I’m lucky to interact directly with JD Supra contributors every day and learn about their content marketing successes and challenges. I’ve enjoyed a series of conversations recently with longtime contributor and Reader’s Choice award winner, Gerald Nowotny. Gerry has a great amount of insight into business development through content (and he should know, given his tremendous business success via writing). If you are facing a case of writer’s block, consider these ideas for generating meaningful content:

Pull from your entire personal and professional experience (not just legal)

Gerry infuses his personal experience in other cultures and his pre-law work as a CPA into his writing. Pulling themes from your professional and sometimes personal experience helps the reader to connect with you on a deeper level and leads to a richer body of work over time. Here are some recent examples of this diversity in Gerry’s recent writing:

• The Accidental Entrepreneur -  a great read for an audience interested in financial security (and who isn't?)...
• Férias de Verão! - Pensando nas posibilidades do Visto Estudantil - Summer vacation and thinking about the possibilities of the student visa...
• Swiss Cheese con Arroz con Pollo – Pondering Offshore Planning after the Panama Papers Scandal – a great example of Gerry participating in the news cycle with his writing...

Subscribe to follow authors and topics that interest you

Reading what others in your industry, practice area, or region are writing about might spark your thought leadership muse. At the very least it’s a great exercise in competitive intelligence to learn more about who you’re competing with for share of voice.

On getting the best audience for each piece of content

Gerry says JD Supra is a great place to start. Agreed! We’ll help your content find the best audience by sharing it with those who’ve expressed an interest in the topics you address. Also consider sharing your content in targeted LinkedIn groups and throughout your professional social media accounts. One of the best aspects of content marketing is that it does the work for your while you get back to the work of running your practice (after the writing is complete of course!).

One final thought regarding my time studying Gerry's success:

Consistency is key 

While quality trumps quantity, you’re likely to get the best results if you maintain a schedule of one new article per week (3-4 per month).

Listen to the recording of a recent conversation I had with Gerry below. And follow his latest writings here.

Happy writing!

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[Paul Ryplewski is JD Supra's director of client services.]