The Thought Leadership Project: Recent Episodes
Jay Harrington & Tom Nixon
The Thought Leadership Project is hosted by Jay Harrington and Tom Nixon, principals at legal marketing agency Harrington. Harrington and Nixon are experts in helping lawyers turn expertise into thought leadership...and thought leadership into new business. For more, visit TheThoughtLeadershipProject.com.
Episode 140: Jay and Tom break down the (polite) battle for control in the business development process. As a lawyer, you have more power and leverage the more unique and differentiated you are from the competition. This impacts pricing power, the ability to avoid RFPs, and dynamics in the attorney/client relationship as well. Lawyers who have “power” aren’t merely order takers—they steer the ship when it comes to strategy. Listen in to learn what this type of power is, its impact, and how to get more of it.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington, formerly a practicing lawyer, is an executive coach, trainer, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 139: Listen in as Jay, Tom, and Curtis Hays do a LinkedIn deep dive. Curtis is the founder of collideascope, a digital marketing agency, and also the host (along with Tom) of the Bullhorns and Bullseyes podcast. This episode was recorded for Bullhorns and Bullseyes, but we thought it was a great conversation so we decided to re-publish it on The Thought Leadership Project. Enjoy!
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Curtis on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington, formerly a practicing lawyer, is an executive coach, trainer, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 137: Creating and sharing thought-leadership content is an effective way to gain visibility and build trust with an audience, and generate billable work for your practice. But what if you could take things to the next level by monetizing your thought-leadership content itself—not merely using it to sell your services? That’s what Laura Frederick and Jay Harrington discuss in this episode. Almost everyone in the legal industry who’s on LinkedIn is familiar with Laura, and her daily contract tip posts. Laura is a lawyer, and founder of How to Contract, a contract training business focused on helping lawyers and in-house contract teams learn real-world contract skills, and ContractsCon, a contract training conference.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
ContractsCon
How to Contract
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 136: Adrian Lürssen, co-founder and VP of strategic development at JD Supra, rejoins the podcast to discuss tips and trends for thought-leadership marketing as we look ahead to 2024. Adrian, Jay and Tom tackle a number of issues, including:
- What do the data show, in terms of how content is being consumed right now?
- What are the implications for creators of thought leadership?
- How is JD Supra is leveraging AI and how can individual content creators leverage it as well.
- Why is authenticity in content so important in the age of AI?
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Adrian on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 135: In this episode, legal recruiter, podcast host, and author Scott Love breaks down what it takes to become a rainmaker with Jay and Tom. Scott shares the many lessons he’s learned while helping rainmakers make lateral moves in the legal marketplace, including the importance of consistent effort, truly understanding a client’s challenges, and collaboration. He also shares his perspective on the current state of the legal hiring market—and much more in this episode chock full of actionable insights.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
Scott’s Website
The Rainmaking Podcast
Scott’s New Book: The Rainmaker Confidential
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 134: In this episode, Jared Correia, founder or Red Cave Law Firm Consulting and podcaster extraordinaire, shares his expertise on how to run a small law firm like a business and grow it sustainably and profitably. Jared, Jay and Tom discuss Jared’s three-step system for growth, which involves establishing processes and systems, hiring effectively, and learning from data and analytics. At the end of the podcast, Tom and Jared delve into their passion for yacht rock, while Jay mostly stays silent and sips coffee, due to his ignorance.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Jared on LinkedIn
Jared’s Website
Legal Toolkit Podcast
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 133: Jay and Tom share and discuss content that inspired them in the last month. Learn how a famous Hollywood producer generates movie ideas (without trying) through “curiosity conversations.” Check out a private equity fund that isn’t afraid to have a clear and strong point of view in their writing. Discover what professional writers think matters in the age of AI. These and other topics are addressed in this content “favorite finds” episode.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Video: Brian Grazer Curiosity Conversations
Article: Own it Mentality
Article: Have Fun Writing Memos
Article: Do Marketing Metrics Matter?
Article: You Against the Writing Machines
Article: Write to Understand
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington, formerly a practicing lawyer, is an executive coach, trainer, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 132: Between the two of them, Jay and Tom have written thousands of LinkedIn posts, hundreds (perhaps 1,000+) long-form articles, and a number of books. In today’s episode, they unpack their writing processes, from how they generate ideas to how they edit their work, so you can learn from their experiences. Want to grab and hold the attention of a reader with your thought-leadership content? Get inspired and learn important lessons about writing for today’s attention-strapped readers in this episode.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington, formerly a practicing lawyer, is an executive coach, trainer, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 131: Law firms sell expertise, and the best way to showcase expertise through marketing is to produce thought-leadership content. Most firms do that to some extent already. However, in today’s episode, Jay and Tom make the case that firms should do much more—in essence, they should build a media company to become the go-to resource for a given industry or topic. They discuss examples of companies outside the legal industry that are already doing this, why it’s a valuable opportunity for law firms, and what would be required to pull it off.
Episode 130: In this episode, Jordana Confino, Positive Lawyering professor, and founder of JC Coaching & Consulting, joins Jay to discuss well-being and the practice of law. They discuss Jordana’s journey from clerkships, to BigLaw, to academia, and her recent transition to entrepreneurship as founder of her own coaching and consulting firm. Jordana also shares her thoughts on how lawyers can build successful and sustainable careers by finding purpose in their work, detaching from work in order to refresh and revitalize, and much more.
Episode 129: In this episode, Jamie Sternberg, trademark attorney at Saunders & Silverstein LLP, joins Jay to discuss her experience building a legal practice. They discuss the various tactics Jamie has used to grow her practice, including networking, getting involved in groups and associations, content creation, and more. Business development and marketing require experimentation and iteration, and Jamie’s experience can help your own approach to building a practice.
Episode 128: In this episode, Phillip Russell, OSHA and employment lawyer at Ogletree Deakins, joins Jay to discuss the importance of client service. Learn about the fundamental principles of client service, why it’s so important to have a one-size-fits-one mindset about client service, how to gain an understanding of your client’s needs, and the role of responsiveness in client service and business development.
Episode 128: In this episode, Phillip Russell, OSHA and employment lawyer at Ogletree Deakins, joins Jay to discuss the importance of client service. Learn about the fundamental principles of client service, why it’s so important to have a one-size-fits-one mindset about client service, how to gain an understanding of your client’s needs, and the role of responsiveness in client service and business development.
Episode 127: When it comes to building a legal practice, mindset is critical. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss five common mental obstacles lawyers face on their way to becoming a rainmaker, and tips for overcoming them.
Episode 126: In this episode, Jay speaks with General Counsel Heather Stevens about her experience transitioning from private practice to general counsel of an incubation firm for technology companies. They discuss a range of topics, including how Heather made the leap from a premier BigLaw firm to in-house, what she values in outside counsel relationships, and how she approaches content creation and personal branding on LinkedIn.
Episode 125: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the what the perfect AI tool for legal looks like, LinkedIn’s recent algorithm changes, the importance of responsiveness in business development, and the benefits of the book-writing process.
Episode 124: In this episode, Jay chats with General Counsel Brittany Leonard about her experience transitioning from private practice to general counsel of a multinational corporation .They discuss a range of topics, including how Brittany found contentment, satisfaction and success as an in-house lawyer, what she’s looking for when hiring and working with outside counsel, and her approach to personal branding and content creation on social media.
Episode 123: In this episode, Jay chats with Eric Pacifici about his experience leaving BigLaw to build a thriving small law firm serving SMBs. They discuss a range of topics, including how Eric and his co-founders built one of the first law firms that grew almost exclusively through engagement on social media, Eric’s best practices for engaging on social media, his thoughts on the importance of having a niche, as well as finding something that you’re passionate about doing in order to have a long-term, successful legal career.
