Law firms, especially large law firms, have been blogging blind for too long—hoping blogs by practice area or a lawyer’s hunch without a clear strategy will bring business development success.
That’s voodoo marketing. We’re in the days of AI now. The firms that keep blogging the old way—without data, without a real strategy—will find themselves invisible.
AI and GPT have changed the game, but most firms aren’t using these tools to find their edge in publishing.
I have been playing around the last couple weeks using GPT to look at which AmLaw 200 law firms were blogging on which subjects and to identify timely subjects on which no law firms were publishing.
Took seconds—even located relevant blogs on which firms had not posted in almost two years.
A firm’s blog strategy should be as sharp and intentional as its legal strategy—and AI can tell you exactly where to focus. Lawyers who have been lay or ill equipped when it comes to business development can find AI easy to use and data driven.
Find niches—even if you have to go as deep as in a Petri dish
Most legal blogs cover the same big topics—GDPR, employment law updates, SEC enforcement trends. But the riches are in the niches.
With AI, you can scan the legal landscape and find gaps—narrow, underserved areas where no one is publishing. Play around with GPT finding opportunities, just as you’ve played around with GPT on everything else.
- Is there a new regulation on AI use in healthcare compliance that no firms are covering yet? I don’t know. If so. Own it.
- Are mid-sized construction firms struggling with labor classification issues, but blogs only talk about Fortune 500s? That’s your niche.
When you own the niche, your blog becomes a must-have resource for clients, prospects, referral sources, and influencers in that space.
Exploit what your lawyers already know
You don’t need to chase trends blindly. AI can help you map your firm’s expertise to emerging legal opportunities.
- Which of your lawyers are sitting on untapped knowledge?
- Which practice areas and/or lawyers could be positioned as must-know niches or authorities when it comes to a blog?
A lawyer who routinely handles AI compliance issues for finance clients but isn’t writing about it is a lost opportunity. AI-driven blog strategy can surface these hidden strengths.
Analyze the competition—then take the open ground
Want to see where your firm is vulnerable and where the opportunities are? AI tools can map:
- What competitors are publishing—and more importantly, what they aren’t.
- Which practice areas are saturated with content and which are wide open.
- Where your firm has expertise but no visibility.
- If your competitors aren’t writing about AI bias risks in hiring, but employment law clients need guidance—why aren’t you owning that space?
The warning: adapt or be forgotten
We are in the days of AI. Law firms that keep blogging like it’s 2010—without data, without strategy—will get left behind.
- If you don’t use AI to identify your space, someone else will.
- If you don’t own the niche, your competitors will take it.
- If you don’t adapt, your voice will disappear into the noise.
Bottom line: AI eliminates the guesswork
No more random blog topics. No more writing about whatever comes to mind. AI tells you:
- Where the gaps are.
- Where your firm has an advantage.
- Where your competitors are leaving opportunities for you.
No more voodo blog strategy. AI-driven blog strategy-like AI is for everything is the future. Get after it-or risk being irrelevant.