Is Your Written Work Worthy of Being Read?

Blog posts, articles, newsletters, and the like that nobody reads are pretty pointless. That’s why you need 10 Rules for Writing To Be Read, from JD Supra, Knox Design Strategy, and Repechage. Here's one:

“Be Useful. Think, ‘What can the reader do with this information?’”

This post will help you turn your work into something that your audience can – and wants to – read. Print it out. Stick it on the wall beside your computer screen. Then follow the rules, every single time you write. You’ll be glad you did (and so will your readers).

3 Reasons People Will Read Your Post: The Title, The Title, & The Title

But don't take my word for it. Hear what Adrian Lurssen, co-founder of JD Supra, journalist, and content marketing strategist, has to say:

[Link: How to Write Titles That Get You Noticed and Read]

Watch the clip. Then start writing titles that tell people why they need to read your work.

Jimmy Fallon + Content Marketing = Watch and Learn

Lawyers can learn a lot about content marketing from Jimmy Fallon, writes Adrian Lurssen in Is Jimmy Fallon the King of Content Marketing?. For starters, Fallon's distribution of his material on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other channels - and the millions of subscribers he's attracted - clearly demonstrates why lawyers must share their work in the places where their clients and potential clients hang out. Another lesson? Give the people what they want (to share):

What do you have to offer that addresses what people really need? Build a content plan around the answer to that question. Again, this is as true for a celebrity comedian as it is for a technology lawyer who solves the problems of, say, startup entrepreneurs, or an accountant who makes sense of financial matters for people who are busy raising families, planning vacations, saving for retirement.

Read the post. Then get to work on your content.

If you build it, will they come? Only if you do it right.

Adrian Lurssen's "3 Steps to Building Corporate Presence on Facebook" at JD Supra's The Scoop. To Facebook, or not to Facebook? That is indeed the question for many lawyers. Whether you're a solo estates lawyer who wants to market her practice to friends and family, a large firm looking for an additional communications channel to reach clients, potential clients, and recruits, or a mid-size firm seeking a broader footprint, a Facebook page can help you meet your marketing objectives. But deciding you want a page is only the first step. Building it is a different beast altogether. Lurssen's post will help you do that right. Read it, and get started.

You say potato, I say curation.

Jason Wilson's "Exactly what do you mean by 'curating'?" on his blog rethinc.k. It may be the latest buzzword in Web 2.0, the latest example of 'value' in the Twitter and Facebook era, but what does it really mean? Yes, we have entered what Adrian Lurssen calls the "Age of Curation," but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take a critical look at curation as a service, at how to do it right, at who should be doing it, and at what exactly what the people we're doing it for need. Reading Wilson's post is the right first step in that process.

Today's Law Marketing Resource

Adrian Lurssen's "What Surprised You In 2010? Perspectives from Legal Professionals" in JD Supra's The Scoop. It may not be right to recommend a post that features yours truly, but I'll do it anyway. This post provides great insight into the issues and trends currently on the minds of a wide range of lawyers and legal professionals. It's a good read for anyone in the profession. Want more? Read the full article, which includes their answers to the question: "What should lawyers expect to see in the new year?"