Episode 122: In this episode, Jay has a deep dive discussion on business development with Bradford Hardin, co-chair of the Financial Services practice group at Davis Wright Tremaine. They discuss a range of topics, including how Bradford approached the early stages of building his practice, the importance of having an industry focus, and Bradford’s experience creating content and building relationships on Twitter.
Episode 121: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the importance of adding value beyond the billable hour in the face of declining legal demand, the implications of declining content visibility on LinkedIn, and their latest thoughts on the intersection AI and the legal industry.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 120: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the latest developments at the intersection of AI and legal tech, the 5 types of key contacts and how to communicate with them, and the pros and cons of email newsletters.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 119: In this episode Jay has a deep dive discussion with thought leadership consultant Bob Buday about a number of concepts from Bob’s new book “Competing on Thought Leadership.” They address what thought leadership is in today’s era, what distinguishes true thought leadership from much of today’s mass-produced online content, and the power of original research. They also share lots of ideas for how lawyers and other professionals can create thought leadership—even if they don’t have big firms and big budgets backing their efforts.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Connect with Bob Buday on Linkedin
Check out Bob’s book Competing on Thought Leadership
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 118: Jay and Tom take a deep dive into productivity for business development. They address two obstacles that often come up in Jay’s coaching sessions, which are "I don’t have the time” and “Even if I did I wouldn’t know what to do with it.” Give this episode a listen to learn how to use checklists, overcome the “cold start problem” in relationships, the development and use of a key contact list, and more.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 117: Jay has been posting daily on LinkedIn (okay, almost daily—he’s missed a few) for 3+ years. In this episode, he shares some of the most important lessons he’s learned along the way.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Georgetown Law Professor Jonah Perlin joins Jay and Tom to talk about reaching the 100-episode milestone with his How I Lawyer podcast, including valuable lessons he has learned along the way. Jonah also shares his take on what it means to be a good mentor, mentee, and why mentorship is so valuable in the practice of law. Plus they get into social media, the importance of delaying gratification, and more.
Reading & Resources
- Connect with Jonah on LinkedIn and Twitter
- How I Lawyer Podcast
- Connect with Jay on LinkedIn and Twitter
- Connect with Tom on LinkedIn and Twitter
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Episode 115: Jay Harrington and Tom Nixon give their take on AI and its impact on law and marketing. They define and share tips on building a powerful personal brand. And they address the importance of being interested in and excited by the subject matter of the content you create in order to make content creation a sustainable effort.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 114: Alex Su Returns to the Pod
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Alex Su is back on the pod! Jay, Tom, and Alex cover lots of ground in this episode, including:
- Why Alex started a newsletter on Substack
- Differences between LinkedIn and Twitter
- Business development advice for lawyers
- How Alex comes up with ideas for memes
- Developing an audience feedback loop
Reading & Resources
- Connect with Alex Su on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok
- Subscribe to Alex’s Substack newsletter Off the Record
- Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
- Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 113: As James Clear says in his bestselling book Atomic Habits, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss the need to confront productivity demons this time of year — fixing the broken systems and bad habits that may be hampering your productivity. From time-blocking to startup and shutdown routines, they run through a number of helpful tips and tactics that will help you optimize your productivity systems.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 112: Join Jay for a short episode in which he describes the benefits of taking daily action in the new year, instead of creating a bunch of generic resolutions.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
Episode 111: Jay Harrington and Tom Nixon riff on the benefits of becoming the type of person who “gets lucky” in business instead of being beholden to a strict strategy. They review 2022 trends and developments on LinkedIn, including the flood of Twitter creators flocking to LinkedIn and the selfie craze. And they address the importance of becoming known well to a particular audience versus being well known to the masses.
Reading & Resources
Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
Past episodes you may enjoy:
Episode 107: Jonah Perlin on Twitter, Podcasting, and Becoming a Law School Professor
Episode 103: The Power of a Content Niche
Episode 90: How to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level, with Alex Su
Episode 88: Playing the Long Game with Thought Leadership
Episode 87: Conquer LinkedIn Like a Millennial, with Matt Margolis
Episode 77: LinkedIn, from Beginner to Mastery, with Callie Schweitzer of LinkedIn
Episode 58: The Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Becoming a Thought Leader
Episode 57: Mastering LinkedIn in 30 Days, with Laura Frederick
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
**Want to be a guest on a future episode?**
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Introducing a New MembershipCommunity for Lawyers The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.
learn more
In this episode, former practicing lawyer turned legal recruiter J.B. Pullias, Senior Director with national legal recruiting firm VOYlegal, joins Jay and Tom to discuss the state of the legal job market and ways lawyers can position themselves effectively for new opportunities.
In this episode, BigLaw lawyer turned investor and author Adam Pascarella joins Jay and Tom to discuss his new book Reversed in Part: 15 Law School Grads on Pursuing Non-Traditional Careers.
There is a lot of conventional wisdom out there about every marketing topic, and LinkedIn is no different. In this episode, Jay and Tom give their “hot takes” on some of the most common forms of LinkedIn conventional wisdom. Sometimes they agree with the standard advice, other times they suggest an unconventional approach—and in some instances they disagree with one another. Give this episode a listen to hear their take on how often to post, quality v. quantity, personal v. professional posts, going viral, and much more.
We had our first law school professor join the podcast as a guest, and Jay was worried that he was going to get subjected to the Socratic Method. In this week’s episode, Jonah Perlin, former Williams & Connolly associate and now Georgetown Law professor, talks with Jay and Tom about Twitter, podcasting, and what it takes to become a law professor.
Marketing conventional wisdom: Find the buyers in your market with an immediate need and get them into a “funnel” by using scarcity and urgency tactics. While that approach may work for selling paper towels, it’s no way to sell sophisticated professional services. In this episode, Jay and Tom describe an alternative, known as the 95:5 Rule of marketing. It’s all about building trust with an audience when they don’t have an immediate need for your services, so that when they do they naturally think of you. In short, it’s farming not hunting. Listen in to learn more about the 95:5 Rule and hear Jay and Tom describe how to use it to improve your marketing.
Strategy plans, marketing plans, business development plans…they can be useful, but they can also be a form of procrastination. Some people spend so much time planning they never take action. In this episode Jay and Tom discuss a simple framework for marketing and business development.
Jay and Tom intended to talk about some of the newest content creation tools that platforms like LinkedIn have made available (and they do get to that), but this turned into a much more wide-ranging discussion about the emergence of Web 3 and what many people are calling the Golden Age of the creator economy. Tune in to listen to Jay and Tom riff about where we’ve been and what’s coming next for content creators in a more decentralized digital landscape.
Jay and Tom having been getting more questions from clients, and seeing more posts on LinkedIn, about lower engagement people are experiencing with their content. Is it the algorithm? Do they need to write better posts? Is it simply too noisy to stand out? In this episode, Jay and Tom profess ignorance about any supposed algorithm changes—How could anyone outside of LinkedIn know?—and propose a solution for getting more meaningful reach: have a niche. The noisier it gets out there, with bad but also really good content, the more important it is to drill down on a niche audience with your content.
An important part of creating great thought leadership is consuming great thought leadership. Thought leaders tend to have high-quality information diets. They take in content that intrigues and inspires them to create their own. In this final episode for 2021, Jay and Tom discuss the people and work they found interesting this year, so you can add some new flavor to your diet. Plus, they share that registration for the Thought Leader Collaborative is closing at midnight PT on December 20th. Links for the “Lab” and all of the thought leadership - from books to podcasts - discussed in this episode are included in the show notes.
