Distributing a newsletter is a very popular and effective marketing tool for law firms. A well-designed newsletter can inform clients, build your reputation, and attract new business. But if done wrong, a law firm newsletter can actually drive away business or annoy your existing clients. Following some basic guidelines should help you create a more effective newsletter.

Good Design

Even if your newsletter is all text, you still need to follow some basic design principles so that your publication is easy to read.

Use A Header

Every newsletter you distribute should include a basic header at the top which includes the following:

• The title of the newsletter.
• Your law firm name.
• Your law firm logo.

Maintain the size as you don’t want to overwhelm your reader with your logo or title. Instead make it pleasing to the eye and have your newsletter copy viewable to tease them into actually reading your newsletter.

Consistent Color Scheme

Allow your law firm logo to guide what colors you use throughout the rest of your newsletter. For example, if your logo is blue and white, use blue and white as the main design colors in your newsletter. Be sure to keep your color scheme consistent in each issues of your newsletter.

Font Consistency

Your newsletter should use basic fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial, and you should not have more than two fonts in your newsletter. Remember to choose a legible and professional font choice. Before sending off your newsletter, make sure that all your fonts are as they should be. This is especially important if you copy/paste content from MSWord to your newsletter as font data may have transferred. It’s recommended to keep your font size at 12 pt for paragraph and no larger than 18 pt for your heading font.

Vertical Layout

Your newsletter should have a vertical, stack-style layout. Each section should run from top to bottom instead of horizontally. This design layout will make it easier to read your newsletter since no horizontal scrolling is required to read the text.

Use Plain Language

One of the most important things you can remember about newsletters is that they are not where you show off your deep understanding of legalese. Your newsletter should use plain English that a fourth grader could understand. If you’re discussing a case, make your explanations as simple as possible. Your clients do not want to learn about the ins and outs of legal terminology, it’s up to you to remain plain in the language you use so that you’re clearly understood.

Release Newsletters Consistently

When you decide to do a law firm newsletter, pick a schedule and stick with it. Your newsletter should arrive in your subscribers’ inbox on the same day every month, week, or quarter if possible. If you find yourself unable to keep up with the schedule you’ve picked for distributing your newsletter, then create a less demanding schedule—i.e. once a month instead of once a week or quarterly instead of monthly.  Set a deadline for creating your newsletter and treat it the way you would a court date.

Deliver Useful Content

Your newsletter is about getting new business and keeping existing clients but it’s also about delivering useful information. Every time you create your newsletter, ask yourself, “Did the content deliver legal information that my clients can use?”  Useful information can include, notifications about changes to the law, interesting court cases related to your practice area, or any other information that may help your clients handle their legal matters more effectively.

Law firms with effective newsletters make a great impression and get more business.

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Lynn Luong is the Digital Marketing Manager for Smokeball, a case management software that increases productivity and efficiency for solo attorneys  and small law firms to become more profitable.  Lynn has over 8 years of experience in marketing with a focus on digital by developing successful strategies and managing many areas of marketing.