Ghostwritten law blog posts not needed when lawyers love blogging

A business development professional from a mid-size West Coast law firm emailed me with with a question about ghost blogging.

Ghost law blogging, if you've not heard of it, is practice where some lawyers and law firms hire people to write blog posts for lawyers and hold the posts out as being written by the lawyer.

The business development professional acknowledged that ghost blogging is legally unethical, but wondered if there may be some middle ground between ghost blogging and the attorneys publishing their own blog content. Perhaps having him write the post or just holding out the post as written by the firm. He was concerned about lawyers maintaining the blog.

My answer got into the brass tacks of what makes for law blogging success so I thought I'd share it with you.

I first explained that I believe I saw FindLaw selling ghost blog posts to lawyers at one time, but rather than represent that the post was written by the lawyer (in the byline author field of the post), the byline read that the post was on "behalf of the lawyer." A cheesy solution, but different than other firms which unethically misrepresented that the lawyer wrote the post when they did not.

The real key to the dilemma though is to make blogging a fun and rewarding experience for the lawyers who are going to blog. Blogging will not feel like a chore and getting posts up will not be a challenge.

How so? Begin with the lawyers understanding what blogging is and what the goal is. The goal is not necessarily to bring traffic to the website. The goal is building word of mouth and relationships, the same things that built his firm. The Internet has not changed this.

Keep clear that we'll measure success by an increase in revenue. Establish a goal and then measure how much has revenue jumped for the lawyers/area involved? It can be very significant.

Knowing that, identify the areas the firm is looking to grow or sees an opportunity. Do you have a lawyer or lawyers who want to build a name in the area and want learn to use the Internet to do so?

Who wants to become a star – to do the type of work they'd love to do, for the type of clients they want to do that work for and not worry about where business is coming from. Why not? Many, many other lawyers have done so through blogging.

Know that not every lawyer wants to blog. Ask who is excited to blog. Do not end up with an editorial calendar where it's a chore for the lawyers and the person chasing them down. If lawyers say they are not excited, that's okay.

The blog will be on one niche area the firm excels in or is looking to grow. Could be tighter than a practice area such as estate planning, i.e., a type of trust in estate planning. The blog will become a must read by a niche audience, the lawyers will know it and they'll see "why blog."

Niches are critical. Niches do not limit work, they expand the work coming through trust and name recognition.

Educate the blogging lawyers that we are not talking articles. We are talking blogging. Depending on the niche, you may reference and share news and developments, heavily using block quotes, and offer your take/why you shared it.

The lawyers will be referencing other bloggers (law and industry), reporters and association news – you'll make a list of about 20 influencers that fall in this group that they'll be following in a news aggregator (Feedly). It's like pressing the flesh. You get known and your blog posts get cited and shared by others. Posts may be as brief 250 to 500 words. Think about the emails between lawyers in the firm and to clients that already do this. It's not much different.

You can expand, once the blog gets known, to having guest posts of people with whom you want to build relationships and to four question email interviews of referral sources, business associates and the like.

Any help the blogging lawyers may need, and most do not, is in proof reading, titling a post and putting in a picture.

Begin with the premise that we've always networked to build a name and relationships, now we're going to learn how to use the Internet to do so. We'll get a lawyer or two started who can become blog/social media champions and be a viral positive from whom other interested lawyers in the firm can learn.

The blog will be the first social media used by the blogging lawyers, maybe 2 to 4 posts a month, and then the lawyers can learn how to use other social media personally – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, with the understanding that the blog content is currency for relationships there.

You know my take on ghost posts. Don't go down that road. If you're a real lawyer or real law firm, you're better than that.

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Source: Ghostwritten law blog posts not needed when lawyers love blogging

Is the Golden Age of #Blogging Behind Us?