Like the proverbial tree that falls in the forest, is there any value in creating content if no one sees it? That’s a bit of a rhetorical question, but it raises an important issue that Jay and Tom address in episode 101: Should you be putting your content on your website and placing it behind “gates,” or sharing it freely on social media and elsewhere? As with most issues, the right answer is probably somewhere in the middle.
To commemorate our 100th episode, Jay and Tom play a game of 💯. Do we agree 100% with these examples of conventional marketing wisdom? Can each of them get the other to 100% agree with some provocative assertions and unconventional takes?
It's all about thought leadership, the modern marketing environment, the future of content marketing, and LinkedIn as a business development platform.
Tune in and see where you fall. Are you 💯?
Making new connections, whether on LinkedIn or otherwise, is great. But most professionals want to turn those connections into paying clients or referral sources at some point. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss how to play the long game and nurture relationships to the point where you’re no longer held at arm’s length - and instead are welcomed with open arms.
In this episode, Jay and Tom give you a behind the scenes listen to some of the insights they share with members of the Thought Leader Collaborative, a training platform and community for LinkedIn thought leaders.
As thought-leadership marketers, Jay and Tom look forward every year to the release of the Thought Leadership Impact Study. In this episode, they have the chance to do a deep-dive into what the study says and why it matters with two of its architects, Joe Kingsbury of Edelman and Tusar Barik of LinkedIn.
We know business development is important. We know a book of business has many benefits. But…we often don’t know where to start. In this episode, Aaron Baer joins us to discuss the what, why, and how of business development for lawyers.
“I just don’t see the value,” is something we often hear from lawyers who aren’t on LinkedIn, or who have a presence but aren’t taking action there. On this episode, Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Foley & Lardner, joins us and makes the LinkedIn value proposition clear.
From what they are taught in law school to what they consume in the popular culture, there are many messages that lawyers receive that lead them to believe that stiff formality is the appropriate professional posture in interactions with clients and colleagues. In this episode, Lewis Kappes partner Scott Oliver joins us to discuss how it’s possible (indeed, advisable) to let your guard down, be yourself AND be a great lawyer.
Too much legal writing is too verbose and laden with jargon and legalese. Our guest, Laura Genovich, is on a crusade to change that. Laura is an advocate for clear legal writing and she makes her case frequently on LinkedIn.
Here we go again. Just when we thought we’d be spending the fall taking people to lunch and networking at conferences, we’re back to discussing social distancing and delayed returns to the office. But that doesn’t mean the need to market and develop new business is any less urgent. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss why it’s important to use the last few weeks of August to plan for the new business sprint ahead, and share some practical tips on what to focus on.
Referrals don't happen by luck or happenstance. According to Joshua Baron, lawyers who are "referrable" are purposeful and intentional about how they interact with clients and other professionals in order to generate new opportunities.
There is a reason this is the longest episode ever recorded on this podcast: Alex Su takes us on a deep dive into the strategies and tactics that have helped him grow a large, engaged audience on LinkedIn.
Law firm clients can’t always distinguish between average and excellent work product, but all know whether they’re receiving good or bad client service. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss the benefits of creating a remarkable experience for your clients, including building a loyal band of advocates in the marketplace singing your praises.
In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss how to approach content creation with the appropriate (long-term) expectations, and why you’re likely to exceed expectations when you have the right mindset.
On this episode, Gen Xers Jay and Tom sit down and chat with Matt Margolis, also known as #MattTheMillennialLawyer LinkedIn. Matt posts some of our favorite content—hilarious memes, TikTok, and Piñata Farms videos—on LinkedIn, and he shares the tricks of his trade that have helped him build his personal brand and his legal practice on the platform.
Brian Clark is a serial digital entrepreneur, with a track record of building successful businesses using content and thought-leadership marketing techniques as the primary driver of business growth. A former attorney who practically invented content marketing while building Copyblogger, Brian shares his latest ventures, and how content curation — a close relative of content creation—are the building blocks to building an audience, engaging prospects, and growing revenues.
Still skeptical about the benefits of a niche legal practice? You may change your mind after hearing Phillip Russell, a partner at Ogletree Deakins, describe the benefits of niching down. Phillip has what he describes a “triple niche.” He’s an employment lawyer who specializes in OSHA for the construction industry. The specificity of his approach helps him stand out—not to mention develop deep expertise—with his practice. And by combining niche expertise with consistent content creation on LinkedIn, Phillip has grown his practice significantly.
You don’t need to do all forms of marketing. You don’t need to be on all social media platforms. In fact, as Jay and Tom discuss in this episode, you should choose just one.
By listener request, Jay and Tom address the issue of how to engage in thought-leadership content marketing when one feels they don't have the accomplished career or track record to claim a title of "thought leader." Common to junior associates and recent law school graduates, this phenomenon comes up quite a bit, so this show will help people in that position overcome some limiting beliefs.
Charlotte Smith’s journey from practicing attorney to becoming a coach is not all that uncommon. She hired a coach, found the experience to be transformational, and decided to become one herself.
To the surprise of many, most law firms not only navigated through the COVID-19 crisis in 2020—a significant percentage thrived. From smart pivots to investments in marketing and business development, nimble law firms grew through adversity. In this episode, Lee W. Frederiksen joins Jay and Tom to discuss what factors distinguish “high-growth firms” in the High Growth Study 2021.
Personal branding is often mistaken for professional bragging, but it’s really all about generosity, selflessness and abundance. That’s the view of Winter Wheeler, founder of Winter Wheeler Mediation & Arbitration, and it’s one that we share. Winter launched her mediation business shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite all the challenges she faced, she and her business thrived. Learn all about how Winter has used LinkedIn, her new podcast, and other means to build her brand and a powerful network over the last 12 months.
Personal branding is often mistaken for professional bragging, but it’s really all about generosity, selflessness and abundance. That’s the view of Winter Wheeler, founder of Winter Wheeler Mediation & Arbitration, and it’s one that we share. Winter launched her mediation business shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite all the challenges she faced, she and her business thrived. Learn all about how Winter has used LinkedIn, her new podcast, and other means to build her brand and a powerful network over the last 12 months.
The Thought Leadership Project is extremely excited to announce the next natural evolution of our ongoing project to convert lawyers' subject matter expertise into thought leadership, and thought leadership into new business: the Thought Leader Collaborative. Jay and Tom discuss what it is, who it's for, and how attorneys can benefit.
Callie Schweitzer is a senior news editor at LinkedIn, where she leads the editorial coverage of the marketing industry for the platform’s 722+ million global members. Who better to turn to for advice on maximizing your efforts on LinkedIn? We covered the complete spectrum, for beginners who are still lurking, to the masters who want to experiment with LinkedIn Stories, and more!
Once you can identify and define your ideal client, everything falls into place. Listen in as Jay and Tom discuss the marketing and business development benefits of knowing who your ideal client is, including knowing what to say and where to say it.
Are good brief writers necessarily excellent authors of thought leadership? Guest Ross Guberman is the President of both Legal Writing Pro and BriefCatch, who has delivered thousands of legal-writing workshops on four continents and is the opinion-writing trainer for all new federal judges. He's also written several bestselling books, including the Amazon bestseller Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates and Point Taken: How to Write Like the World’s Greatest Judges. Listen to Jay and Tom get Ross's expertise on how lawyers can become better writers.
Tom and Jay do a podcasting-for-lawyers episode on their podcast for lawyers, interviewing co-hosts of the recently launched, but already successful, "Into the Breach" podcast. Bryan and Gena are also partners at Seyfarth Shaw, based in Washington, D.C. and New York City, respectively.
