Sometimes the most powerful partnerships come from the most unexpected combinations. Earlier this year, Geordie indie rock star Sam Fender and soulful singer-songwriter Olivia Dean finally reached the top of the UK Singles Chart with their collaboration “Rein Me In” after an astonishing 35-week climb that broke chart records. Two artists from very different musical worlds, each with their own devoted following, together reaching an audience neither could have captured alone. It’s a great example of what joining forces can achieve.
What, you may be thinking, has this got to do with PR? Well, I think it’s a perfect analogy for guest blogging!
A couple of months ago I was delighted to publish, on my website and in my digital newsletter, a guest blog by business development specialist Doug McPherson on why your law firm should focus marketing on specific industries or sectors. I like to think this was a win-win for both of us. My readers got the benefit of Doug’s expertise on a topic I am not a specialist in, and Doug hopefully got to reach readers he wouldn’t otherwise have had contact with, expanding his connections and building his audience. There really was no downside.
For law firms and other professional services, there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate with contacts and referrers by inviting blogs on to your own website or newsletter, or by offering content. For example, family lawyers could collaborate with a relationship therapist or even a forensic accountant, property lawyers could collaborate with a surveying firm, while a private client team could work with a wealth manager.
So, how can you make guest blogging work for you – either as a writer or a host?
If you are going to the trouble of writing a blog and providing it to a third party, make sure you are targeting the right audience. Will that platform and/or site reach the right people for you? There’s no point investing the time and energy writing something if the readers are not the people your firm is interested in.
If you are hoping to reach a totally new audience, make sure they know who you are – no point in being anonymous. Introduce yourself and explain who you are and what services you provide. This can be done within the blog, or you could ask your host to put up your bio.
An obvious point, but make sure your blog contains a link back to your website as well as any details of your social media handles. This will help your SEO and, increasingly, your chances of being surfaced in AI-generated answers – so-called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) or Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). The more authoritative, relevant content that exists about you and your firm across reputable platforms, the more likely AI tools are to reference you when potential clients come searching.
As a host, if a guest blogger is offering you a blog, it’s understandable that you will be keen to take such ready-made content. However, the wrong content may be worse than no content so make sure what they are offering is relevant to your followers.
As a host, make sure you are happy with the content and that the guest blog is not saying anything that may upset your audience or conflict with your advice or stance on an issue. Publishing blogs on topics which are connected but not identical to the host’s expertise may be helpful and enhance your reputation for thought leadership.
Guest blogging allows a writer to enjoy some reflected prestige from their host. Equally, if a law firm can persuade a popular or well-regarded blogger to appear on their site, it will look relevant and current. All in all, guest blogging is an easy and effective way for both host and writer to expand their reach, grow their audience and take their practice in an exciting new direction.
Recent posts:
Law firm PR: one spokesperson or a shared approach?
Paywalls and PR: why law firms shouldn’t be wary of paywalled coverage