For writing “content” (blog posts, articles, presentations, etc.) many lawyers struggle to get results for one simple reason–they write like lawyers, meaning they write like they were taught in law school.
The inverted pyramid, IRAC, et al., are fine when you’re writing something “for people who are paid to read it,” as the author of an article I read recently put it.
Your clients and prospects certainly aren’t.
Your content needs to have helpful information, the kinds of things prospective clients look for when they’re searching online, but if it has to be interesting. If you write it the way they taught you in law school, you risk boring people into clicking away.
Structurally, capture their attention with a good headline or opening and keep their attention by continuing to write about things that interest them.
Here’s how to get better at doing that:
- Read a lot. Read the kinds of things your audience reads. Look at the subjects, the structure, and the pacing of the information. See how they capture attention with a good headline or opening and use sub-heads and/or bullet points to draw the reader into the article and through it.
- Write a lot. Practice and you will improve.
- Edit a lot. Your first draft is usually not your best draft. Shorten sentences and paragraphs, use active verbs (and active voice) and make sure everything is clear. If you write about anything “legal,” explain the terms and provide context.
- Put people in your articles. Talk about their desires, their problems, their pain, and the solutions they seek, and how things turned out (with your help).
- Have fun (if appropriate). Give readers something to smile about, nod their head about, think about, and remember.
- Tell them what to do next. Don’t leave them guessing, tell them to call (and why), tell them to join your list (and why), or tell them what to read or watch next.
Give them a good experience and they will come back to read more and contact you when they’re ready to talk to you about their situation.
Finally, if you are writing for other lawyers, or others who are paid to read your writing, it’s okay to write like a lawyer. But you don’t have to. And if you don’t have to, don’t.
How to write an email newsletter clients want to read
