[The latest in our series of Q&A discussions on successful writing in the business realm with recipients of JD Supra's 2016 Readers' Choice award:]

Stephen M. Quinlivan is a partner at Stinson Leonard Street LLP in the Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota area. He is a corporate attorney representing businesses on SEC, executive compensation and mergers and acquisitions. As a lawyer from the Midwest, he says blogging transcends the traditional location specific boundaries law firms used to be trapped in. Although he doesn’t practice in a major coastal city, through his blog, Dodd-Frank.com, Quinlivan has been exposed to a national and international readership.

JD Supra: Why did you decide to write Dodd-Frank.com?

In 2010 I was sitting in my office early for an appointment when Congress passed the Dodd-Frank legislation. I immediately decided to order some Dodd-Frank website domains and give blogging a try. Dodd-Frank was new and we were on the leading edge of it for at least a year. Since then it’s gotten more competitive as more firms have provided coverage in this area. It’s since given us exposure on current issues and developed our name as a leader in certain areas.

...write if you’re the first and can add something to the conversation. If you’re not or cannot then you wait for the next opportunity.

How do you come up with ideas to write about?

We cover regulatory and court developments so I get my blog post ideas from the SEC’s and other regulators’ websites and case law alerts. I operate from the idea that you write if you’re the first and can add something to the conversation. If you’re not or cannot then you wait for the next opportunity.

How do you benefit from your writing?

My name has gotten out there in the Minneapolis area as a person to contact. I’ve been recognized as a leader in the areas I cover most. I’ve also received exposure nationally as a person out there in the Midwest that can compete with coastal firms in the level of knowledge and developments.

What specific takeaways can you give readers who are learning blog writing?  

A lot goes into the title. The more you can make them short, simple, and appealing the better. When covering Dodd-Frank and regulatory developments it is not always easy to create simple titles but you should always think about the title at least two or three times. Also, it’s not always easy to predict what your readership will like. I had no idea that an article that went up on JD Supra I wrote about stock-picking contests violating Dodd-Frank would be read by 30,000 people. Who would have thought?

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[Stephen was recognized as a top author in the Dodd-Frank category of JD Supra's 2016 Readers' Choice awards. Follow and read his latest writings here.]