Law Firm Email Newsletters: A Practical Guide

Make Your Law Firm Email Newsletter A Lead-Generation Machine

Topics covered in this article

• Why your law firm newsletter is important
• How to set up email capture
• How to set up your law firm newsletter
• How often to send your law firm newsletter
• What to include in your law firm newsletter
• Law firm newsletter content ideas
• Style and readability for law firm newsletters
• How to get subscribers for your law firm newsletter

Why your law firm newsletter is important

• Capturing email addresses converts the traffic generated by your SEO into leads
• Not everyone who visits your website will contact you right away. Your email newsletter allows you to stay in touch with potential leads and referral sources.
• Email capture makes the most out of your SEO and also creates a valuable business generator: your email newsletter
• When done properly, email can be your highest value and highest converting lead source

How to set up email capture

Where to place newsletter sign-up forms:

• At the top of your Blog page
• At the bottom of each individual blog (or on the side panel)
• At the bottom of your About Us page (or on the side panel)

Newsletter sign-up forms should include:

• A clear call to action (“Subscribe to our newsletter,’’ ‘’Join our community,’’ etc.)
• A clear description of the value that your newsletter provides

→Legal education and tips
→Legal news
→Legal practice tips
→Legal research and analysis
→Exclusive resources

• A lead magnet (highly recommended)

→A lead magnet is a high-value piece of content you give away in exchange for providing an email address
→Solves a major problem for your ideal client

»Short e-book on ‘’how to win your personal injury case’’
»Short e-book on ‘’how to protect your business’ intellectual property’’
»Short e-book on ‘’how to achieve a peaceful divorce’’

• An attractive image directly related to the content of your newsletter

→If you have a lead magnet, use a photo of the lead magnet

• Confirmation

→When people sign up for your newsletter, two things should happen:

1. They are directed to a Thank You page which thanks them for signing up
2. They receive a confirmation email to their email inbox which thanks them for signing up and lets them know what to expect from your newsletter

»If you are offering a lead magnet, the lead magnet should be included with the confirmation email (it can be in the same email or in a separate one)

How to set up your law firm newsletter

• Set up an account on an email platform like MailerLite, MailChimp, Active Campaign, Kit, Drip, or Aweber
• The platform you choose is a personal preference and depends on the features you want
• It’s worth exploring each of them and deciding which will work best for you
• If you’re starting from scratch, the free version may be fine
• However, you will likely want to upgrade as your email list grows and/or you want additional features.

How often to send your law firm newsletter

• How often you send your email newsletter depends completely upon how often you can produce high-quality content.

→The more emails you send, the more money you make.
→However, the content in your emails must be your very best pillar content.
→Do not sacrifice quality for quantity when it comes to your newsletter.
→The quality of your newsletter must be A+

• Send your newsletter consistently, at regular intervals

→Whether it’s once a quarter, once a month, once every two weeks, or once a week, or more than that, send your newsletter at regular intervals.

»Be honest and realistic with yourself about how often you can produce a top-quality newsletter.
»If only once a month or once a quarter, that’s fine.
»You will get less results than if you were doing it every week, but quality is essential.

→It’s better to send higher-quality content at longer intervals than average content at shorter intervals.
→It’s okay to send your newsletter more often if you’re trying to ramp up business during a specific time period, such as during a promotion
→Just remember: never sacrifice quality for quantity!

• However, it’s better to send your newsletter at inconsistent intervals than not at all

What to include in your law firm newsletter

• The very best content you created since your last newsletter (blog, YouTube, social media)
• Links to related long-form content (blogs, lead magnets)
• Super signature (links to all of your offers at the end of each newsletter)

→Passive sell, not a hard sell

• Tease your next email
• Invite a response to the email (not a consultation)
• Include an attention-grabbing photo in the email
• Subject line: identify a pain point + hint at the solution

→Make the reader feel the problem in the story, then hint at the solution
→Use a number in the subject line (not a round one) [if applicable]

Style and readability for law firm newsletters

• Use plain English (avoid legalese and technical jargon)
• Make it easy to read and be brief
• Be concise and to the point
• Focus on educating rather than selling
• Use a large, accessible font
• Use spam-checking software like MailMeteor to eliminate spam words

→Reduces the chance that your newsletter will go to spam and increases open rates

• Length

→500 to 800 words: Suitable for a brief update or a single topic, ensuring readers can quickly grasp the information.
→800 to 1,200 words: Allows for a more in-depth exploration of a topic, or multiple topics.
→1,200 to 1,500 words: Best for detailed analysis, case studies, or newsletters addressing several topics.

Law firm newsletter content ideas

• Your take on trending news topics related to your practice
• Recent events that your law firm hosted or participated in
• Upcoming events your firm is hosting or participating in
• Attorney profiles for new lawyers or staff members
• Changes to rules or regulations in your practice area
• FAQs
• Links to free resources like your blog and e-books
• Addressing client pain points and objections in your newsletter is always a good idea

How to get subscribers to your law firm newsletter

• Always be collecting email addresses
• If you host a live event, put a sign-in sheet at the door and have guests sign-in with their name and email address
• Put a newsletter sign-up form on your blog page and every individual blog

→Your About Us page is another good place for a newsletter sign-up form

• Bait your newsletter sign-up form with a lead magnet (a high-value, long-form piece of content you give away in exchange for an email address)

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