For the second part of this special post I went to a true success story from the Lexblog network, Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog’s Francis Pileggi. With over five-and-a-half years of blogging under his belt, Francis continues to reap the rewards of having a well-recognized blog. So how did he do it?

Take control of your image.

[In 2004], I came to the realization that people who wanted to find more information about lawyers went online and Googled them. I realized that lawyers who care about their image should be concerned what people find when they do a Google search and I wanted influence over it. I wanted to make sure that the first 5 or 10 things they saw on a Google search would be the best 5 or 10 things about me. I decided I needed to increase my Internet presence and the best way to do that was through a blog.”

Enjoy the process.

For me it was a natural evolution. I’ve always written a lot of articles. It’s not likely you’re going to do well with a blog unless you write a lot. You have to enjoy writing and want to write frequently and extensively. It’s a lot of work but it’s a labor of love.

Speak to the right audience.

It’s developed into something bigger than I ever anticipated. I’ve developed a following among lawyers… and judges. It’s become required reading for some law clerks… Now I am on a first-name basis with all of the nationally recognized corporate law professors and other corporate law experts.

All rewards are not financial.

I’ve gotten a substantial amount of business from it, no question about it. [The blog] has improved my professional stature. It’s made me a better lawyer. Now I’m not just reading cases, I’m summarizing them and I’m using it for my own research.”

Blogging is not an option anymore.

If you really want to be well known in a specific area… then you should be blogging on that topic. It identifies you as someone who is serious about that subject matter.” 

Thanks so much to Francis for his invaluable insight.  Next week we will focus on two more bloggers who have proven that you can get business from your blog!