There are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States, many of whom are directly competing for clients. 

For this reason, it’s critical to implement an online marketing strategy to generate leads. 

Content marketing for lawyers continues to grow in popularity, with many solo legal professionals and law firms using it as their primary mode of reaching their target audience.

While there are many forms of content marketing — such as social media posts, lead magnets, infographics, and downloadable PDFs — it’s blogging that remains one of the most powerful opportunities. 

Some of the many reasons why blogging for lawyers is a good idea include:

• Helpful in bringing organic search engine traffic to your website.
• A place to share news, guidance, advice, legal updates, and more. 
• Increased lead generation.
• Allows you to establish yourself as a thought leader in your legal niche.
• You can use blog content as the foundation for social media posts, ebooks, YouTube videos, etc.

And that’s just the start. The more high-quality blog content you create, the more you’ll realize the many benefits associated with doing so. 

What makes a good law blog?

There’s no right or wrong way to approach law firm blogging, but there are some points of advice that put you on the right track. 

The best legal blogs will offer valuable resources for prospective clients on a consistent basis.

Let’s look at five elements that make a good law blog.

1. A consistent posting schedule

It doesn’t matter if you post once a day, twice a week, or twice a month (though we do recommend publishing blogs at least monthly), find a posting schedule that works for you and stick with it. 

You want your audience to know that you’ll be publishing new content on the same basic schedule, consistently. If you post twice today, once next week, and not again for a month, your inconsistency will hinder your blog’s growth. 

Now, we know that the last thing most law firms have is time. That’s why there are scheduling tools for your posts, such as the built-in function on WordPress. You can also share your legal blogs on social media with apps like Hootsuite, which also allow for auto scheduling.

2. A variety of blog types (more on this below)

Vary the type of content you share on your blog. This keeps your readers interested and helps you understand what resonates with your audience. 

As many practice areas that there are in the legal community, that’s exactly how many questions and potential scenarios that your readers need legal help with.

While you should focus on the practice areas you work in for your blog, there’s likely plenty of legal issues for you to write about. The point is to get potential clients to click on these blogs that lead to your website.

Keep your legal blog focused but don’t be afraid to touch on topics in other practice areas.

3. The use of videos and images

While your blog content may be rooted in traditional text, use videos and images to “break it up” and provide value in a different way. 

A wall of text is daunting. However, text alongside videos and images is more inviting. This helps keep readers on the page, which improves the likelihood of them taking some type of action. 

4. A unique perspective on your subject matter

Don’t share the exact same type of content as everyone else in your space. Provide new context for any subjects that are already out there. And while you should use your competitors for reference, don’t just reword entire blog posts from other firms. 

Take a unique stance on the subject matter that you’re passionate about. Doing so will allow your passion for the topic to show through. 

5. Evergreen topics

Evergreen content doesn’t go out of date. It focuses on a topic that’s always relevant to your audience, regardless of the time of year, current news, or the state of the industry. 

Examples of evergreen law topics include:

• How to Create Your First Estate Plan
• The Difference Between a Will and a Trust
• What is a Financial Power of Attorney?
• 5 Steps to Filing a Personal Injury Claim
• What Does the Probate Process Entail?
• The Pros and Cons of Long-Term Care Insurance
• What is Medicaid and How Does it Help With Estate Planning?
• The Benefits of Tax Planning
• How to Talk to Your Parents About Estate Planning
• What To Do If You’re Injured in a Motor Vehicle Accident
• What is Medical Malpractice? 

You get the point. All of these topics are relevant today and will remain relevant in the future. For example, the benefits of a special needs trust in 2022 will be the same in a year, two years, and 10 years. 

The goal of evergreen blog posts is to provide your audience — and the search engines — with content that will never go out of style. 

A list of successful blog ideas for lawyers

Now that you know the basics of blogging for lawyers, it’s time to turn your attention to the type of content that you’ll create. If you don’t have a list of ideas, these five are a good place to start.

1. Recent legal news

No matter your legal area of experience — from real estate to personal injury — you won’t have to look far to find recent news stories that are worth sharing.

For instance, if you work in the tax law niche and the IRS has made changes to its tax code, it’s helpful to share the information with your audience. While doing so, add your personal thoughts and customize it to match the wants, needs, and interests of your readers. 

Monitor breaking news, supreme court cases, and other big cases in your practice area and, again, give your unique perspective on it.

2. Evergreen content

As noted above, evergreen content never goes out of style. It’s created with the idea of being relevant for years to come. Above, we shared a handful of potential evergreen blog topics. Answer these questions as you create this type of legal blog content:

• Will the topic expire?
• How can you ensure that the content remains relevant?
• Can you include videos and graphics without dating the content? 

