Industry newsletters build authority and open doors like no other thought leadership tool can.
I don’t see many law firms using industry newsletters as a thought-leadership tool to help their industry groups build their authority.
They should be.
A consistent newsletter delivered every week or two, covering legal developments in an industry (including an industry group’s own recent and relevant thought leadership), along with other “news” relevant to executives and people in that industry, is an incredibly potent thought leadership tool whose effectiveness and cachet will compound over time.
Here are 12 reasons why, if your law firm has industry groups, they should produce newsletters that cover what’s happening in their industries.
Industry newsletters demonstrate industry knowledge
First, obviously, an industry newsletter demonstrates that an industry group and its attorneys are knowledgeable about, and are keeping tabs on, what’s happening in a particular industry beyond just legal issues affecting industry players.
An industry group will be seen as being knowledgeable about the industry it covers in a newsletter because its content is focused on the industry and covers a wide range of developments within it. The newsletter becomes a reliable, credible source for news about that industry. For some industries, or segments of some industries, the newsletter might be the only credible source of news about that industry or segment.
Industry newsletters’ curated content creates perceived authority
Second, on a related note, by curating content for an industry newsletter, your attorneys will be seen as authorities regarding that industry.
Not only does an industry-focused newsletter demonstrate knowledge of an industry simply by offering a collection of relevant content (as I mentioned above), but the act of whittling down countless news articles, thought leadership from industry players, videos, podcasts, and other industry-related content implicitly builds attorneys’ authority regarding the industry. An industry group’s attorneys will be seen as authorities on the industry because they can separate the wheat from the chaff, providing industry-related content that’s relevant to industry executives and other industry players.
Industry newsletters are marketable, compounding assets
Third, unlike some other forms of thought leadership content, industry newsletters are assets whose value increases over time.
They’re marketable assets because they can be used in a call to action at the end of every presentation or in other thought-leadership pieces, such as blog posts or articles. They’re a reliable and effective way to offer industry players the opportunity to raise their hands and say, “Yes, I’m someone who’s interested in staying abreast of what’s happening in [x] industry.”
Industry newsletters are also compounding assets. Over time, assuming its quality remains high, and it’s consistently published, an industry newsletter will increasingly be seen as a, if not THE, go-to source of information regarding an industry. Over the weeks, months, and years the newsletter has been published, it will become more authoritative due to its longevity and consistency.
Industry newsletters proactively reinforce perceived authority
Fourth, once someone has opted in to receive an industry newsletter, it becomes an ongoing relationship builder that reliably keeps you and your colleagues at the top of that subscriber’s mind and reinforces your and your colleagues’ authority regarding the industry you serve.
Unlike other pieces of thought leadership that clients and other industry players might discover by reading online publications or scrolling on social media, industry newsletters proactively reinforce your industry group’s authority by arriving in the email inboxes (or mailboxes) of clients and industry players. Even if your industry group did nothing more to engage with people on its email list than send its newsletter, the newsletter will reinforce your industry group’s authority.
Industry newsletters are a relatively light content lift
Fifth, I love thought leadership articles: 1000- to 1500-word articles that demonstrate authors’ expertise, credibility, knowledge, and wisdom. But not all attorneys have time to regularly produce thought leadership, nor do they all have ideas to power a thought leadership program.
When you produce an industry newsletter, however, you’re typically writing fewer words because you’re summarizing and explaining the relevance of the pieces of content you’re including in your newsletter, whether that content is your firm’s thought leadership, other organizations’ thought leadership, or news articles about the industry.
You probably need less than 1000 words to do all of that work, which will come in the form of short blurbs that are easier to write than in-depth thought leadership articles.
Industry newsletters don’t have to deal with media gatekeepers
Sixth, in my experience, most industry publications that accept contributed articles are welcoming to individuals who want to submit articles. Yes, they have standards and minimum requirements, but if they accept articles, there’s a good chance they’ll publish a well-written one.
But a “good chance” does not mean “they absolutely will,” nor is there a guarantee of when they will publish an article or how well they will publicize it to their subscribers, such as by featuring it on the first page of their website or in emails to subscribers.
Compare that to an industry newsletter. Assuming there are no issues with deliverability or overzealous spam filters, there’s no gatekeeper preventing that content from reaching recipients.