As a busy lawyer, you can’t be everywhere doing everything, especially when it comes to marketing. If you spread yourself too thin, you won’t be visible anywhere. But here’s the good news: Keeping it simple is the best way to engage in effective marketing. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss why it’s better to narrow the focus of your marketing efforts and how to do it.
Many lawyers desire to create content for prestigious publications, but don’t know what it takes. In this episode, Zack Needles, editor-in-chief of legal media heavyweight Law.com, helps demystify the process. Zack weighs in on a number of important issues.
Michael is the founder of Mike Morse Law Firm, the largest personal injury law firm in Michigan. Since being founded in 1995, the Mike Morse Law Firm has grown to 150 employees, served 25,000 clients, and collected more than $1 billion. A household name in Michigan, Mike gets more than 20,000 calls per year requesting his services. He joins the show this week to discuss his thought leadership platforms (a book, a podcast, and more) and how he is applying what he learned building his own firm to coach lawyers build theirs.
We all have access to a superpower. It’s called flow state. A 10-year McKinsey and Co. study found top executives were 500% more productive when in flow. It’s the state in which we operate at our highest levels of performance—like an athlete “in the zone.” Listen in as Jay and Tom discuss the ins and outs of flow state, including:
- How multitasking and distractions prevent flow state
- How vision and goals promote it
- Why working slightly outside your comfort zone helps you tap into it
Shari is the founder of Shari Belitz Communications, LLC, a litigation strategy and education company for lawyers, with more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, including managing mass tort litigation for Fortune 500 insured clients. Shari studied forensic psychology, including advanced jury research and science, at the graduate level and writes and lectures extensively about the intersection of psychology and litigation, including:
-How can attorneys harness the power of psychology in litigation? -What tactics and methodologies do successful litigators use that represent the application of proven psych theory? -What role does psychology play in the creation of thought leadership content, including the power of persuasion? -What is EnPSYCHLAWpedia, and how can attorneys benefit/join?
Are introverts "having their moment?" The modern environment has made impossible many of the traditional business development arenas that historically played to extroverts' natural abilities—large networking events, cocktail parties, coffee and lunch meetings, one-on-one pitches and "winning it in the room." In their place have emerged digital venues and methodologies, which just may live in the sweet spot that introverts like Jay and Tom naturally occupy.
If you're an introvert, listen in to learn how the natural abilities you already have in abundance just might pave your path to business development success in "the new normal."
Personal branding isn’t just for lawyers working in law firms. According to Lisa Lang, general counsel at Kentucky State University, t’s an issue that all lawyers—private practice and in-house—should be focused on. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss a range of topics with Lisa, including:
- The importance of personal branding and content creation for in-house lawyers (or those looking to go in-house)
- Lisa’s WHY THIS, NOT THAT content series on LinkedIn, and her approach to connecting and creating content on LinkedIn
- Her experience connecting with other women lawyers on LinkedIn, which led to her co-authoring the book #Networked
“John Grisham was a practicing lawyer with a side hustle.” That’s the “hook” line from a LinkedIn post Jay wrote on January 1 that generated well over 100,000 views and a boatload of reactions and comments. In this episode, Jay and Tom break down the post and extract lessons that everyone who posts on LinkedIn can benefit from, including:
- How to tell a story on LinkedIn
- The importance of consistency
- Why the first and last line of a post are so important
- The reasons you should be jumping into the comments on your post—especially during the first hour
Why is "Vision"—a somewhat nebulous term and often misunderstood concept—so critical for attorneys looking to further their careers (whether in law or outside of it)? Bob Levant, an accomplished trial attorney who is earning his master’s degree in mental health counseling to further his own career as coach to enterprising attorneys, joins the show to discuss why long-term success always starts with a clear definition of vision and why, without one, an attorney's work can be mired in mundanity or, worse, become dispiriting and demotivating.
What does it take to grow a network of 20,000 followers on LinkedIn? In short, consistency, creativity and generosity. In this episode Patricia Baxter, managing partner of Morgan & Akin’s Philadelphia office, discusses reaching the 20,000-follower threshold with Jay and Tom. It’s not a vanity metric—it’s a reflection of concerted effort to create great content and deliver value to an audience. Among the issues discussed include:
- How long Patricia has been active on LinkedIn (not as long as you might think)
- Her approach to content creation
- How often she posts
- The systems, processes and people she uses to help her manage her active LinkedIn presence
Jamie Jackson Spannhake is a lawyer, writer and work-life integration coach. Her new book, "The Lawyer, the Lion, & the Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos," examines successful mindset shifts and methodologies for lawyers to consider in order to get what they truly want out of their lives and careers. Listen to the end to receive a 20%-off discount code to purchase the book!
We discussed:
Why are attorneys increasingly pursuing "side hustles," such as writing a book or starting a coaching practice?
What does Jamie's book teach us about managing one's mind, as well as one's time?
Why does success track back to mindset, and how can that acknowledgement set one up for success?
Tips for attorneys looking to take the first step towards launching a thought-leadership content platform (book, podcast, etc.)
Becoming a lawyer is a journey not a destination. To achieve success and satisfaction, and thrive in your career, you must continually learn, improve your mindset, and develop positive new habits. Joining Tom and Jay in this episode to discuss these and other issues is Elise Buie of the Elise Buie Family Law Group. Topics include:
- The importance of being a lifelong learner
- What “keystone habits” are, and how they can have a positive spillover effect on all you do
- Why you should aim to operate within your “zone of genius”
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and other limiting beliefs
Tom asks Jay to describe a newly discovered approach to LinkedIn that attorneys who aspire to become thought leaders should explore: the value of writing daily posts on LinkedIn. Jay shares his methodology and the impact its having on his engagement and reach on LinkedIn, specifically:
How this differs from strategies used by marketers in the past
How this will make you a better writer and more thoughtful practitioner
How daily posts are naturally engineered to better engage with an audience
The math and science that make this approach work, and how it will grow your network
The advanced techniques that maximize exposure and audience engagement
The knowledge management system that allows you to share your best ideas and influence conversations
There are myriad ways you can market a legal practice. We believe, perhaps not surprisingly, that thought-leadership marketing is one of the best ways. But thought-marketing is not a silver bullet. It’s not magic. And it’s not to be confused with other short-term, in-your-face marketing tactics. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss some common misconceptions about thought-leadership marketing, describe what it is and is not, and attempt to set some realistic expectations. Among other things, they discuss:
- How thought-leadership marketing is more like farming than hunting
- How thought-leadership marketing generates new business leads, but not in the way most think about “lead generation”
- Why it’s critical to create a digital footprint consisting of your content
- The difference between “tricking” your audience and “enrolling” your audience
- Why thought-leadership is no substitute for business development
Scott Love is a legal recruiter who focuses on national partner placement for Amlaw100 and Amlaw200 law firms. He is an expert on the topic of business development strategy, and uses this skill to help partners reach their full potential in joining a new firm. Listen in as Jay and Tom discover what's behind what Scott has identified as the five key attributes of successful partners, and how you can attain them:
-They have a business plan -They have a niche -They have good leadership skills and people skills -They take initiative such as creating their own events -They have regular habits
A limiting belief is something you believe about yourself that prevents you from realizing your full potential. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss three common limiting beliefs that get in the way of lawyers producing content and becoming thought leaders, including:
- Imposter syndrome
- The pursuit of perfection
- The need to produce truly “original” ideas
Tune in to learn how to recognize and overcome these limiting beliefs on your way to becoming a thought leader.
