Writing for Good Readership Lessons in Storytelling Thought Leadership and Common Sense LMA July 2015

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PR and marketing agency
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Writing for Good Readership:
Lessons in Storytelling, Thought
Leadership and Common Sense
Presented by
Keith Ecker, Content Strategist at Jaffe
&
Jennifer Schaller, Managing Director at the National Law Review

A Presentation in Two Parts
1. How Legal Marketers Can Effectively Use Storytelling
2. How to Get the Stories You Develop Seen

What Is a Story?

What Is a Story?
1. It has a beginning, middle and an end.
2. It has characters.
3. The characters have relationships.
4. There is conflict.
5. There is action.
6. There is resolution.
7. There is transformation.

Laying the Foundation
The “Why”

Define Your Storytelling Goals
What do you want your story to do?
•Raise awareness of an attorney, practice or the firm
•Educate your audience
•Develop the “verbal brand” of an attorney, practice or the firm
•Position an attorney, practice or the firm in the legal market
•Encourage the audience to take a specific action

Define Your Scope
What will your story to cover?
•A broad range of legal topics (i.e., the “catch-all” approach)
•A specific practice area
•A specific industry or sector
•A specific legal issue (i.e., litigation readiness, pharma IP, etc.)

Define Your Audience
Who is your target?
•General counsel
•Other attorneys
•C-suite executives
•General business people
•Consumers
•Other referral sources
•Reporters and the media

Selecting What Stories to
Tell
The “What”

Defining “Newsworthiness”
Relevance
Timeliness
Impact
Uniqueness

Sources for Topics
Current news and events
•Provide summaries and commentary on topics that are already circulating in
the press.

Sources for Topics
Curation from third-party sources
•Have you read an interesting study? Did another blog provide commentary on
a topic? Summarize and link to their information while adding your own
analysis.

Sources for Topics
Repurposing from firm-owned assets
•Give your past efforts new life by reusing them as source material for new
content.
•Remember to use a call-to-action to drive traffic to the asset.

Creating the Story
The “How”

The Dramatic Arc
The dramatic arc is the backbone of every story. Legal marketers and lawyers can leverage it with great
effect when writing blog posts, white papers and other thought-leadership content.

Case Studies

Legal Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

The Takeaways
1.Define WHY you are telling a story.
2.Define WHAT story you will tell.
3.Define HOW you will tell this story.

Your Headline is the First — Maybe the Last
Impression You Make on Your Audience.
Headline – Part of Title Section of a
Webpage.
The optimal length of Title:
•Google Desktop Search: 55 to 60 characters (actually 512 pixels)
•Bing: 65 characters in length – Yahoo up to 67 characters.

Word Order Really Matters in Search.
Search Engines Will cut off title display BEFORE next full word
URL = http://www.natlawreview.com/article/five-biggest-mistakes-employers-
make-when-laying-employees Red = Title [Red= 53 characters]

Most Important Words at the Front.
What are the Most Important Words?
•Include Terms Folks Will Use In Search – Short Versions of Case Names (No
Cites), Legislation Names, Include City – State, Country
•[GOOD] FMLA Same-Sex Spouse Final Rule Enjoined in Some States
Obama v. President Obama - Actual Title: President Obama Signs Executive
Order To Encourage Information Sharing

Algorithms Don’t Appreciate Wit,
Irony, Humor, or Style. [Mashable]
Keep Calm and Carry On – What to Do With a Letter From Bar Counsel
Keep Calm and Don't Carry On Proven Tactics to Defeat and Settle
Claims Asserted by Bankruptcy Trustees and Debtors

Key Words First Then Hook.
Titles: Answering Questions.

The Whos, Whys and Hows of the
Click Through
Source: NewsCred: How to Write Blog Headlines People Will Actually Click on [Report]

Click Through-able Titles [Useful,
Ultra-Specific, Urgency]
• Use Brackets in Headline [VIDEO] [INFOGRAPHIC] [WEBINAR]
• Implementing a Counterfeit Enforcement Program [VIDEO]
• Who – Specify: State, Company Involved in Law Suit, Type of
Tax
• Court Refuses To Reconsider Bifurcation Order
• UltraSpecific – Use Numbers, Use Dates (also can create
urgency)
• Ten Ways the 2014 Election May Affect Privacy and Data Security Law
• June 1: OSHA’s Revised Hazard Communication Standard Deadline for
Compliance

The Two Step Approach:
Good Titles + Meta Descriptions

Questions?
Keith Ecker
Content Strategist at Jaffe
kecker@jaffepr.com
573-289-3558
Jennifer Schaller
Managing Director of the National Law Review
jschaller@natlawreview.com
708-357-3317

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