You can also come up with some general topics surrounding your practice area and branch off of them, such as:

• legal ethics
• legal services
• legal tech
• legal history
• legal rights

And don’t forget to factor in search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO is the practice of using specific keywords on your website and in your blogs that will rank well on Google. The idea of using SEO to create topics is figuring out the terms that prospective clients are searching for and then developing topics based on those keywords.

You’ll likely find that potential clients are searching for the same questions and topics over and over, meaning you’ll want plenty of blogs surrounding those topics on your website.

To learn more about SEO and legal marketing in general, check out Kaleidico’s resources.

3. Legal advice and guidance

As an attorney, you have the knowledge and expertise to provide legal advice and guidance.

Your goal isn’t to provide specific legal advice and guidance. In fact, many law firms tend to stay away from specific advice on their blogs, since every case’s circumstances are different.

Instead, you’re sharing an overview of important topics. 

Here’s an example from the Grover Law Group PLLC: 

What You Should Know About Filing a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Lawsuit

Not only is it informational and evergreen, but it provides just enough (but not too much) legal advice and guidance. Here’s an example passage from the post:

An example of medical malpractice with a subconjunctival hemorrhage diagnosis would include if your medical provider did not properly manage your delivery. Thus causing a traumatic birth which leads to a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

You know what type of information your audience is seeking, so use that to your advantage when creating blog posts with advice and guidance. 

4. Question and answer

It’s safe to assume that your target audience asks the same types of questions time after time. Creating question and answer blog posts helps in many ways:

• It provides your audience with answers to these questions.
• It helps you rank in the search engines for these questions. 
• It proves that you’re knowledgeable on the subject matter.

Check out this example — Top 100 Personal Injury Questions — from Barthelette Law, P.A. It’s a super-detailed post that answers the top 100 questions about personal injury law. 

Here’s an example from the post on how you can structure question and answer content:

How can I tell if I have a personal injury claim?  

If you were injured as a result of another person or entity’s negligence or injured by a defective product, you may have a personal injury claim.  Importantly, you should meet with a personal injury lawyer to see whether you have a personal injury claim. 

The key to success is two-fold:

1. Choosing the right questions based on what your audience typically asks 
2. Providing accurate answers 

5. Success stories

You know you’re a good lawyer who can provide your clients with top-notch legal service. But of course, it never hurts to give your audience a better idea of what you’ve accomplished in the past. 

Success stories come in many different forms. Take personal injury cases, for example, a personal injury attorney who recently won a big settlement on behalf of a car accident victim. Publish that. Don’t be afraid to ask clients for reviews and testimonials too.

Don’t be shy about sharing this information with your audience (as much as you’re allowed to share, of course).

It’s not bragging.

You’re simply showing your audience what you’ve done for others and how you can help them in the future. 

How to write a high-quality legal blog post

You don’t want to “write just to write.” You don’t want to share just any information with your audience. You want to share high-quality, relevant, and accurate information that makes them want to contact you. 

Ideally, your legal blog would become a comprehensive online resource for the legal reader in need of information.

Here are some of the many features of a high-quality legal blog post.

1. Write on one subject

Each post should focus on one specific subject. If you’re writing about how to create a will, don’t lose focus by sharing information on how to create a trust. Make that a different post altogether.

2. Get to the point

This doesn’t mean that your blog posts should be short. It means that they should get to the point as quickly as possible, as this hooks the reader and helps to keep them on the page. Don’t crowd your blog post with “filler content” that doesn’t move the needle.

3. Strive for 1,000+ words

As a general rule of thumb, create content that is 1,000 to 1,500 words. This is the sweet spot both for your audience and the search engines. But as noted above, don’t write just to write. Write with a purpose. This may be your target word count, but shorter or longer is okay. 

4. Use bullet points and headings

Bullet points and headings make for content that is easy to scan and digest. Without these, it’s more difficult for readers to find what they’re looking for without becoming bored and/or overwhelmed. 

5. Use videos and images 

Use videos and images, as necessary, to break up your content and provide additional value. For example, if you’ve shot a video on a subject that you’re covering in a post, embed it so your readers have the opportunity to view it on the page. 

How do I start a legal blog?

Now that you know why you should start a legal blog, it’s time to answer a very important question: How do you start a legal blog?

Some basic steps you can take:

• Install a blog on your website (or have your developer help you).
• Creating a content marketing plan for your law firm that includes blogging.
• Make a list of categories and blog topics that you want to cover. 
• Create and publish your first blog
• Examine the results, tweak your strategy as necessary, and use your findings to create better content in the future 

Call Kaleidico Today

Kaleidico is a full service digital marketing agency, specializing in lead generation and content marketing. Our work is backed up by years of experience in both the mortgage and legal industry. 

We know what it takes to create killer blog posts that rank high in the search engines, engage audiences, and generate leads. We also love sharing our secrets to success!