Is the Golden Age of Blogging Behind Us? Over the last year or so I have slowly came to the conclusion that blogs are not as popular as they once were. It is something that I should have realised sooner. Blogging is dead. It is no longer the same as it once was. Of course, everything evolves over ... read moreGlashütte Original Reminds Us Of The Golden Age of Travel Nonetheless, technological marvels seem to distract our attention in such a manner that we tend to let precious moments pass us by. There's no surprise ... places during what most people call the 'golden age' of travel, but nowadays the only people ... read more'Emergency powers key to golden age of infrastructure' that would still enable us to move the projects; that would help a lot." Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno earlier said the government is ready to spend P8.2 trillion to P9 trillion from 2017 to 2022 for the administration's golden age of infra campaign. read moreThe Modularity is Here: A Modern History of Modular Mass Housing Schemes Buckminster Fuller's Prefabricated Bathroom Module via the U.S. Patent Office These modules were shipped to the US military for use during ... combined with our highly technological age, the conditions are ripe for a golden age of affordable modular ... read moreArchangel Michael on Laying Down the Burden of Worry Does it indicate to us that you need to be taken care of ... We will however highlight other blogs whose mission includes that and post general, philosophical discussions of financial wayshowing and stewardship. This free webinar will be on the first ... read more'Game of Thrones' author feels 'Westworld' will win at Golden Globes Other contenders are "The Crown", "Stranger Things" and "This Is Us". Martin, who wrote the book series on which the show is based on, gave the Golden Globes prediction in a recent blog post ... And during this golden age of television... read moreIs the Golden Age of tech blogging over? My colleague Jeremiah Owyang sure ruffled some feathers with his post claiming that the Golden Age of tech blogging is over ... The answer is different for each of us. But, content, context, and continuity are all I need to learn, make decisions and ... read moreI'm Rick Treitman, Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Adobe, and This Is How I Work I figured I'd retire there–but after 15 years, Amazon put us out of business. Tim O'Reilly was a friend ... Anything by Dennis Lehane or Elmore Leonard We live in the golden age of TV, so I'm on Netflix, Amazon, HBO, etc. looking for good shows. read more5 new shows that were canceled too soon. We're living in the golden age of TV, with movie stars on the small screen ... Grandfathered returned something special to us that we didn't know we were missing - John Stamos. It tells the story of a long time bachelor/playboy restaurateur (Stamos ... read moreEnd of an Era: The Golden Age of Tech Blogging is Over Four Trends Show the End of this Era: Like the film industry, the Golden Era is the ... a series of tools to use; "blogging isn't dead. it may have gotten a LOT more social, and it may be less frequent now for those of us who also use twitter ... read more

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Cowboys News: The "Young Guns" Continue To Shine In Big D

Sullivan: It's Prescott's Rodeo, Irving's Stunning Game Among Thoughts - Jeff Sullivan, Dallas CowboysSome of the thoughts that run through an oversized, bald head.

Irving should earn a second NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor, which is kind of mind-boggling considering he's been mostly mute the other 11 games he's played in. There is so much potential there. To watch him from the press box in that fourth quarter it was like Lawrence Taylor in Tecmo Bowl. The Buccaneers had no answers. They were double-teaming him every snap on the final possession and he forced two more hurries and a hit. Stunning to witness. Maybe this is the breakthrough.

David Irving Helps Cowboys Get Back To Their Winning Ways, Remain Top Seed In The NFC - Manik Aggarwal, Blogging The BoysDallas Cowboys win despite untimely penalties, Jason Witten's uncharacteristic fumble and Dan Bailey's imperfection.

David Irving does not care about drama in December. David Irving cares about game-winning, drive-halting plays to seal a must win for the Dallas Cowboys against a surging Tampa Bay team. The defense as a group forced four turnovers and Irving provided plenty of force to single-handedly disrupt Jameis Winston and stop the Bucs in the fourth quarter after they had a very productive 14 point third quarter.

David Irving played like a legend in final quarter - Todd Archer, ESPNIrving was a disruptive force against the Bucs, particularly in the fourth quarter, where he played like some former Cowboys greats.

