Depending on where you'd like your legal career to go, writing for the public or professional audience can really help quite a bit. And depending on the exact audience you're writing to, you may even consider not publishing your content on your firm website, but rather through a site like Medium, or even LinkedIn.
If you're scratching your head as to why you'd not post your own (and undoubtedly amazing) content on your own website, below are a few reasons to consider.
1. Some Decent Exposure
Publishing your content on websites you don't own helps to establish yourself as a thought-leader or subject matter expert. Think of it like volunteering to be on the evening news. Big websites like LinkedIn and Medium allow you to post blogs in various groups or categories. These sites have massive audiences that would likely make your personal firm's site crash under the load, and if you can capture just a fraction of that traffic, you'll probably be looking at one of your best ever online traffic days.
Also, if your post gets shared, it is more likely to get read by others as the link won't be some boring law firm or lawyer website, but rather a URL for a major player and trusted content provider. The more your content gets read and shared, the more your name gets out there as being knowledgeable in the subject you're writing about.
2. You Can Link Back to Your Site
For many writers and/or professionals, posting content on another website can feel like giving away free money, but it certainly doesn't have to. In any content you post as a professional that's not hosted on your own website, you should prominently link back to your site, as well as the other avenues for you to be contacted, such as your LinkedIn, or even your Twitter or Facebook, profile.
3. You Can Target New Areas of Interest
If you're interested in breaking into a new area of law, in addition to learning how to navigate those waters, you need clients that need those services. In order to get those clients, you need to be seen as knowledgeable in that area. For example, if you'd like to represent restaurants, writing a series of posts about common liability for new restaurant owners, or other industry specific topics, can help you build a reputation in an area you've never actually practiced in.
Want information on effective advertising? Let the experts at FindLaw's Lawyer Marketing give you a hand.
Related Resources:
- Why Lawyers Should Publish (FindLaw's Strategist)
- 6 Top Writing Tips for Lawyers (FindLaw's Strategist)
- How to Successfully Threaten Legal Action Against the Government (FindLaw's Strategist)
