Have an opinion on a trending topic or trends in your industry? Looking to support your firm’s business development efforts? Consider turning your thoughts into a bylined article for a trade, business or legal publication. During the virtual Legal Marketing Association national conference, Linda Orton, Chief Marketing Officer of Alvarez & Marsal Holdings, LLC, explained how attorneys can become thought-provoking leaders through bylined articles during her “Turning Busy Lawyers into Recognized Thought Leaders” session. Here are some takeaways.
Use Analogies
Don’t be afraid to tell a story in your articles and use analogies to help explain complex subjects in a colorful way. Not only does this entice the reader to continue reading, but it helps them understand the topic better.
Keep it Short
Being concise is much more challenging than being long-winded. The average American has an eight-second attention span and that is why your article should get straight to the point.
Pitch a Targeted Audience
Identify who you want to influence and hone-in on how your topic impacts them. Don’t just write for the sake of writing. Write to your audience. The more targeted, the more successful your article will be.
Share, Like, Comment
Now that you have made it through the hard part, you should share it with your network. This can be done by posting published articles on LinkedIn and sending personalized emails to your database.
Repurpose, Reuse, Rewrite!
If you run out of writing ideas, repurpose an old article. The major benefit of repurposing content is that you save time during the content creation process. Lawyers can approach the subject from a different angle or explain recent developments that clients should be aware of.
