6 Reasons Why Your Law Firm’s Newsletter Isn’t Getting Results
An email newsletter can be a great way for a law firm to attract leads and stay top-of-mind with prospects. However, plenty of firms launch a newsletter with high hopes, only to end up disappointed.
Maybe you can’t seem to grow your subscriber list. Maybe hardly anyone even opens your emails, let alone clicks through the links inside. Maybe you’ve never gotten any form of response or engagement from an interested reader.
Whatever the problem is, you aren’t getting the results you wanted. It can be discouraging. Many attorneys who reach this point give up and let their newsletter fade away. After all, maintaining a newsletter takes time and effort. If it isn’t helping you reach your goals, why bother?
The good news is that getting more out of your newsletter is possible. In fact, it’s probably a lot easier than you think. All you have to do is figure out what’s holding you back and adjust your approach to fix it.
To help you do just that, here are six possible reasons your newsletter isn’t getting results.
Problem #1: You’re Spamming
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One of the hardest parts of starting a newsletter is finding subscribers. Even if your newsletter has been around for a while, unless you’re actively growing your audience, it’s probably shrinking.
This can make it tempting to start sending out unsolicited newsletter installments to prospects. But not only is that strategy illegal, it also doesn’t work. If your “subscriber” list is full of email accounts that never actually signed up for your newsletter, you can expect your emails to end up in the trash, unopened.
Instead, review the CAN-SPAM Act and your state bar guidelines, make sure that you’re staying compliant with all the rules, and find better ways to expand your list. Options include:
- Sending an introductory email to past or current clients and colleagues inviting them to subscribe
- Adding a subscription form to your firm’s website (pop-ups are especially effective for this)
- Hosting webinars or other online events you can use to promote your newsletter
- Offering useful materials, such as an e-book, that anyone can download for free once they’ve subscribed
- Spreading awareness for your newsletter on your law firm’s social media profiles
Problem #2: Your Newsletter Is Boring
Lots of law firms send out dry, unappealing newsletters, then wonder why their open rates are negligible. In order to get people to open and read your newsletter, it has to grab their attention right away. Every part of the newsletter should be designed to make that happen. This means adding:
- A compelling subject line
- An appealing layout
- Catchy visuals
- Easy-to-read text
Without those pieces in place, no one is likely to pay much attention to what you have to say.
Problem #3: You Aren’t Providing Value
While your newsletter’s design is important, the content inside matters, too. You’ll want to pick topics or stories that are interesting, insightful and valuable.
However, concepts like “interesting”, “insightful” and “valuable” are relative. Your newsletter may be interesting to you, but will your target audience care about it too? Will it benefit their life in some way?
Those are the questions you should be asking when drafting a newsletter. If you aren’t, don’t be surprised when all you hear from your audience is crickets. But when you keep the reader’s needs front and center, your engagement is bound to increase.
Problem #4: You’re Speaking in Legalese
As an attorney, it can be easy to forget that not everyone is familiar with the principles and jargon of the legal world. Plus, as an educated professional, you may be used to speaking (and writing) in a more formal style than most people are used to.
If readers open your newsletter to find a wall of legalese and four-dollar words, they’re probably not going to read very far. To avoid this, write in plain English and use layman’s terms when possible.
Problem #5: You Aren’t Consistent
The key to all successful marketing is consistency, and newsletters are no exception. Unfortunately, some law firms take all the right steps to create a fantastic newsletter, only to send it out on an irregular, seemingly random schedule. Others start out publishing consistently, then gradually let it slip. Once a month becomes once every two months, then once per quarter, then once in a blue moon.
No matter what schedule you choose, it’s essential that you have a schedule—and that you stick to it.
Problem #6: You Aren’t Inviting Readers to Contact You
Some newsletters get a decent open rate, but still don’t attract any responses or leads. If that’s the problem for your law firm’s newsletter, fixing it may be as simple as adding a soft call-to-action in every email.
People often have a misconception of attorneys as aloof and intimidating. By inviting readers to reach out, you can help establish trust and give them the confidence to share their questions or comments. This will give you an opportunity to provide more value, and possibly even open the door to connecting with a future client or referrer.
How About a Little Help?
Starting a newsletter can bring a host of benefits for any law firm. However, getting the most out of your newsletter also takes time, energy, and plenty of patience. If you’d rather let someone else handle the headaches, we can help.
At Let America Know, we give attorneys across the nation the support they need to grow their practices through email and social media marketing. “You Should Know” is our monthly email newsletter, which we customize for your firm. Just contact us, and we’ll manage every step from start to finish, including:
- Designing your newsletter
- Writing valuable content for your firm
- Publishing every month without fail
- Strengthening your brand
…so you can focus on serving your clients.
Click here to learn more about our fully customizable e-newsletter service for trial attorneys.