Laura Frederick is the Managing Attorney at Laura Frederick Law, a boutique law firm in Austin, Texas that helps businesses with vendor contracts. Having just recently launched an aggressive and committed thought leadership program on LinkedIn, Laura joins Jay and Tom to discuss her recipe for success, including:
—How focusing on a narrower niche actually generated more inbound opportunities —What she changed in August, and how that led to 6,600% growth in one key metric on LinkedIn —Her advice and tips for attorneys looking to be more committed to LinkedIn —The art of giving, as opposed to "marketing" —The roles visuals play in generating audience engagement —If, how and when to measure campaign ROI
It’s that time of year: personal marketing plan season. When it comes to creating a personal marketing plan, make it strategic and also keep it simple. In this episode, Tom and Jay discuss the different components of a personal marketing plan, and how lawyers can make theirs effective and actionable. They expound upon:
- Goal setting
- The importance of differentiation
- Identifying your audience
- Understanding your audience’s ecosystem
- Marketing tactics
- Scheduling your marketing activity
If you’re an attorney or legal marketer who has recently launched a legal podcast, you should be working actively and ongoing to grow your audience within the niche you’re targeting. Jay and Tom take a look at some of the more tried and true tactics, from basic to advanced, including:
-The low-hanging fruit of the channels you can control -Optimizing your podcast for search -How guest strategy can grow your audience better than anything -Pitching for syndication -Digestible lures and gateways -The lightning round!
We're now more than six months since attorneys were forced to forgo traditional forms of business development and marketing and turn their attention to content and thought leadership marketing. How's it going so far? Now is the time to evaluate what's working, what's not, and to respond by adjusting your content strategy for the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of the new year. Here are five common mistakes that can get in the way of achieving content marketing success. Listen in as Jay and Tom dive deep into each and address how to turn things around going forward:
- Lack of consistency
- Content is too general
- Too much analysis, not enough actionable advice
- Headlines aren't door openers
- The promotion strategy is lacking
There are different phases lawyers will go through as they build a significant book of business. There’s no guarantee you’ll progress through each phase, but if you do it’s likely that you’ll follow a particular path. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss what it takes to build a $100,000, $500,000, and $1,000,000-plus practice. Topics include:
- Why lawyers in Phase One must typically rely on “friends and family” clients
- How Phase Two lawyers narrow the focus but broaden the geographic scope of their practices
- Why systems, processes, and scale are key to cracking the $1 million mark
- How thought leadership fits into Phases One, Two, and Three
Positioning yourself and your practice is all about narrowing your focus to the point where you can say “I do x practice for y market.” In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss the challenges lawyers have in narrowing their focus, the benefits they’re missing out on, and how thought leadership fits into the equation. Issues addressed include:
- The problem positioning helps solve.
- The benefits of narrow focus
- What stops lawyers from focusing
- Tests of your positioning
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in unprecedented demand for legal thought-leadership content. As we head toward the fourth quarter, the content onslaught has subsided, so we thought it was a good opportunity to see what lessons we could derive from the content onslaught. In this episode, Jay and Tom look back with an eye toward optimizing content marketing moving forward, and discuss:
- The renewed challenge of topic selection
- Making time for content creation when it feels less urgent
- Assessing content formats and analytics
- Why differentiation is more important than ever
- Content remains king
If you’re tired of getting the same old results with your thought-leadership marketing efforts, try implementing some fresh new ideas. In this episode, Tom and Jay discuss some ways to change up your approach to content in order to create more engagement with your readers, listeners, and viewers. They address:
-
Various writing formats outside of the typical “intro, background, analysis, conclusion” style that most legal articles utilize
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The value of writing in a less formal style by using the first and second person
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The importance of reading outside of your area of expertise in order to open yourself up to new ideas
Jared D. Correia, Esq. is the CEO of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, working with law firms around the world to improve their business management practice. Jared is also the COO of Gideon Software, Inc.. which delivers chatbots built exclusively for law firms. Listen to his discussion with Jay and Tom about the past, present and future of legal and marketing technology.
-But first, a James Taylor story.
-What are some of the best tech/software tools to support content and thought-leadership marketing?
-What is Gideon, and how can law firms implement chatbot technology into their business development efforts, and even their content marketing efforts?
-What is Jared's take on the state of legal podcasting?
-What are two or three interesting legal tech startups we should keep an eye out for?
-Jay and Jared chime in: If they had to it all over again, would they still leave the practice of law to consult?
As the old saying goes, what you measure you can manage, and that’s especially true when it comes to thought-leadership marketing. In this episode, Tom and Jay discuss why it’s important to keep an eye on content analytics in order to improve the ROI on your efforts. They discuss:
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The different types of analytics available on different platforms
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What data matter and what don’t matter all that much
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How to use data to improve your marketing and business development efforts
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What signals to look for as you progress from rookie content creator to preeminent authority in your field
Exciting news! Jay Harrington announces the release of his third book, The Productivity Pivot. Listen in as Tom interviews Jay to share the inspiration, the process and the intended outcomes for the release of this book for lawyers looking to build a successful practice and achieve career satisfaction. Tom asked Jay:
Why this book, and why now?
If it's true that "too many lawyers are unhappy," how does this book aim to change that?
What is at the root of happiness for attorneys, as addressed in this book?
How can attorneys put an actual and actionable plan into execution, so the same issues and obstacles don't persist year after year?
What is behind Charlie Munger's process to sell oneself one hour each day, and how can attorneys embrace such a commitment?
Presuming this approach is adopted, how do attorneys maximize that one hour, and what do they spend it on?
What is the 60-minute daily sprint?
In anticipation of Jay's forthcoming book, The Productivity Pivot, Jay and fellow author Tom discuss the pros and cons of writing a book as a component of a broader thought leadership program. As a former attorney who will soon publish his second book (and has already started his third!), Jay provides his own experiences about the rewards and rigors of authoring a book to delve more deeply into a narrowly focused area of subject matter, along with those he has discovered by interviewing, following and reading fellow attorneys-turned-author.
Listen to discover how to best plan for the project, both in its development/authorship and in the pre-marketing, launch and post-marketing phases. Learn how he and fellow authors find the time in their otherwise busy schedules to devote to writing a book, and why the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices in time. Consider Jay and Tom's insights on how to properly set expectations and maximize the project's ongoing value in perpetuity. Join the discussion as Jay and Tom review the 10 things every lawyer should consider before writing a book.
How do you position a practice? How does narrow positioning tip the power dynamic in an attorney/client relationship in your favor? To answer these questions and more, Jay and Tom welcome David C. Baker to the show, who the New York Times called the “expert’s expert.” You will learn a ton in this insight-packed episode, including:
- The power of narrow positioning to generate clients and higher fees
- The difference between vertical and horizontal positioning
- How to find more time to create thought leadership (hint: raise your rates)
- How to not act like an expert
Can the practice of meditation and mindfulness help an attorney excel in the practice of law? And how is mindfulness and body/mind well-being correlative to thought leadership? Our guest Jeffrey Bunn is a retired attorney of 40 years, and founder of The Mindful Law Coaching & Consulting Group, which advocates for the incorporation of mindfulness and meditation practices as well-being tools for individual lawyers and collectively for law firms.
We discussed:
Are mindfulness and meditation the same?
How are mindfulness and meditation components of a larger well-being movement, and can either help attorneys professionally?
Can mindfulness and meditation help lawyers reimagine the practice of law, post-COVID-19?
Is well-being a strategy concern, or a cultural concern? What’s the difference?