"It was probably a confidence," Irving said. "Confident in my team. Honestly, it's the team. You feel it. When I feel it, the whole team feels it. ... We feed off each other. We motivate each other. When multiple guys get on the same level, things happen. Things happen."

Jason Garrett: Cowboys will get Randy Gregory ready to play - Clarence Hill, The Star-TelegramAs far as the Dallas Cowboys are concerned, defensive end Randy Gregory is good to go for the final two games of the season and the playoffs.

"Just take his situation day by day," coach Jason Garrett said of Gregory. "He hasn't played football in a while. Getting out there on practice field and playing football independent of the work he's been doing with our strength coaches to get himself physically ready to play. He's got to get himself football ready. We'll try to take advantage of every opportunity we have over the course of the week."

Youth movement steps up again as Cowboys take another leap forward - Bob Sturm, SportsDayOn Sunday night, the Cowboys needed a performance that could quiet the fears of the masses who couldn't help but be rattled through the first two showings in December.

That doesn't mean Prescott is a bus-driver, either.  For bus-drivers don't engineer nine 400-yard days in a season.  In fact, no QB in Dallas Cowboys history has engineered nine different games of 400 yards -- until this one just did it last night.

Cowboys Expecting Randy Gregory to Practice, Play After Serving Suspension - Nick Eatman, Dallas CowboysThe Cowboys got some unexpected pass rush relief Sunday night from David Irving. But they'd certainly welcome even more help as well.

That means Gregory can practice with the team this week as the Cowboys prepare for the Lions on Monday Night at AT&T Stadium. The team will get an extra practice day, which definitely won't hurt Gregory, who hasn't played since last season. He missed all of training camp while being checked into rehab.

Dak And Zeke Report: Cowboys Rookies Played Like Co-MVPs Against The Bucs - VAfan, Blogging The BoysWith pressure building on the 11-2 Cowboys, Dak Prescott bounced back from his worst game to complete nearly every pass, while Zeke had his most productive game of the season.

What a difference a week, and some home cooking, makes! After two shaky games by Dak Prescott on the road against the Vikings' and Giants' defenses, Dak came out hot from the opening kick-off and finished the night an incredible 32 of 36, for an 88.8% completion percentage, the second-highest in NFL history for a quarterback throwing more than 30 passes.

Salvation Army sees spike in donations after Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott jumps into red kettle - Darren Rovell, ESPNThe Salvation Army said it took in $182,000 in the 12 1/2 hours after Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott jumped into a red kettle during Sunday night's game against Tampa Bay.

"Let's give Zeke credit for that. It is certainly fun," Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said on Monday. "We have those kettles there because we do want the visibility of reminding everybody, certainly at this time of year, how doing the most good is putting a dollar in that red kettle. To have gotten that attention in front of probably 20 million or so people last night for the Salvation Army was just wonderful."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones worried about wins, not resting players - Drew Davison, The Star-TelegramThe Cowboys could have the top-seed in the NFC locked up before they play their next game against the Detroit Lions.

"After that Giant thing, it really sobers you up and it did for the team and everybody else. I don't want to even think about what we're doing or not doing the last game consequential or not."

Dez Bryant to fake Dallas Cowboys fans: 'Shut the hell up' - Jon Machota, SportsDayGet behind Dak Prescott as the Cowboys quarterback or step to the side. That's the message Dez Bryant had for all Cowboys fans after their win over the Buccaneers.

"The guy is phenomenal," Bryant said. "Give him credit. Come on, man, it's one game. Two games in his career. Come on. You can't name too many rookies that went 12-2. Name them. I'll wait. You can't. Fake fans, back up, get back."

The Dallas Cowboys 2016 was a roaring success on, and off, the field - Evan Hoopfer, Dallas Business JournalBetween The Star in Frisco and the emergence of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will look back on 2016 fondly.

After years of mediocrity followed by a solid 12-4 performance in 2014 and then a lackluster 4-12 season last year, the Dallas Cowboys are finally winning in what looks like sustainable fashion.