Industry newsletters don’t have to deal with algorithmic gatekeepers, either
Seventh, on a related point, industry newsletters aren’t subject to the whims of algorithms.
Again, assuming no issues with deliverability or spam filtering, when your industry group sends a newsletter, it lands in recipients’ email inboxes or mailboxes.
If you published that same content on LinkedIn or some other social media platform, their algorithms would likely deliver the content to a small percentage of your followers. We’re talking, probably, less than 10 percent.
But, again, assuming no deliverability or spam filter issues, if there are 500, 5,000, or 50,000 people on your industry group’s email list, all 500, 5,000, or 50,000 should receive the email.
Industry newsletters invite potential clients and referral sources to step out of the shadows
Eighth, industry newsletters draw industry players into the light when they opt in to receive them. Though you probably have a general sense of the people and organizations interested in the goings on in a particular industry, you won’t always know who those people and organizations are, especially if there are new entrants.
When they opt into your group’s industry newsletter, they’re sending a signal that they have some interest in the industry. They transform from an entity you didn’t know existed into a potential client, referral source, or co-marketer.
Industry newsletters are distribution channels for your thought leadership
Ninth, industry newsletters are the perfect delivery mechanism for your industry group’s own thought leadership, assuming you share one or two pieces of content per newsletter that are relevant and timely. Including your content in your newsletter ensures people see it (for the reasons I mentioned in the previous two sections).
But your industry newsletter is not the forum within which to shove 10 recent blog posts down recipients’ throats, nor is it the forum to distribute an article from three years ago that has little value to them.
Industry newsletters open lines of communication
Tenth, industry newsletters make it easy for recipients to get in touch with members of your industry group to give feedback, ask questions, or request meetings.
All professional services providers should strive to eliminate any friction that current and prospective clients and referral sources may face when they want to speak with that provider. With industry email newsletters, recipients can easily click “reply” and start a conversation.
Industry newsletters invite opportunities for collaboration
Eleventh, on a related point, industry newsletters provide opportunities for collaboration with newsletter recipients beyond you and your colleagues getting hired by one.
Your firm’s industry newsletter might spark an idea that a current or prospective client or referral source has about teaming up to co-author an article, give a presentation at a conference, or appear on a podcast.
Perhaps one of your group’s thought leadership pieces you included in a newsletter issue indicates to a potential referral source that you’ve handled particular kinds of matters previously, which they didn’t realize, and sparks a conversation about how they could work with you to service their clients’ needs.
Consistently publishing a newsletter that reaches industry players will open doors to partnerships you likely would have never seen coming.
Industry newsletters have a low barrier to entry
Finally, twelfth, compared to many other marketing and business development tools, industry newsletters are a light lift.
You don’t need to buy expensive equipment or software. You don’t need to hire people with special training.
For email newsletters, you’re likely looking at no more than $1000/month to use software like MailChimp, Kit, or Beehiiv—and that’s if you have tens of thousands of subscribers.
(If you don’t have that many subscribers, the monthly fee could be under $200.)
For hard-copy newsletters, you’re looking at the cost of producing the newsletters and the cost of postage.
In terms of labor costs, you won’t need an army of people to assemble each newsletter. You’ll need someone to curate content, ideally an administrative person who follows an agreed-upon process for vetting potential content for inclusion in a newsletter. You’ll also need an attorney who gives the final approval for including the “winning” pieces of content and writes short blurbs that explain the “so what” and “now what” of the topics of that content.
And if an industry newsletter effort can’t get off the ground or build momentum, there will be minimal costs for an industry group to eat if it decides to shut down the newsletter. Subscriptions to email newsletter software can be cancelled. Postage and production that would have otherwise been purchased to deliver future hard-copy issues will not be purchased.
The right thought leadership tool for attorneys who want to “own” the industries they serve
I’m always surprised by how many attorneys and law firm industry groups overlook industry newsletters as thought leadership tools. The irony is that so many attorneys and law firm executives subscribe to newsletters.
They see firsthand—perhaps without realizing it—that published newsletters consistently position the sender as credible and authoritative on the topics they cover.
If your industry group doesn’t have an industry newsletter already, it should be your group’s next thought leadership initiative.
Thinking about bringing on an outside writer to help your law firm strategize and create compelling thought-leadership marketing and business development content? Click here to schedule a 30-minute Content Strategy Audit to learn if collaborating with an outside writer is the right move for you and your firm.