One of the marks of a thought leader is that the media takes notice. Lawyers who are thought leaders are often quoted as sources in stories. Their opinions and insights are used to make sense of the news. As a consequence of being featured in the media, a lawyer is perceived as more credible and authoritative, further burnishing his or her thought-leader credentials. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss why pursuing a PR strategy is important, and how to do it. Topics discussed include:
- The PESO model - Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media
- Why every good PR pitch starts with a great idea
- The importance of understanding a reporter’s motivations and objectives
- How to localize and contextualize news in order to gain coverage
If you want to become a thought leader, you can't rely upon your opinion alone. Thought leaders curate the best data and information, and use it to inform their writing, and thereby their audience. Greg Lambert, Chief Knowledge Services Officer at Jackson Walker LLP, joins Jay and Tom discuss how a law firm's library and knowledge management teams can play an integral role in its thought-leadership marketing and business development. Topics addressed include:
How law firm’s library and knowledge management teams collaborate with marketing and business development teams
How lawyers can leverage the information from library and knowledge management resources for their own client development needs
Greg's own experience as a prolific thought leader, including co-founding the popular and well-regarded 3 Geeks and a Law Blog
What happens when an English major and a former attorney get together to discuss writing techniques for legal thought leadership? Episode 41 of the Thought Leadership Project podcast! Listen in as Jay and Tom cite and examine various techniques for authors to employ in order to capture a reader's attention and keep it all the way to the ultimate call-to-action. Devices discussed include metaphors and analogies, data and statistics, research and sourcing, and even a little bit of storytelling. Discover what Tom says is missing from his writing, and see what might be missing from yours!
Social media activity, content creation, and content consumption have all gone through the roof during the COVID-19 crisis. Adrian Dayton, founder and CEO of Clearview Social, joins Jay and Tom to make sense of what is happening with thought-leadership marketing at this moment, and why it matters. Issues addressed include:
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The massive amount of activity happening on social networks
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How thought leadership shared on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter leads to new business
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What ROI lawyers can reasonably expect from their activities on social platforms
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The importance of employee advocacy
We've spent a lot of time discussing the importance of content creation for lawyers who want to become and remain thought leaders. But what about content curation? Jay and Tom deconstruct a tried and true—and highly recommended—component of thought-leadership marketing to help fortify your position as industry expert.
What is content curation, and what are some specific examples?
Why is curation a vital component to an attorney's content marketing program?
How does one know what to share...and where to find it?
What is the appropriate mix or ratio of curated content relative to created content?
What "curation hacks" exist to make this easier on busy lawyers and legal marketers?
Content consumption is at an all-time high in the current environment. But so is content creation. Adrian Lurssen, co-founder and VP of strategic development at JD Supra, rejoins the podcast to discuss what his platform's analytics and data mean for thought-leadership marketing in the modern paradigm:
What do the data show, in terms of how content is being consumed right now?
What are the resulting implications for creators of thought leadership?
How do thought leaders rise above the noise, to become the "signal?"
How can thought leaders more effectively reach their specific target audiences?
How should CMOs and legal marketing departments be reassessing their nearer-term strategies to address the realities of this new content environment?
Many lawyers and law firms are afraid of narrowing their focus because they worry that by doing so they will limit opportunities for new business. Jonathan Barber, and his law firm Franchise.law, exemplify why the exact opposite is true—that narrowing down on a specific target market is the path to growth. On this episode, Jay and Tom discuss a range of topics with Jonathan, including:
How he and his partner made the leap to representing only franchisors
How that transformation allowed them to grow into a national practice
Why a narrow focus makes marketing and business development easier and more effective
How thought leadership plays an important role in helping a small firm make a big impact
With limits on human interaction making in-person networking nearly impossible, lawyers are flocking to digital platforms like LinkedIn and other social media to stay connected and engaged with colleagues, clients and prospects. Some are diving in for the first time, others are getting reacquainted. Jay and Tom discuss how to leverage LinkedIn to earn a reputation as a true thought leader, from tips basic to advanced, including:
Optimizing your profile
Growing your network with quality connections
Staying engaged and connected with others
Sharing content: what to share, how-to, and how often?
How does thought leadership maximize your efforts on LinkedIn?
On this episode, Jeremy Richter—lawyer, author, and podcaster—joins us to talk about his new book and how having the right mindset is key to becoming a successful and satisfied lawyer. Jeremy is the author of the recently released book, Level Up Your Law Practice, and shares his insights on his book writing process and lots of tips on how to be a good lawyer. Among the topics addressed include:
- Why Jeremy wrote his new book, who it’s for, and what it’s about
- How Jeremy finds the time to write books
- The difference between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset, and why it matters
- How to mix creative pursuits with the practice of law
- What led Jeremy to launch his podcast, Lawyerpreneur
Business development during an economic downturn will always feel challenging. Selling during times of crisis can feel downright daunting. Jay and Tom tackle the complexities around selling and marketing during this particularly unique challenging environment, including the mental hurdles that need to be cleared, the strategic groundwork that needs to be laid, and the tactical commitments attorneys need the discipline to adhere to in order to achieve success.
Is now an appropriate time to be "selling?"
How to overcome your own selling aversions and potential market reticence without "selling."
What should attorneys be selling right now, and what are best ways to do so?
Tips for lawyers looking to find productivity gains in an unfamiliar work environment.
Why does thought-leadership marketing excel, given the current limitations on other forms of in-person selling?
Since virtually every law firm in the country is pumping out massive amounts of written content about the COVID-19 crisis, it’s hard for any individual thought leader to stand out. In this episode, Jay and Tom share five tips for crafting content that will reach your intended audience, including:
- Know your audience
- Craft unique headlines
- Address the implications of information
- Look for unique angles
- Think outside your website
Known for their daring antics and outgoing personality, Ruth Carter is an Arizona attorney and an authority on intellectual property, business law, and internet law. Ruth has written three best-selling books on guerrilla marketing and social media law and has been a speaker at more than 100 events, including Content Marketing World and South by Southwest, as well as being featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and on NPR.
Ruth joins Jay and Tom to discuss a wide range of relevant and thought-leadership-related issues, including:
Advice and tips for working remotely during the Coronavirus crisis
How to optimize newfound time, should billable hours start to ebb, on business development efforts
Can an attorney's expertise be packaged and "product-ized" for sale?
Tips for lawyers who want to start creating content for the niche markets they serve
Why now is the time to have renewed focus on business development and marketing efforts
Yes, you can be a busy lawyer who excels at serving your clients and also consistently produce thought-leadership content. In this episode, Jay and Tom have an engaging conversation with attorney Frank Ramos, Managing Partner of Clarke Silverglate, P.A. Frank is the author of more than 10 books, 400 thought-leadership articles, hosts a podcast, and posts original insights on LinkedIn every day—in addition to running a busy law firm. Topics addressed in this episode include:
Frank’s process for generating and capturing great ideas for content
How Frank fits content creation into his busy schedule
Tips for young lawyers
The value of LinkedIn
And much more
t probably comes as no surprise that we believe thought-leadership marketing is what we like to call "Modern PR." But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be focused on traditional PR, which involves gaining coverage by reporters for stories they're writing. In this episode, we speak to PR expert Helen Croydon, founder of Thought Leadership PR, about ways lawyers can pitch the media successfully. Jay and Tom speak to Helen about:
The importance of researching the reporter, editor, and/or publication you're pitching
How to craft a pitch
Why it's better to pitch one idea than a multitude of them
How to write thought-leadership content if you want it to appeal to a publication
And much more
One typically thinks of thought-leadership content as written blog posts, white papers, articles and now audio content like podcasts. In this episode, Jay and Tom explore the art of “visual storytelling” as a thought-leadership marketing device, examining best practices for using pictures to paint a thousand words, such as:
Infographics - How can great design distill complex concepts into simpler, more accessible information?
Video - What advantages does video have over written articles, podcasting and other thought-leadership counterparts?
Presentations and keynote support: Which visual storytelling elements can elevate a "public speaker" into a true "thought leader?”
