Having a team of assistant editors who can focus on specialties in your committee’s practice area is half the battle. But there are also a few tricks that can make article idea generation easier.
When developing web content, bear in mind that readers want shorter articles. Practice Points should be 100–750 words; articles should not exceed 2,500 words. Web content of all types should include concise, straightforward headlines that catch the reader’s attention, links to additional resources, and subheadings that allow users to scan content quickly.
PRACTICE POINTS
Regular Contributors. Readers come to appreciate and anticipate features or articles by regular contributors, as they build an audience and maintain continuity. Consider regularly posting entries by one author or rotating authors. Examples of good content might include a book review, a short column on ethics, or a quick article on the substance of an upcoming meeting (with a nod to the meeting itself and link to the registration page).
Keeping an Eye Out. Assign a member of the team to be on the lookout for topics relevant to the practice area, pertinent blogs that might provide fodder for discussion or dialogue, or any other timely external article, resource, or webpage that lends itself to Practice Points.
Point/Counterpoint. If you have a controversial topic that can be debated succinctly, post a pair of short articles in tandem (e.g., arguing whether solo practitioners should be responsible for maintaining their own technology systems).
CLE Scout. Enlist someone to attend CLEs that are relevant to your committee’s practice area and to submit a 250–500 word substantive review of the session’s quality, relevance, etc., immediately following the conference or session. For longer conferences, such observations could be posted daily to provide immediate feedback to readers. Here again, advance entries about the substance of upcoming CLEs (with links to registration pages) are a great way to entice readers to attend. But be sure to plan and publish the entries well in advance of the session so readers will have time to plan to attend.
ARTICLES
Point/Counterpoint. If you have a controversial topic that is more expansive and requires significant analysis, post a pair of articles with opposing views.
Special Topics. Some topics warrant extra attention and are appropriate for special focus. Post three or four articles featuring differing angles on the same issue (e.g., considering whether the individual alternative minimum tax should be repealed, reformed, or left as is).
Wide Net. Solicit widely and often. Sift through law school directories/contacts and approach professors, particularly during summer, to write articles that build on their research and dovetail with your practice area; enlist someone attending a CLE conference to implore panelists or speakers to convert their presentation materials into web articles; invite associates, young lawyers, or paralegals to contribute articles, affording them a coveted opportunity to showcase their knowledge and experiences in addition to broadening the range of your usual offerings.