My love for blogging!
For those who know me – they know I love to blog. Perhaps a hang up from the missed opportunity to pursue a degree in English literature rather than Law, and a career as a teacher rather than a lawyer.
As this is my 100th blog, I thought it fitting to write about blogging itself.
Blogs are a key marketing feature for any profession – it is a good way to connect with your audience and customers as well as raise profile and showcase your expertise.
For me, it is also another means of helping those in need. Not everyone will be able to afford a lawyer or be at that stage where they need one. Sometimes they just need a steer or some clarity at an early stage. You can drown in the web of information out there and it is hard to know what is a reliable source.
I get a real sense of satisfaction when people reach out and say, ‘I read your blog’.
My Blogs
I first started blogging in 2015 and my first blog posted was ‘Cohabitation and ownership of property‘ which seems to be as topical an issue now as it was then and in fact we are putting this information out in a much more modern form – watch out for our podcast!
The blog which had the most visitor land on it was ‘Landlords beware – all change to section 21 notices‘; nearly 10,000 times. But this is a fast faced area and I have since provided two updating blogs to try and keep up with the legal changes:
- Changes to section 21 (housing act 1988) notice from 1 June 2019 – updated March 2020
- New section 21 notice – updated September 2020
The one I have had most fun writing was ‘Would Jon Snow inherit in modern day Britain?‘ as an avid Game of Thrones fan, now suffering from withdrawal symptoms since the last series aired in 2019.
The blog which has generated the most feedback is ‘Whose ‘file’ is it anyway?‘. I have had practitioners call me about how they can manage a file request from a client. It has been rewarding to be able to help out a fellow lawyer stuck in a pickle and know that it happens to the best of us.
Sometimes a blog is only the start of the journey. I have had radio and TV appearances off the back of a blog. This blog ‘100 years for Women, 40 years for Me‘ led to an article being published in the Law Gazette.
Tips for Blogging
Some of this is from my own humble experience and some from other fountains of knowledge imparted to me along the way:
- Write about something you are interested in
If you are not interested in what you are writing no one else will be. It will also take the pleasure out of the writing if your heart is not in it. - Don’t be afraid to show your personality, write about personal things or be personable
You are a person behind the blog and people will engage with and relate to a person more than a script - Content is more important than form
There is no magic number of words or pages for a blog. It needs to be long enough to show the reader you know what you are talking about but not be so long as to put off or lose the reader. - Think of the question your blog is trying to answer
This is usually a good way to start a blog – what question do you want your blog to address. Think of a common problem that your clients/customers want resolving – how can your blog help them. - You do not need to re-invent the wheel
Some topics will never go out of fashion and you can refresh and update them rather than start from scratch again.
Just try it and you might like it.
I do hope you are still reading my blogs in 5 years’ time when I’m on my 200th blog!