How to be a better writer
Tips for producing top‑class content.
With many firms now relying on attorneys to help populate blog pages and sometimes fill out full legal content portals, how can you ensure your writing will appeal to readers and achieve its objectives? We gathered some useful advice.
Set your subject. Your firm may well have a marketing team looking after the content plan and with specific requests aligned to internal targets. But if not, Cherrie Stewart (Ansons) suggests several sources for finding relevant subject matter. These include: the questions most commonly asked by clients; updates on changes of law practice; inspiration from events such as the Olympics (ie, flags) or the Jubilee (ie, Royal symbols), national days (ie, World IP Day); and popular culture, hashtags and memes.
Make it personal. Pollyanna Savva (Howard Kennedy LLP) recommends writing on subjects or sectors in which you have a personal interest. This makes the writing process more enjoyable, she says, and may mean you can give the writing a bit more creative flair. She also recommends asking yourself: “Can I say this in fewer words?” This really helps to keep your writing concise.
Consider your contacts. Similarly, you may be able to add value to a story by tapping into your network, suggests Carol Nyahasha (Elkington + Fife). While you’ll need to be careful about who you ask and how often to avoid anyone feeling burdened, there may be opportunities to get a unique viewpoint on a subject that makes your article stand out.
Meet your brief. If you’ve been commissioned to write to a specific brief, offers CITMA Review editor Caitlin Mackesy Davies, make sure you understand what is being asked for and the audience it is intended to reach. If you have questions, ask them before you begin so that you set off in the right direction. And where a word count is given, keep to it. This will avoid the need for you – or an editor – to reshape the piece after you’ve put in the hard work.
Have a headline in mind. Setting out to write a story with a well‑defined angle in view will help you keep your content aligned and lead your readers along a clear path, says Mackesy Davies. If you’re writing for the web, include key words or terms in your heading to help with SEO and bring readers to your page.
Work backwards. Tania Clark (Withers & Rogers) recommends that if you are writing about the impact of a specific decision, you should draft the “practical implications” part first and then fit the rest of the article around that. This will help you avoid including details that are not strictly needed.
Get a second opinion. Another suggestion from Clark is to ask a non‑attorney to check over your article if it is aimed at clients or someone with no trade mark knowledge. Highlight any parts that might not be clear to readers with no prior subject knowledge.
Take your time. Deadlines can, of course, get on top of us all. But if possible, says Rebecca Field (HGF), it is good to draft your article, step away and then come back to it a couple of days later. Taking a break from the piece before the final draft can often mean you come up with new ideas, or you might even think of a better way to present the topic.
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