant’s article about marketing or customer relations or productivity, for example, to something appropriate for my market (that means you).

When you’re fresh out of ideas, these articles are a good place to refill your tank.

I might use some of their ideas and add my own, or none of their ideas except the basic concept that caught my attention. I’ll change the headline, add my own irreverent style, and have an article or post that is completely different from the original.

(3) Write about something you saw, or that happened in your work or personal life.

Yes, you should write about your latest case or one you heard about from a colleague. But don’t ignore your personal experiences, which can be a fertile source of material.

For example, you might take your kid to a doctor’s appointment and be asked to supply information you know they don’t need and shouldn’t ask. You could write about HIPAA, or use that experience as the lead to an article about how you go out of the way in your practice to protect your clients’ privacy and rights.

Or, you might be out shopping and hear someone accuse someone of hate speech. In the US, you might use that to explain the meaning of free speech and the US Constitution.

Do you live in a city with potholes gone wild? You might write about what to do if your reader sustains property damage or bodily injury by driving over one.

Ideas are everywhere. If you pay attention, you will never run out.