How To Write Blog Posts That Clients Will Understand

In every professional blog post, I seek to accomplish two things. First, write about a relevant topic. Second, use plain English. It’s quite simple. If you work in a more complex field such as intellectual property law, keeping it relevant and understandable can lead to results. If you want to know how to write professional blog posts, there are only a few key principles you need to remember and actually do.

Who Cares?! How To Find Relevant Content To Write About

If you’re a professional service provider, you may notice that certain frequently asked questions will center on a few key topics. Jot these FAQ’s down. Keep a simple list where you write down these common questions or the broad issues. Later, convert these questions into titles for your blog posts.

For example, potential clients asking about the patent process often want to know what will happen after the patent application is filed. Will there be rejections? How many? How much will a response cost? Over time, you see how certain questions are repeatedly asked by client leads. Keep a record of these questions. The next time you draw a blank on what to write, refer back to this list.

You can use a WordPress analytics tool like MonsterInsights which will give you data on which posts are seen more than others. Based on that data, you might want to write more articles on the subjects that can garner more views.

Say What? Use Plain English In Writing Professional Blog Posts

I prefer to craft my blog post titles as questions (e.g., “What is …”). Using a “How To” in your title can also be highly effective. For my IP blog, such article titles have matched more effectively with search queries by potential IP clients.

Beyond the title, you will want to use simple, but catchy headings to lead off each section of the body of your article. If a particular body of your post goes on too long, you might start losing the reader’s attention. Catchy headers offer a welcome break in the reading while keeping the reader engaged.

As for the body of the post, avoid exceedingly long paragraphs. Use paragraphs breaks generously.

Now let’s get into the manner in which you want to communicate information. In the legal field, there are very specific terms that are technically accurate, but not well known by lay people. For example, patents are not renewed, but maintained. However, some clients might intuitively understand “patent renewals” more clearly than they would understand “patent maintenance.” While other practitioners might scoff at me for using an inaccurate legal term, my articles are not directed to my peers. I’m writing for clients, and you should be doing the same (if you want more clients).

So take some liberties to use less than accurate terminology in order to convey the helpful information to clients. You can always correct yourself by clarifying that your inaccurate term goes by a different name amongst professionals in your field.

Write Like You Talk

I once heard that you should write in the same way as would talk. There is merit to that strategy although certain blog posts might need to be a bit more formal depending upon the topic. The point is to keep the article more relatable and less stuffy. In your efforts to display your knowledge in a certain field, you still need to be likable. Your potential clients may encounter your writings before they actually meet you. The question is whether they will still want to meet you after reading your writing.

The More Articles You Write, The More Links You Can Use

Since I’ve built up a knowledge base of IP related content, it’s easier for me to link to past articles whenever I’m writing new blog post. My goal with internal links is to showcase expertise on various topics in my legal field.

You can also include links to relevant blog posts in your client emails. By doing so, you not only send information to your client, but you also open an easy way for clients to refer others. A client would not want to foward a confidential email from their lawyer, but they can easily send a blog post link to other potential clients.

Learn How to Write Professional Blog Posts By Reading Other Blogs

I’m not referring to only blogs in your field. You might enjoy reading articles on variety of topics unrelated to your profession. My writing might still stink, but reading excellent writers can certainly help.