Some lawyers have begun using the videos they create for their websites as podcasts. If all you’re familiar with are lawyers’ television commercials, then you might be a bit confused by this fact. After all, who on Earth would be interested in subscribing to a series of podcasts featuring a lawyer asking people to hire his firm? The answer, obviously, is very few people indeed. However, effective online lawyer videos are not the overt sales pitches used in television commercials. Instead, they are informational in nature, helping prospective clients find answers to urgent questions they have—and in the process, demonstrating the law firm’s competence and professionalism, making it more likely that that prospective client will hire the law firm. If you’re considering using lawyer videos as podcasts, here are answers to a few questions you might have.

What is a podcast, anyway?

Podcasts are essentially digital files (either audio or video) that are released online, and that viewers can subscribe to so that new releases are automatically downloaded to their digital music/video player automatically via a web feed format (either RSS or XML).

What should my podcasts be about?

The answer to this question really depends on your intent behind starting them. If it’s merely to help build your firm’s brand and get your name out there, then it can be about pretty much anything of a legal nature. For example, your podcasts could be your legal take on current events that fall within your realm of expertise. If, on the other hand, your goal is to land new clients, then your podcasts should be focused on answering questions people who might need your services are likely to have.

What if I just want to put my informational lawyer videos available as podcasts?

Then do it. There are a number of free services available that will allow you to make your lawyer videos available as podcasts, as well as more comprehensive for-profit services who offer more customer support. It’s an inexpensive way to potentially find new clients; however, if you already have a number of videos, don’t release them all at once. Space out your releases so that subscribers don’t have to download the lawyer videos themselves.  

How long should they be?

In general, lawyer videos used as podcasts should probably only answer one or two related questions at a time; much more than that, and you risk losing your audience. For some complex questions, that may take ten to fifteen minutes, but the majority will probably be closer to two to five minutes. However, take as much time as you need to in order to fully answer the question that you’ve decided to ask.

How frequently should I post new podcasts?

The least frequently you can post new legal podcasts and expect subscribers to remember your last one is about one per month. On the flip side, posting more than once a day might feel overwhelming to your subscribers, unless your lawyer videos are quite short.

Tags: branding with attorney videos, editing, law podcasts, lawyer podcasts, legal podcasts