Rather than pitch news stories and releases to reporters, mainstream media and bloggers alike, why couldn’t legal tech companies publish themselves – on a platform that the company owns and controls.
Whether you call it a blog or a publishing “spot,” the company would publish their announcements, insight, commentary and news there.
The minute an item is published it is picked up by RSS aggregators and email subscribers.
Take LexBlog, for example, as an aggregator – it’s the largest legal news and commentary network, with over 25,000 legal contributors.
LexBlog picks up the feed, with the item posted by the legal tech company, immediately and runs this “news,” at no cost to the legal tech company, in LexBlog’s legal tech section, on LexBlog’s front page, as appropriate, and delivers the legal tech company’s “news” via LexBlog’s email distribution systems and social media channels.
LexBlog, also at no cost to the legal tech company, generates a profile page on LexBlog, including all “posted” news, for the company and principals posting the news.
Take things a step further and LexBlog could create a syndication portal dedicated to legal tech. Look at Illinois Lawyer Now to get the idea. A digital magazine dedicated to legal tech news, commentary and announcements.
Anyone, worldwide, could scroll through legal tech news on their smartphone, with information about the company and its principals a click away in the same interface.
Sure, a legal tech company can publish items to their own website, but its uptake is no where near this.
The Internet, and in particular, WordPress has democratized publishing.
As Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, says, this means that people of all backgrounds, interests, and abilities should be able to access free-as-in-speech software that empowers them to express themselves on the open web and to own their content.
Why not legal tech Companies?
For less than $50 per month, a company receives a fully equipped and full supported publishing spot, that if they so choose can be used as a blog or digital magazine.
Sure, there will be reasons to build influence and a name beyond self publishing, but expressing yourself in your own words on the open web is an opportunity not to be missed.