Closing the deal at the point of impact: Don’t fumble the thought-leadership ball at the one-yard line. Make that proposal stick out of the stack by deploying visual artwork to convey your thought leadership bona fides when they matter most!
In this episode, Jay Harrington addresses three questions you need to consider if you want to make an impact with your though- leadership content. By answering these questions, you’ll get a handle on the strategic issues involved in becoming an effective thought leader. Without a solid strategy in place, it will be nearly impossible to achieve the results you're after. If you start creating content without a strategy, you’ll end up with disparate pieces content that don’t really resonate with your audience. The three questions are:
- Who is my audience?
- What do I have to say?
- Where will I publish my content?
Rob Montgomery is the founder of Robert H. Montgomery, III, Esquire, P.C., a leading boutique law firm focusing on counseling healthcare clients, particularly dentists and veterinarians, in a full range of business and legal matters affecting their practices. Listen as he relays to Jay and Tom his personal experience with establishing a niche platform for thought leadership and business development:
Why should lawyers embrace the notion of a narrowly defined niche when it comes to building a practice?
How has a podcast — his Dental Amigos podcast — helped him and his firm establish greater share of voice and, consequently, more opportunities to grow his law practice?
What are some things lawyers should keep in mind if considering whether and how to launch a podcast of their own?
Podcasting as a thought-leadership time-saver.
How can podcasting nurture deeper, more personal relationships with industry influencers and prospective clients?
Podcasting is all the rage, but lawyers and law firms interested in starting a podcast often don't know where to start. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss five foundational issues that you need to think through before recording your first episode, including:
-Purpose -Positioning -Format -Topic Selection -Workflow
What's one thing that you can do to dramatically improve the impact of your thought leadership marketing? Publish more of your content on platforms other than your law firm's website. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss the value of guest-posting with Leigh Jones, editor-in-chief of Law.com, the premier news website for the legal profession, and senior editor of Law.com's culture desk. Listen in as they discuss:
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The value of thought leadership/content creation for lawyers, generally.
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Why lawyers should pursue more guest-posting publishing opportunities.
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From Lynn's perspective as an editor, what it takes to create a good piece of guest-contributed thought leadership content.
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Some mistakes lawyers make when it comes to creating guest-contributed thought leadership content.
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Dos and don’ts when it comes to pitching an idea to an editor.
Chuck Bean is a Partner with The Martec Group, leading Martec’s voice of customer practice. Chuck helps consumer insights professionals hear the true voice of clients and unlock success by focusing on what truly motivates buying behavior. Listen in as Jay and Tom explore Chuck’s more than 25 years of experience in the market research and consumer insights world to gain insights as to how law firms can create and package custom research as thought leadership content, including:
How is research being used as thought leadership today?
How can law firms approach a custom research study to create marketable insights and information of value to the markets they serve?
What are some things to make sure you include in a custom research project, and what are some pitfalls to avoid?
How is the research industry changing, and how can law firms optimize the results they might be looking for in the modern landscape?
In this episode. we focus on how to put the "leadership" back into "thought leadership." Indeed, thought leadership is not a solitary endeavor. For a law firm to spread its ideas effectively, the whole organization needs to be on board, or at least understand the mission. The firms that most effectively leverage thought leadership encourage and engage in smart, strategic employee advocacy programs. Join Jay and Tom as they discuss how to plan and execute effective employee advocacy initiatives with Jennifer Bankston, who has served as Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer for three law firms and now consults with firms to provide marketing and business development strategies paired with technology solutions.
Jay and Tom discuss their view of the seven most common mistakes that lawyers make when embarking on a thought-leadership marketing program, including ways to avoid the pitfalls that plague others. Topics include:
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Not being clear and concise about your positioning
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Not being consistent, predictable and reliable in your publishing
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Not establishing a distinctive “voice”
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Not marketing your content effectively when the writing is done
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Not pursuing publication in trade media, content communities and other areas of influence
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Not fully embracing the notion of "thought leader" by being too self-promotional, too soon, and too often
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Not leveraging available resources and trying to do it all oneself
We're kicking off 2020 with an episode jam-packed with great tips to help lawyers improve their marketing and business development. Sam McKenna, an award-winning speaker and sales consultant, joins us for an engaging conversation with loads of actionable advice. Among the issues discussed are:
How to find time for business development when time is limited
Why you shouldn't rush to discount your fees
How to push back politely in the sales process
Why urgency is required to close a new engagement
And much more
Mike Mellor is the Director of Marketing and Business Development at Pryor Cashman. Mike shares his thoughts about the importance of building a niche practice that demonstrates one's industry expertise, and reinforcing that expertise through the creation and publication of thought leadership. Mike, Jay, and Tom discuss:
B2B buying and content consumption patterns How having a niche can help you stand out
Why it's critical to frequently optimize and improve your website and LinkedIn bio
The benefits of LinkedIn Sales Navigator as a business development tool
What to do—and not do—when meeting a prospective client
What's the difference between one-off marketing tactics and integrated marketing campaigns? Jay and Tom explore this and other issues with Kim Rennick, Chief Client Development and Marketing Officer at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Tune in for a lively discussion about:
How Kim's background in sales informs her role as the CMO of a major law firm
The importance of executing integrated marketing campaigns, as opposed to doing random acts of marketing
How thought leadership supports business development
Why it's critical for marketing leaders to have the support of the firm's leaders
How video marketing interrupts patterns and engages audiences
On this week's episode, Ryan Pasquali joins Jay and Tom to discuss building a law firm culture that promotes and supports thought leadership initiatives. Ryan is the Chief Marketing Officer at Brooks Kushman, a premier intellectual property law firm headquartered in Michigan. Topics discussed in this podcast include:
The importance of content marketing and thought leadership at Ryan's firm
How Ryan and his marketing team work closely with the firm's attorneys to incentivize and encourage the consistent creation of thought leadership content
How content marketing supports business development
Jay and Tom welcome Nat Slavin, a partner in the Wicker Park Group, an international consultancy focused on helping law firms strengthen and deepen their relationships with in-house counsel through client feedback. Their conversation explored ways in which thought leaders can source their content strategy by having authentic and inquisitive conversations with their clients, including:
What are some key takeaways from Edelman's study, entitled, "How Thought Leadership Drives Demand Generation?"
What are buyers of legal services looking for in terms of thought leadership from lawyers, and where are they looking for it?
Why might an attorney object to asking existing and past clients for input regarding the expertise they're looking for, and how can that reluctance be overcome?
What is the danger in asking for a client's input and not taking candid feedback to heart?
What is the advantage an attorney might gain over competitors by integrating client "discovery" into their thought leadership content?
Erik Meier is the Founder/CEO of the EAM Consulting Group and President of Sandler Training, a sales and management training company with locations in Troy, Lansing and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He shared with Jay and Tom his best advice for lawyers looking to grow their practices and optimize their business development efforts, including:
Why is it important for lawyers to focus on "behaviors" and not results, when it comes to business development?
What behaviors should attorneys prioritize?
What are the most common fallacies and limiting beliefs shared by lawyers and other consultants when it comes to the notion of "selling," and how can they overcome them?
How has Erik seen firsthand the ways in which content marketing (specifically thought leadership) has intersected with business development and sales?
Why the first step in the Sandler Sales Training process is the easiest...and the most critical.
John Trentacosta, who is a partner in the Detroit office of Foley & Lardner, joins Tom and Jay to discuss how content marketing and becoming a thought leader is critical to building a practice. John, who is one of the top automotive industry litigators in the industry, is a prolific content creator who has authored a book, frequently writes articles, and does public speaking—and he's built a very successful legal practice in the process.
