This course was last updated in January 2018.
A brief look at the elements of a successful legal blog, drawing on Free Movement editor Colin Yeo’s decade of experience. If you are thinking about starting up or taking over a blog, this is essential reading. Colin has made plenty of mistakes along the way and can tell you how to avoid them yourself!
This is the course we ask new contributors to Free Movement to take themselves.
The course is only available to paying members of Free Movement. If you are not already a member, you can join here and access not just this course but all of our courses. Membership starts from £24 plus VAT per month, or £240 plus VAT for annual membership, and you can cancel at any time. We also offer corporate and group membership options.
You can check out the course contents below.
| Module 1 | Who are you writing for? | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Introduction | |
| Unit 2 | Target audience | |
| Unit 3 | Benefits to the author | |
| Unit 4 | Setting up your own blog | |
| Module 2 | Writing and structuring a blog post | |
| Unit 1 | Title and opening | |
| Unit 2 | Main text | |
| Unit 3 | Last paragraph | |
| Unit 4 | Structure and sources | |
| Unit 5 | But… | |
| Module 3 | Specific advice on writing about cases | |
| Unit 1 | Writing about legal judgments | |
| Module 4 | Audio and quiz | |
| Unit 1 | Audio (optional) | |
| Unit 2 | Quiz |
We also offer a separate short course on social media for lawyers.
| Module 1 | Introduction to social media | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | What are “social media”? | |
| Unit 2 | What can social media do for you? | |
| Unit 3 | What has social media done for me? | |
| Unit 4 | My platforms | |
| Module 2 | Why you should be using social media | |
| Unit 1 | To have some fun | |
| Unit 2 | To attract clients | |
| Unit 3 | To earn the respect of your peers | |
| Unit 4 | Bad reasons to use social media | |
| Unit 5 | Law Society practice note on social media | |
| Module 3 | Social media Top Tips | |
| Unit 1 | Understanding social media: some hard data | |
| Unit 2 | Be generous | |
| Unit 3 | Be strategic | |
| Unit 4 | The importance of your profile and photo | |
| Unit 5 | Content is king | |
| Unit 6 | Use pictures. A lot. | |
| Unit 7 | Add value and engage | |
| Unit 8 | Make time | |
| Unit 9 | Stay focused | |
| Unit 10 | Be human | |
| Unit 11 | Don’t be an idiot | |
| Unit 12 | Video key points review | |
| Module 4 | Your base: building your own platform | |
| Unit 1 | The importance of having a base | |
| Unit 2 | Importance of design and content | |
| Unit 3 | What’s in a name? | |
| Unit 4 | Using WordPress to create a website | |
| Module 5 | Other platforms | |
| Unit 1 | ||
| Unit 2 | ||
| Unit 3 | ||
| Unit 4 | ||
| Module 6 | Managing social media: tools and suggestions | |
| Unit 1 | Measuring success and failure | |
| Unit 2 | Optimal timing for social media sharing | |
| Unit 3 | Social media management software | |
| Unit 4 | Feedback |