Source: Cowboys News: The "Young Guns" Continue To Shine In Big D

#Blogging Stats 2016 - A Look at the #Blogging Industry

State of the Blogging World – Industry Report 2016 [Infographic] As you can imagine, when it comes to blogging on the internet, there is a whole world of opportunity and possibility, With all of that being said… as 2016 comes to a close, it's time to look at the ... on the latest trends, stats and tips on how ... read moreMissMalini's Journey Through The Years They look familiar. And that was that ... For a team that began with a self-hosted blog nine years ago, the future is full of possibilities. The publishing industry is extremely fragmented. It is also undergoing a drastic revolution, wherein the ... read more6 Things You Can Do in January to Make Your Blog Better in 2017 As 2016 winds down ... refreshed when it comes time to write on your blog again, you'll also have a ton of ideas ready to work on. January's also a good time to do deep dive into your stats. Analyse what was common to your most popular posts. read more2016 Year in Review, and What's Happening to Exchange Server Pro in 2017 As 2016 draws to an end it's time to look back and reflect on another year, and also look forward to the future. It's been another busy year for me here at Exchange Server Pro. Each year I like to pull some stats from the blog to see how things ... read moreIs Stonegate Mortgage Corp (SGM) A Good Stock to Buy? Just follow the big players within the hedge fund industry. Why should you do so? Let's take a brief look at what statistics have to say about hedge ... Heading into the fourth quarter of 2016, a total of 6 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey ... read moreMarching Orders 2017: Lead the Digital Transformation Maybe it's the managed service that you've tailored to a certain industry. Specializing isn't just about writing unique code. If you're not sure where to start, look at the industries you've worked in, the types of solutions you've perfected, or the ... read moreEnhanced Vision System (EVS) Market Data on 2016-2021 Forecasts Released in New Report Available at eMarketOrg.com This 2016 report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance ... Connect with Us: Market Research Blog: http://emarketorg.com/blog/ . News on current market trends and more: http://emarketorg.com/news1/ read moreHere's a Toast to Lists: What Skills, Certifications & Technologies are in Demand for 2017 As the clock ticks down to midnight on December 31 st and signals the end of 2016, a year that's been the center of ... similar to some of my recent blog posts, like the one on cyber-attacks and mobile security. Which, as a matter of fact, are highlights ... read moreBlack Diamond Games shares their top board game companies in 2016 and 2011 Five years is a good stretch of time, and if you look at the board game industry ... he shared on one of his latest blog posts two charts showing the market share of each board game company in 2011 and 2016. Effectively showing you what percentage ... read moreBluehost Review : Shared Hosting for WordPress 2016 Note: This BlueHost review was based on actual statistics and data, gathered during a real test (12+ months) of Bluehost cheapest 'shared' plan. Being a blogger, I know that some of the things we look for ... How to Start a Blog and Make Money ... read more

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My 2016 Favourite Books: Or, Why I Haven’t Read Your Book Yet…

