One of the most common problems for law firm content programs is getting attorneys to write. It’s always at the bottom of the list of things to do.
So how can you change the conversation?
Take a look at the competition.
Lawyers are often susceptible to peer pressure, especially if you know which firms, practices, and rainmakers they admire.
Tally up the last six months of blog posts from your competitors or the top legal blogs in your space.
How does your firm measure up? Here are a few things to look for.
How often do they post?
For your blog to be considered active (as in, not dead), you really should be posting no less than once a week. Ideally, you’d post several times a week, but in law firm land, only the rarest of legal blogs can meet this goal.
But taking a look at your competitors’ posting frequency can help you set benchmarks for your own attorneys. How do they want to be seen in the market? Where are the opportunities to differentiate your firm?
If your competitors are slow to blog (or better yet, don’t blog at all), you have a great opportunity to set your firm apart, and that business development opportunity may be great motivation for your attorneys.
Who’s writing the posts?
If you’re relying on partners to lead blog writing efforts (as in, coming up with the topics, writing the drafts, approving others’ drafts, etc.), then you are likely struggling. Often, the partners you want to be most visible in your practices are the partners who are busiest with client work or other business development activities.
Take a look at how your competitors handle this issue. What’s the split between partners and associates? Are they using ghostwriters (either in-house staff or outside consultants)?
Share your findings with your practice leaders. Tasking associates with generating topic ideas and first drafts can be a great way to take the pressure off partners and raise the associates’ profiles as well (make sure they get a byline on the post!).
But you may find that other firms are using patent agents, library and research staff, and other practice support roles to write for their blogs. As with associates, it’s likely these folks are helping generate ideas and drafts for partners to review. But don’t overlook the valuable contribution they can make (and make sure they get a byline on the post!).
The last thing to look for are ghost writers or outside contractors. Oftentimes these won’t be credited (or they may be credited at the bottom of the post), but if you find that your competitors are shelling out for consultants and ghost writers, it might help you make the case to follow suit. You’ll also likely see a big uptick in quality and style and a drop in turnaround times.
How long are the posts?
For many firms, the struggle to generate blog posts comes from harmful, self-inflicted standards that are difficult to meet in a sustainable fashion.
For many attorneys, it’s hard to remember that:
Client alerts ≠ blog posts
Law review articles ≠ blog posts
Court briefs ≠ blog posts
If your firm is struggling to write for your blogs, odds are your attorneys have some unrealistic expectations about what a blog post should be. To get them back on track, look at the style of posts your competitors are creating.
What’s the split between original legal analysis versus “easier” content such as sharing news items, firm events, speeches, or bylines placed elsewhere?
How long is each post?
What’s the average word or character count?
Do they use graphics, images, video, and non-text approaches to their content?
Pull the numbers.
Use them to tell a compelling story about the business development opportunity you’ve uncovered.
By documenting what your competitors are doing, you will have the information you need to tell your attorneys a compelling story.
One that helps them see an opportunity for the firm, a clear way to take advantage of it, and a way to execute the plan that doesn’t overburden them or their teams.
With these details, you can demonstrate to your attorneys that there’s a better, more sustainable approach to producing for your blog.