How to Create Great Posts for Your Law Blog
If you’re not getting much bang from your blog, maybe you’re not posting often enough.
Firms that publish 16 or more posts per month got more than triple the traffic than firms publishing four or less a month.
Or maybe the problem is you’re publishing the wrong kind of posts. The best posts are compounding posts, which aren’t dated or tied to current events. Compounding posts
grow in organic searches over time.
Although only one in 10 posts are compounding posts, they account for 38 percent of total blog traffic, says Hubspot.
Decaying posts, by contrast, make a big splash but fade quickly and eventually disappear altogether. Example: a retail store’s post about its “Big Weekend Sale!” might get a ton of clicks on Thursday but will be old news by Monday.
“Compounding posts grow, decaying posts don’t,” says Mimi An of Hubspot. “The signature characteristic of compounding posts is that they eventually surpass the initial traffic they generate. They may not necessarily be blockbusters when they’re first published, but their structure and substance are so relevant that they continue to deliver value and grow traffic organically and without additional marketing.”
Tips for Compounding Posts
Compounding posts solve a reader’s problem, are easy to scan, and feature words like “how” and “why” in the title. They fall into three general categories, says Hubspot: broad tactical, narrowly focused or topical. An effective blog content strategy includes a nice mix of all three types.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into this topic and see how you can use compounding posts to market your law practice.
- Broad Tactical Posts
These are the Grade A, best-in-show posts, the ones that appeal to the largest possible percentage of your target market. They hook readers from the start and pick up speed through comments, shares, and searches. “Broad tactical posts include product reviews, breakdowns of processes, or instructions on how to diagnose a practical, mechanical, or health-related issue,” writes An. “As a compounding post generates more traffic, its search authority increases, generating more search hits and more traffic in a virtuous cycle.”
Example: You’re a solo lawyer who practices bankruptcy law. A good Broad Tactical Post might be “How to Know if You Need a Bankruptcy Lawyer.” The title addresses a common issue faced by many people, and it contains words ordinary people use.
- Narrowly Focused Posts
These posts cover niche topics that appeal only to a subset of your total audience. They rarely grow, and they generate less total traffic. They have little search authority and rarely compound. Example: “Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and Credit Card Debt.” Fewer people will have interest in this topic. It will still draw traffic over time, but because the audience is limited it will rarely exceed original traffic. The language is somewhat technical and will attract fewer searches.
- Topical Posts
These posts surge, then decay rapidly. They focus on current events or have limited appeal.
Example: “New Law Changes Chapter 7 Auto Exemptions.” This may draw interest initially but will lose appeal over time and attract less attention down the road.
Over its lifetime, one compounding blog post will create as much traffic as six decaying posts. Hubspot says more than 75 percent of its blog views and 90 percent of its blog leads come from older, compounding posts.
Does your law firm website have a blog? How often do you publish new content? What kind of posts generate interest?
