Some lawyers have figured out how to become incredibly visible online. Other lawyers are posting regularly, sharing useful information, and wondering why almost nobody watches.
The difference isn’t always expertise. It isn’t necessarily production quality, either.
Sometimes, it comes down to a question that gets overlooked in law firm marketing:
Why would someone follow you before they need you?
I’m a marketer. My job is to notice patterns, understand why they work, and turn them into something other businesses can use.
Here’s the pattern I keep seeing: lawyers are creating content for the moment someone needs legal help while giving everyone else very little reason to stay.
And everyone else includes their future clients.
Mistake 1: Becoming a professional talking head
White background. Nice blazer. Perfect lighting. A serious expression.
“Here are three things you should know about divorce.”
“Five mistakes to avoid when buying property.”
“What to do if you’ve been charged.”
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this format. A lawyer who explains something clearly can be extremely useful.
But useful doesn’t automatically mean distinctive.
When ten lawyers explain the same five points in the same tone, the audience has little reason to remember which lawyer said what.
Generic explanations also compete with search results, legal websites and AI tools that can produce a basic overview almost immediately. That overview cannot replace advice about a person’s circumstances. But it does make basic information easier to find.
Your opportunity is to add something a generic answer cannot: judgment, perspective, personality and a recognizable way of explaining the world.
Information is everywhere. Personality isn’t.
A talking-head video can work beautifully when there is a person worth watching inside it. The problem starts when every trace of that person has been edited out.
Mistake 2: Using AI without a creative reason
Now AI-generated legal videos are joining the feed. Some are impressive. Others are so obviously artificial that the message gets lost behind the strange expressions, unnatural movements and almost-human voices.
I’m not against AI. Quite the opposite.
But I want to know what it adds.
Does it make a difficult concept easier to understand? Create a visual you couldn’t otherwise produce? Help tell a story people will remember?
Or does it simply allow the firm to publish another video?
More content is not the same as a stronger presence.
AI can support an excellent creative idea. It can also help produce a large volume of forgettable material.
Before publishing, ask a more demanding question than “Does this look professional?”
Ask: “Does this feel like us?”
If a prospective client encounters your firm through that video, what have they learned about the people they might trust with a difficult problem?
Mistake 3: Publishing stories that go nowhere
A conference photo with “Great discussions today.”
A case update that reads like an internal memo.
A long complaint about how difficult the justice system has become.
Okay. But what happened? What surprised you? What should I take away?
Your audience needs a reason to care and somewhere for the story to go.
Instead of reporting that you attended a conference, share the question that divided the room. Instead of summarizing a legal development mechanically, explain the assumption it challenges.
Give the audience a beginning, a point of tension and a conclusion.
That doesn’t require drama. It requires a point.
Being professional and being interesting are not mutually exclusive.
You can be thoughtful, ethical and respected while still being funny, curious or opinionated. Those qualities help people recognize the person behind the credentials.
The biggest mistake: Starting at the bottom of the funnel
Many lawyers approach Instagram and TikTok as though everyone watching is already experiencing a legal crisis.
Every video addresses someone getting divorced, facing charges, losing a job or fighting a lawsuit.
From the lawyer’s perspective, the logic seems sound: identify a legal problem, demonstrate expertise, invite the viewer to get help.
But consider the audience.
You have 500 followers. Some have already resolved their legal issues. Some have never hired a lawyer. Others might need one years from now.
And you’re speaking to all of them as though their lives are falling apart today.
Someone who will need a divorce lawyer next year might be happily married today. Someone who will need an employment lawyer is enjoying a new job. Someone who will need commercial litigation advice is busy growing a business.
They’re living. Laughing. Scrolling. Sharing something interesting with a friend.
And your video opens with instructions for responding to a statement of claim.
Why would they stop?
High-intent search advertising can reach people actively looking for legal help. Organic social content often has a different first job: giving people who weren’t looking for you a reason to pay attention.
That is the top of the funnel.
Build an audience. Develop familiarity. Show people how you think. Help them recognize your expertise before they have an urgent reason to evaluate it.
When a legal problem eventually arrives, familiarity can make your name easier to recall. Your audience can also introduce you to someone who needs help now.
Your next client may never follow you. The person who recommends you might.
Reach the right people, not just more people
There is a catch.
A large audience is only valuable to your practice if there is a meaningful connection between the people watching and the work you do.
A viral video can attract thousands of viewers who will never need your services, refer anyone or remember your name.
So personality-driven content still needs direction.
An employment lawyer might explore the awkward realities of workplace life. A business lawyer might unpack the decisions founders make before they realize those decisions have legal consequences.
You don’t have to make every video a legal lesson. But your content should gradually make it clear who you are, what you understand and whom you help.
Attention needs somewhere to go.
Your profile and website should make the next step easy when someone is ready: understand your practice, check whether you serve their jurisdiction and find out how to contact you.
Five legal content formats worth developing
1. A day in the life - with something worth noticing
Show the preparation, decisions and small frustrations behind the profession.
“Come to work with me” becomes more interesting when there is a specific story: the morning you had to rethink an argument, or the preparation nobody sees before a short appearance.
The ordinary can be compelling when you explain why it matters.
2. Questions people actually ask
Use the language clients and members of the public use.
“What happens if my business partner just stops answering?” is a more recognizable starting point than “Understanding shareholder dispute resolution.”
Answer the human question first. Add the legal framework where it helps.
3. Law as it happens
Explain the moment a situation changed, the assumption that failed or the detail that became important.
Use hypothetical or properly anonymized examples without exposing confidential information. If an example combines several experiences, identify it as illustrative.
The point is to show judgment through a story.
4. Legal reactions
Take something people are already discussing and explain what a lawyer notices.
A business announcement. A fictional courtroom scene. A public dispute.
Give viewers a fresh perspective while keeping allegations, established facts and your interpretation distinct.
5. Content built around your personality
Humour. Observations. Professional experiences. The things you care enough about to explain with energy.
You don’t need to manufacture a character. You need to let people encounter more than your job title.
All five formats can give someone a reason to watch before they need legal help.
Give your next five videos a different job
For your next five videos, replace “How will this bring me a client?” with:
“Would someone who doesn’t need a lawyer today still want to watch this?”
Then ask whether that person is relevant to your practice.
Watch what happens. Do people stay? Share the video? Visit your profile? Return for another one? Ask a thoughtful question?
Those signals won’t guarantee instructions. They can help you understand whether you’re building an audience with a reason to remember you.
Keep some content for people ready to seek help. Give the rest of your audience something worth coming back for.
When they finally need a lawyer, don’t make that the first time they’ve heard of you.
Original marketing commentary by Adele Salikhova.
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