Will Twitter recently rebranded as “X,” go under? Maybe, and that might not be a bad thing. Whether or not that happens, one or more other social media platforms will remain one of the best places to market law firms, so understanding the basic principles of social media is essential for ambitious lawyers, who can learn something from chess players.

Chess players are often advised to select a prominent player to be their “chess hero.” The idea is that intensive study of their opening repertoire will help players develop their own repertoire. The same idea works on social media. Following a “social media hero” is one of the best ways to up your game. Greg Siskind’s Twitter account is a great place to start.

Greg, an immigration lawyer with a national reputation, has also been a leader in showing lawyers how to use technology since the publication of his groundbreaking book, The Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing on the Internet (1996) a quarter century ago.  He’s now a leader in the use of Twitter by lawyers.

Gaffney’s article Law Practice Magazine article Practicing With Twitter: An Immigration Lawyer’s Social Media Journey is a good profile of Greg Siskind.

Greg has extended his leadership to social media, and is a leading legal voice on Twitter. No doubt, he will be a leader in the Twitter rebrand, “X,” or whatever is the next dominant social media platform? Here are some key quotes from Gaffney’s article:

Siskind joined Twitter back in 2008, in the early days of the transformative social media phenomenon. He believed the platform offered a way to reach potential clients and to share news of immigration law developments. While he initially gained few clients, Siskind continued to tweet out information when he found the time to do so. Then one day, everything changed. “One tweet got me on a list of people to follow for immigration news. After that I started to blow up,” Siskind said.

That tweet sparked the flame for Siskind, and he began dedicating more time to Twitter, making sure that people were receiving accurate immigration news (and his opinions on immigration politics). Over time, Siskind amassed a dedicated following of reporters, lawyers and others affected by and interested in immigration law. His relevance and following on Twitter earned him a “blue check” of verification, and soon new clients were reaching out to him through Twitter.

Lesson: Getting the attention of the right people makes all the difference. There is no better way than social media and no better model than Greg Siskind.