My Life in Books 2011 Weekends at my house are Tales of the City (Maupin). Which is also why guests need A Lesson in Secrets (Winspear ... I'd love to see what your book titles say about you. read morebeauty - 2016-10-24Beauty and Cosmetics Product Description: The 3-fold effect of the... This is always one of my favourite Christmas makeup collections. Dior know how to do special seasonal makeup and this […]The post Dior Holiday 2016 Splendor Makeup Collection Review & Swatches appeared ... read moreAll The Blog Posts "If I were a woman," Rob Reiner said in a video of congratulatory messages for Annette Bening at the Plaza Hotel where this sublime actress was feted at the New York Stage & Film Gala, "I'd be jealous." Even those of us attending, with so many who worked ... read moreBooks That Make Me Wish I Had Wings I think my love for these stories is based in my fascination with wings and how it would feel to be able to fly. This selection of books is ... We find out why Clara is stronger than she first thought when we meet her father. This book is about sacrifice. read moreLibrary As Place – For Air Conditioning Books Later in the talk when Sannier is discussing his six ways to transform higher education he provides further advice on how to transform the academic library: Here's my favorite one. Burn down the library. C'mon, all the books ... Why are you buying a ... read moreA stack of books on Marketman's bedside table… I have been meaning to write about the stack of books on my bedside table ... An easy read by Mr. Mayle whose books are a great travelogue and foodie favorite from the South of France and nearby vicinities. This book includes breadmaking secrets and ... read moreThree books about eating: 2. The Practice of Eating This is the second of three books ... Read more The post W ... One of the most Googled online health searches is \'why do I bloat"\' Jo Waters, co-author of What\'s Up With Your Gut" a new book on mystery gut co ... Snacky kids" Here are some of my ... read moreHelp! There's propaganda in my book! There Are Liberals Under My Bed ... leaf through a picture book promoting the virtues of medical marijuana. They can read a fairy tale about two princes who get married â€" to each other. But where are the children's books denouncing affirmative ... read moreBooks development economists and aid workers seldom read but should? Here is my answer, with books that (a) changed the way I think about development, yet (b) friends and colleagues seem to seldom read. For the ADHD crowd weaned on soundbites and Twitter, I offer inadequate twitterish encapsulations of each book. read moreEau d' Romance Writer You're working on edits to your manuscript, or maybe you're locked in your office, in your favorite sweats with a cold glass of carbonation and some cookies. Maybe you've washed your hair. Maybe…not. You struggle with yet another euphamism for the ... read more

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Asking for Referrals for Fraidy-Cat Freelance Writers

For som e freelance writers, it seems like asking for referrals and selling comes easy. They have a huge network of people they've cultivated relationships with. Their network hooks them up with new clients. And it's easy for the same freelance writers to talk about their business in any situation, and get referrals.

That's what successful freelance writers do. And I wasn't sure I was cut out to be one of them if asking for referrals was part of the gig.

If you're afraid to ask for referrals, you've probably heard that fraidy-cat freelance writer voice inside your head. You know, the one trying to convince you that:

People will think you're desperate

You're running some kind of scam

You can't possibly provide a service valuable enough to help in any meaningful way

That cat needs to go. It took me a long time to figure this out. But when I finally did, I got a response in 10 minutes, a potential project, and scored another referral for more work. Here's how I did it:

Is fear of asking for referrals holding you back?

The roots of my aversion to sales and asking for referrals go back to a time when I was old enough to love camping, but not old enough to work or drive. To support my camping habit, I had to walk from house to house with a tattered cookie-order sheet, knocking on door after door. The goal: get people to sign up for boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I hated every minute of it. But for our group to go on two camping trips a year, we each had to make our cookie quota, so I did it.

Marching orders from the Den MotherDecades later, I joined Den 2x. I wanted to make more money from freelancing to support my modern-version of camping: international travel. My new Den Mother Carol Tice challenged me to map out a plan to grow my freelance business, and I did almost everything she told me to. Like put together my website, update my LinkedIn profile, set up Twitter, and create a marketing plan. I even suggested projects to current clients and asked for testimonials.

I was on board with everything, except one thing…asking for referrals. I was afraid. I didn't think it would work. I wasn't sure what to say. In my head, asking referrals felt too much like begging for crumbs and cookie orders.

When a client purrs, ask for a referral

After months of freaking out about asking for referrals and avoiding it, something happened. Two people at the same company sent me emails with positive feedback about a piece I wrote. A loud voice inside my head said, "You really should ask for a referral."

So I did what any fraidy-cat-freelance writer would do about asking for referrals. I agonized over a big, long, rambling, ridiculous request, feeling like a little kid in a green uniform going door to door.

Essentials of asking for referrals

Luckily my inner editor took over. And I cut the message down to the essentials like this:

Ways to reach outStart your email with a brief message about why you're reaching out. It doesn't have to be long. Here are some ways to get that ask-for-a-referral email started:

Say thanks. In this case, I was responding to a prospect who emailed to compliment me on a piece I wrote. So it was easy to respond, and say "thanks."Example: Hi John, Thanks for the email about my recent blog post. It was an interesting one to research and write for my manufacturing client.

