I exchanged emails with Jordan Furlong a couple weeks back on how we might improve the Scoop section of JD Supra. Nothing huge, just kicking around how we might help reporters decipher from source documents to the underlying story.

If you already read Jordan’s blog - law21.ca - you know he’s got lots of great ideas. So as Adrian just noted over on JD Scoop, we were very thankful when Jordan made an unexpected & very generous offer - to create this new guideline: JD Tips: Writing for The Scoop. To show people how to make those headlines & descriptions pop in front of a reporter’s eyes!

I highly recommend you link over and read the piece in its entirety. Here are section headings to get you started…

1. Think like a reporter.
2. Mainstream or legal media?
3. Identify your objective.
4. Get your client onboard.
5. Choose a great title.
6. Write a great lead.
7. Don’t write like a lawyer.
8. Include contact information.

Sounds a bit like writing a press release, right? It is. For me, Jordan’s article illustrates a fundamental point about marketing online content: the old adage of ‘If you build it, they will come‘ doesn’t work. Never has. Even the best content requires exposure, an intended audience, a grabbing headline, and a simplified description. And exactly like a press release: Always presume your offering will be scanned, and never read.

Many thanks to Jordan for this wonderful contribution!