If you follow our blog, then you know we talk a lot about the importance of creating and sharing content. That’s often easier said than done, especially if you’re a lawyer trying to maintain your own blog amongst all of your other activities. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next great content idea, look no further. 

Tricks & Tools For New Content Ideas

1. Follow Your Niche

It’s easier to develop relevant content and piggyback on current events if you keep a pulse on what’s happening in your area or your industry. We suggest keeping a spreadsheet of different websites, journals, or blogs that pertain to your unique space and checking them regularly. 

2. Try an Aggregator

There are tools that mine useful content for you. You can select several articles and then extract the information that’s pertinent. You can even quote other articles as long as you source them properly. Each aggregator works a little bit differently, but you can find your favorite and then conduct one-off searches or monitor subjects on an ongoing basis. 

3. Ask for Ideas

People tend to like giving their opinions and ideas. Send surveys to your audience asking what questions they have and what they’d like to hear about. You can also post on social media asking for input. This will also give you deeper insights into your prospective clients’ challenges or concerns. 

4. Monitor Trends Within Online Communities

Forums are a great place to get new information and ideas. Sites like Quora, Reddit, or AskMetaFilter are all good places where people ask questions, share experiences, and have discussions. Join these forums so that you can create topics for discussion, test ideas, review headlines by keyword, and check out the popularity of ideas that you have. Facebook, LinkedIn, and other industry-specific groups are also great places for this type of conversation. 

5. View Competitors

Of course, you can’t copy what they’re doing, but it’s smart to monitor your competitors and see what they’re talking about. You can use third-party tools to track the most popular content for different domains. 

6. Use the “Round Up” Format

Gathering a list of the top relevant news, events, trends, or questions is always a smart tactic. These articles tend to be of higher value for your readers and are more likely to be shared. You can work with a partner like an expert in your industry, or just ask clients or salespeople for their top questions. If you’re in a pinch, you can just put together a list of your most popular blogs. 

7. Get Organized

It’s important that you don’t go straight from your idea to writing. You need to formulate an outline in order to have the best content possible. Many people use a whiteboard or sticky notes to tie together their ideas. Find whatever works for you, but filter through your thoughts and make sure your points will be presented cohesively. 

8. Attend Conferences

Industry events like seminars, conferences, or panels are good places to hear about hot topics and get other ideas. Take note of what people are asking about and what experts are sharing. Even if you can’t attend in person, you can browse the agendas of events in your industry and see what sessions seem interesting. 

9. Dig Deeper Into Site Analytics

To find out what your audience likes, explore user behavior from different sources, and detect weak points in content, you should review the statistics from your web content periodically. You should also try to understand the entire content journey that your audience takes. 

10. Get Inspired by Creative Sites

Interesting ideas are all around you if you know where to look. For example, use a site like Depositphotos that supports and inspires users to identify more content options and quickly find exactly what they are looking for. 

11. Use Social Media

Industry groups on LinkedIn or Facebook can give you an idea of what conversations are already happening in your space. From there, you can find new topics based on what’s already popular at the moment. You can also follow relevant accounts and hashtags to gain ideas.

12. Repurpose Older Content

If you’ve had older blogs that performed really well, consider editing them and republishing them. Or, let’s say you’ve had a webinar, video series, or other content that’s done well. Consider repurposing it into another format.

13. Think Seasonally

Depending on your law firm, there are probably times of the year when there’s a change in your industry or when certain topics are more pertinent than others. Consider what is on your audience’s minds depending on the season. For example, if you’re a personal injury law firm, perhaps slip and fall cases rise in the winter when there’s ice. Maybe you can write about that specific topic.

14. Create Topic Clusters

You might assume that once you come up with a  piece of content on an important topic, you’re done for the day. However, getting more granular can be helpful in the end. For example, if you’ve written a blog on ‘The Process of a Slip and Fall Trial,’ think about how you can break that topic down further into more blogs. Maybe you could create content on starting the process, how to prepare for the trial, what to do after the trial, etc.

15. Use Google

It may seem simple, but letting Google’s suggested search direct you can be very helpful. Start by simply typing in keywords like your practice areas and see what the suggested search says. These suggested searches are pointing you in a direction that your audience will most likely search.

16. Connect Content to Current Events

Was there a major trial or ruling that relates to your industry? Break that down for your audience in a piece of content like a blog or video. You can keep up with events by following relevant news sites, using content aggregators, or by following reporters on social media.

17. Use a Topic Generator

Use a topic generator like HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator. You just enter a noun and it generates ideas.

Related: The Law Firm Guide to Content Marketing eBook

Takeaway: 

Great content is important, but making your content great takes practice, ongoing effort, and time. Try to continually improve your process by using these tips.