Catch up. You can also ask for referrals by reaching out to people in your network. For example, congratulate an editor for making a move to a new publication. Check in with a former co-worker climbing the corporate ladder. Or email a former colleague to catch up.Example: Hi Brenda, How's it going? I noticed you just made the move to senior editor at the magazine. Congrats.

Share information. Come across an article, report, or news story that might be helpful to someone in your network? Share it. Send an email and tell your contact you thought they might find the information helpful.Example: Hi Lisa, How are you? I just came across this article on new strategies in content marketing. Thought you might find this helpful to get some ideas for your next campaign.

Ask a questionThink about what it's like when you haven't seen an old friend for a long time. You have a million questions, right? How are the kids? How's work? What about that trip you took to Israel? Asking a question is a great way to reconnect with your contacts and let them know you're thinking of them.

The more specific, the better.  People are genuinely blown away when you remember little details about their life/career. It's why some sales people practically keep a little black book on everybody they've ever met.

Example:How's it going since you made the move from newspapers to PR in Chicago?

Example: I'd love to know the back story to the Super Bowl commercial you helped produce. Can we catch up?

Provide a brief update on your freelance writing businessIf you're reaching out to a relatively new contact, give them a brief reminder about how you met. For other people in your network, you might just give them a brief update about your business, or the elevator-speech version of what you do as a freelance writer.

Example:I just landed a new blogging client writing about manufacturing and technology.

Example: I've been writing about grant funding for non-profits for about a year.

Ask for a referralThis is where a lot of writers start acting like they're high on catnip. You don't need to ask your contact, "Do you have any work?" It just comes across as looking a little desperate, even if you're not. So you can go ahead and shut down those looping thoughts about your career imploding by asking for a referral. Just ask your contact a simple question:

Do you know anyone who needs a freelance writer?"

Ask if they have any colleagues who could use a healthcare writer, B2B marketing writer, or whatever kind of writer you are. It's really that simple. 

Does asking for referrals really work?

I reached the tipping point where I had to find out. I finished the email to my contact and clicked send. Instantly, I felt a twist in my gut, and even vented to my Den 2x mastermind group about how much I hated asking for referrals.

While I was freaking out about finally asking for a referral, I went to make myself a cup of stress-buster tea. And before I even got back to my computer, I had a reply in my inbox. The marketing director had someone she wanted to refer me to, and she had a bigger project coming up she thought I'd be great for. Translation: asking for referrals works.

Strategies to improve results when you ask for referralsI'd built asking for referrals into a big, huge deal, all for nothing. Was it really so hard? No. I sheepishly confessed to the Den 2x mastermind group that my referral request went better than expected. It's really not a big deal to ask for referrals, if you understand the essentials and follow a few basic rules like:

Take advantage of good timing. Having several people praising me meant I was top of mind, making a positive result more likely.

Include a short list of other services. Doing this effectively helped me upsell my current client. Here's what I wrote: Besides blogging, I also write case studies, newsletter articles, white papers, brochure copy, website pages, and press releases.

Keep the message short and the tone confident. I'm sure they had no idea I was nervous.

Ask for referrals to get more clients

Asking for referrals is now easy for me. I understand that it's a win-win for everyone. I get more work from new clients that are similar to a client that's already a good fit for me. And my client gets to be the hero who refers an excellent writer to a colleague. Along with traditional marketing efforts to find more clients, I regularly look for opportunities to ask for referrals, because I know it works. As a bonus, I can even buy Girl Scout cookies from the kids who go door to door while I plan my next trip, paid for by my newest clients.

Karen Smock is a freelance B2B marketing writer for manufacturing and technology clients. She also likes Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, world travel, and spending time with her family.

Has asking for referrals worked for you? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Source: Asking for Referrals for Fraidy-Cat Freelance Writers