How To Use News And Current Events To Improve Your Legal Blog Writing

So many lawyers will say they try to avoid watching the news. Many will claim they simply don’t have time to follow current events. Yet for those attorneys looking to create blog posts for their websites, there are few better resources for new content ideas.

Addressing things that are happening in the real world can make your legal blog writing feel more relevant to readers, and allow you to share important messages with prospective clients with the support of real life examples. In this post, we’ll discuss when it makes sense to blog about current events, how to incorporate the news into your writing, and the long-term benefits that can come from tackling newsworthy topics.

Which News Stories Should I Blog About?

If you follow the news frequently enough, you’re going to come across stories that are relevant to the work you do. Criminal defense attorneys don’t have to look very hard to find stories about high-profile arrests. Divorce lawyers can almost always find a prominent person going through a messy separation. There are always new developments in the housing market for real estate attorneys to address. These are just a few of the more obvious examples of how easy it is for lawyers to find new stories that relate to the field they work in.

Also remember, when writing about the news, you don’t have to limit yourself to just covering events. When new studies or data get released to the public, and they include information that is relevant to your target audience, use them as blog inspiration as well. For example, when Clio released its latest legal trends report, we decided to blog about it, and go in-depth on the findings that would be most relevant to our target customers.

While finding relevant stories isn’t all that difficult, knowing which ones are actually worth blogging about can be a little more challenging. Here some questions lawyers should be asking themselves when considering blogging about a particular news event.

• Will this news story hit home with my target clients?
• Do I have an interesting and unique take to share on this news event?
• Will reflecting on this event help either further establish me as an expert in my field or convince my readers to reach out for legal help?

If the answers to those three questions end up being yes, it’s time to start blogging.

How To Best Incorporate Current Events Into Your Blog

Lawyers have a lot of options in how they decide to discuss news stories in their blog posts. They can have their post completely surround a particular current event or just use real life examples from the news to make their existing points and arguments come across stronger. Let’s go over some best practices for utilizing the news in your legal blog writing.

• When addressing a particular news story or event, don’t just assume your audience knows what you’re talking about. Take the time to briefly recap what the news story was about before moving forward with your analysis.
• Try to provide a take on the story you’re covering that hasn’t been given yet. This will require some research on what others have written about the topic so far. Do your best to approach the story from an angle that really isn’t being talked about. Discuss things like “what the person who made a bad decision should have done instead” or “what you need to do now to make sure you don’t end up in this scenario”.
• Don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences if they relate to a particular news event. If a piece of news reminds you of something that happened in your legal career, it can be worthwhile to share the story, and will likely make the reader trust your opinions more.
• When possible, include thoughts from other expert voices. While your voice as a lawyer will certainly carry a lot of weight, having another person in the know echo your thoughts can go a long way in making readers trust what you have to say.
• Remember to cite where you are getting your information from and only share news from credible sources. Sharing “fake news” is not the first impression you want to make on a potential new client.

The most important thing to remember is that your blog posts must provide some kind of value to the reader. If you aren’t sure if your post is offering enough value, have trusted colleagues give it a read and share their thoughts. You can also ask for feedback from our free legal marketing discussion groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Becoming A Thought Leader

Once you start regularly addressing news stories in your blog posts, you’re likely to start seeing some major benefits come your firm’s way. Tackling current events can go a long way in helping you stand out in today’s crowded legal field, and in time, establish yourself as an expert in a particular field or on a particular subject.

All lawyers have valuable knowledge to share, and writing about news events is one of the best ways to show off your expertise to the clients you want to reach. Rather than just saying that you’re the best lawyer to help someone, you’re showcasing the depth of your legal knowledge, and building trust with new prospects without them even realizing it.

Let’s say a consumer is searching for legal help online, and comes across one law firm website with a blog that’s been inactive for months, and another law firm website with a blog offering expert analysis on two to three news stories every month. You can probably imagine which firm the consumer will feel more comfortable moving forward with.

Keep in mind that establishing yourself as a thought leader can also help you build relationships with others in the legal industry, and make valuable connections that could turn into future referral sources.

Final Thoughts

While blogging is one of the easiest ways for lawyers to share their thoughts on news and current events, it’s certainly not the only avenue for doing so. Attorneys can address new stories through their videos, podcasts, newsletters and even social media posts. All of the thoughts provided above can be used to help you become a thought leader on any content platform!

For more legal marketing insights, check out our “Let’s Talk Legal Marketing” web page, and be sure to download our new free survey eBook.