Topics covered in this episode include:
Why John believes it's important for every lawyer to create and share content
The significance of being able to say, "I wrote the book on it," when prospecting for clients
How to generate ideas for new content
Content marketing tips for young lawyers
Rich Bracken is the Director of Business Development at Minneapolis-headquartered law firm Fredrikson & Byron. He's also a thought leader and content creator in multiple domains, including podcasting, television, and on-stage as a public speaker. On this episode, Jay and Tom talk to Rich about a range of topics, including:
Why it's so important to focus on the fundamentals of marketing and business development
How lawyers can achieve business development success in a complex world by keeping it simple
Why creating memorable client-service moments is a competitive advantage
How to authentically and effective connect with your audience through your content
In this "meta" episode, Jay and Tom podcast about why lawyers should have podcasts. Having a podcast gives you a platform through which to share thought leadership, a way to market your practice, and a means to connect with prospective clients. The discussion focuses on:
Why podcasting for lawyers is one of the most important marketing trends for 2020
Different podcasting formats (solo or guest format)
What you should expect, in terms of benefits and time commitment, from your podcast
The importance of being strategic when starting a podcast by narrowing in on a specific audience
How to make podcasting easy and fun
Why podcasting is a great business development tool
Most people are familiar with the term "content marketing" as it relates to thought leadership. But what is "content business development?" Recently referenced by prior guest Adrian Lurssen of JD Supra, this is (as the name suggests) content that lives and operates further down the sales funnel.
To be specific:
Refresher course: What is a sales funnel?
How content and thought leadership now operate across the entirety of the sales funnel.
How can lawyers use various formats of content for business development purposes, in addition to its marketing uses?
A handful of specific examples of content being used as business development tools for listeners to consider.
An invitation, not a solicitation. The offer, not the cold call.
How should attorneys and law firms be thinking differently about their content marketing strategy in 2020?
Spencer X Smith, founder of AmpliPhi Social Media Strategies, joins us to talk about how lawyers can find and leverage public speaking opportunities to build their brands and develop business. In this episode, Jay and Tom ask Spencer to break down his best tips for getting the most out of public speaking, including:
How to find public speaking opportunities
Why public speaking is still important in the digital and social media age
How to use a slide deck to enhance (not overshadow) your presentation
Ways to connect with your audience before, during, and after a public speaking engagement
Adrian Lurssen is co-founder ofJD Supra, a digital media company that enables professionals to greatly increase their visibility by sharing their expertise online. As the 28th employee to join Yahoo!, Adrian has a long history and considerable expertise when it comes to developing platforms for content distribution. In this episode, he shares with Jay and Tom what he's learned and how he's innovated in the areas of content distribution and performance analytics, including:
- What's wrong with the if-we-build-it-they-will-come conventional wisdom?
- What can content marketers take away from Adrian's anecdote about Nelson Mandela?
- How can attorneys maximize the content and exposure for the content they create?
- Why does content need to be interruptive?
- How has the role of content marketing evolved in just the last two years, relative to brand-building and, now, business development?
- What metrics should content marketers monitor, and how can that data be weaponized to maximize one's return on investment?
Reading & Resources
- Not familiar with JD Supra? Visit jdsupra.com
- Connect with Adrian on LinkedIn, or follow him on Twitter.
- "Write it down," as Roy Sexton mentioned on a previous episode, and other ways to generate content ideas.
- "Further down the funnel:" How content marketing is now a business development function.
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
Want to be a guest on a future episode?
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project
Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
"Personal branding" is one of the most misunderstood terms in marketing vernacular. At it's core, personal branding is about building a positive reputation that speaks for you when you're not there to speak for yourself. In today's episode, Jay and Tom discuss how lawyers can build their personal brands through content marketing, and address questions including:
- What is a personal brand?
- What are the goals you should seek to accomplish through your content?
- What forms of content will help you build your personal brand?
- Why is it critical to be authentic and consistent when building your personal brand?
Reading & Resources
- 90-Day Personal Brand Building Roadmap
- It's Never too Early for Associates to Build a Personal Brand
- A Young Lawyer's Path to Prosperity: Build a Powerful Personal Brand
- 3 Big Misconceptions About Personal Branding for Lawyers
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
Want to be a guest on a future episode?
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project
Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
Roy Sexton is the Director of Marketing at Clark Hill, a firm that ranks #82 on the 2019 NLJ ranking of firms based on size. In this episode, Jay and Tom have a lively discussion with Roy about the effect that having a strong network—from social media contacts, to colleagues, to clients—has on one's ability to spread his or her thought leadership message. They cover a range of thought leadership marketing topics, including:
- The role content marketing and thought leadership have in supporting legal business development
- How to build a network that will support and spread your content
- The importance of reciprocity—if you want others to engage with your content then you should engage with yours
- Why it's critical for everyone in a law firm, from attorneys to support staff, to work together to support content marketing initiatives
Reading & Resources
- Want to Become a Thought Leader? You Need to Build a Platform
- Episode 4: How to Build a Thriving Legal Practice with Thought Leadership, Featuring Attorney Scott Becker
- Build Your Network…But Also Build a “Scene”
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
Want to be a guest on a future episode?
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project
Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
What did Harrington's 2019 Law Firm Content Marketing Survey reveal about what makes content marketing programs successful? Where are lawyers sharing their content online, and to what effect? How do law firms establish metrics for success when strategizing and developing their thought leadership programs? Jay and Tom dig in and dissect the market research report conducted earlier this year.
Matters Raised:
- But first, a few introductions are in order: Jay and Tom provide brief overviews of their careers and how it led them to where they are today, including their roles as podcast co-hosts and partners at Harrington, the legal marketing firm founded by Jay and his wife Heather.
- How was Harrington's 2019 Law Firm Content Marketing Survey constructed? Who was interviewed? What were the goals and overarching intent?
- What were the key takeaways and insights? Any surprises?
- The most successful content marketing campaigns are those that begin with a documented strategy. Attorneys and legal marketers reporting that they did not have a strategy document returned far lower success rates.
- How and where are attorneys distributing their thought leadership content?
- What social networks do lawyers report using the most to share content online?
- No surprises: What did survey respondents say is the biggest content-marketing challenge facing law firms today?
- How can content marketers use the data in this report to optimize their own thought leadership and content marketing initiatives?
- What the data tells us about 2019...and beyond!
Reading & Resources
- Harrington Report: Takeaways from the 2019 Content Marketing Survey
- Download the Report: 2019 Law Firm Content Marketing Survey
- How to Overcome the Biggest Challenge Cited in the 2019 Content Marketing Survey
- FREE Download: Grow Your LinkedIn Network and Generate New Leads (and other books)
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
Want to be a guest on a future episode?
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project
Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.
In-house legal marketers play a critical role in helping lawyers become thought leaders. In this episode, Jay has a discussion with legal marketer-extraordinaire Stefanie Marrone. Stefanie has nearly 20 years of experience in professional services marketing, Stefanie Marrone leads the business development, marketing and communications functions at the New York City law firm Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. She works with firm leadership to develop and implement strategy to enhance client and business development, marketing, social media, content marketing and media relations efforts.
Jay and Stefanie have a wide-ranging conversation on thought leadership marketing topics, including:
- How content marketing and thought leadership fuel legal business development
- What "content paralysis" is and why it stops lawyers from creating content
- Tips for overcoming content paralysis
- The importance of using a client-centric tone and voice with your content
- How to find time to create content
- Tips to help you get started creating content
Reading & Resources
- Lawyers, How to Overcome Content Paralysis and Get the Attention You Deserve
- The Social Media Butterfly Blog
- Stefanie's LinkedIn Profile
Looking for more? Subscribe today! Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!
Want to be a guest on a future episode?
Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.
Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project
Jay Harrington
Tom Nixon
Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.