Creating thought-leadership content is never easy. Creating content that’s truly compelling is 10 times harder. Yet, this is vital.

As more and more attorneys recognize the value of content marketing, more and more content is being created. How does an attorney stand out amidst all this noise? There’s only one answer: quality content.

Unfortunately, creating quality content is easier said than done. While attorneys may have lots of expertise to share, many may need help turning their ideas into engaging and readable pieces. And that’s okay — writing snappy prose is not a job requirement for lawyers. (To my knowledge, nobody’s ever paid an attorney extra to write an entertaining contract.)

Introducing the “Editor-in-Chief”

Here’s an idea: What if law firms employed an editorial professional to help attorneys craft informative and interesting content? This full-time hire (whom I’ve dubbed the “Editor-in-Chief”) would work with attorneys to elevate the quality of their articles and blog posts in order to:

-Increase readership

-Attract a loyal following

-Elevate the firm’s brand through its content

-Help build the reputations of the individual attorney-authors by casting them as leading experts

When it comes to content creation, there are three areas where an “Editor-in-Chief” could provide some real value to attorneys:

-Packaging – Presenting content in a way that is interesting to readers. For example: most attorneys wouldn’t think to write an article entitled “10 Reasons to Try XYZ,” or better yet, “Why ABC is dying and XYZ is the future.” Yet, anyone who has ever worked in publishing knows that these are exactly the type of articles that get read most.

-Brevity and Clarity – Attorneys tend to write lengthy pieces that contain dense passages full of footnotes and citations. Unfortunately, most people — including other lawyers — want to read concise, energetic articles with bite-sized content and plenty of graphics.

-Timeliness – The Editor-in-Chief could help attorneys put together an editorial calendar — and then hold them to it.

Crazy?

Does this sound far-fetched? Well, it’s really not. McKinsey & Company, the uber-elite management consulting firm, has been publishing the McKinsey Quarterly since 1964. By all accounts, it’s worked out well for them.