How To Make A Law Firm Podcast That Stands Out
Podcasts can be a very successful marketing tool for law firms when done correctly. “Done correctly” is a key term though – because there are many podcasts that never gain any traction. How can you separate yourself from the noise on an increasingly popular channel?
The work you put in before your podcast airs, the quality of your content, and what you do to promote your podcast are all difference-makers. Here are ten must-dos for creating a successful law firm podcast.
Why Create A Podcast?
Nowadays, consumers prefer to consume informative content in more easily digestible ways. Not everyone wants to or has the time to, sit down and read articles, ebooks or attend webinars.
Podcasting has proven to be an important strategy for many firms, and companies worldwide.
- There are 464.7 million podcast listeners worldwide
- 73% of the US population has listened to a podcast in the last month
- 65% of law firms have a podcast and 36% have more than one podcast
- Nearly 180 million Americans have listened to podcast
1. Find Your Niche
Podcasting is on the rise, which means more and more people are attempting to launch their own shows. In such a crowded space, it’s crucial to differentiate your expertise and your content. As an example, when we ranked 200 AM law firm podcasts in the 2022 Social Law Firm Index. How did certain law firms end up on top? Because they carved out a great niche and cater to those interested in that niche. What makes you different?
2. Publish Your Podcast Consistently
This advice shouldn’t be any surprise if you regularly read content on creating an online presence. Listeners will want to know when they can expect new episodes, and keeping to a schedule helps them with that. In addition, establishing and maintaining a predictable schedule will help lawyers come up with ideas and give them time to reach out to guests. Even more helpful: we suggest creating a backlog of episodes so that you can publish regularly without having to constantly develop new material during busy times.
3. Keep it Concise
Your goal is to keep your podcast audience engaged and entertained. At the same time, many podcast listeners are multi-tasking (they might be driving, working out, etc). This means it’s best to be brief rather than verbose. You’ll often find on drawn-out podcasts that there’s a lot of fluff or conversation that could have been cut out. Don’t make that mistake. For best results, your podcast episodes should be about 15-20 minutes long.
4. Focus on Sound Quality
On a podcast, sound is all that listeners can really judge you on. That means the highest sound quality is paramount. There are a ton of tools out there that can help you edit your show and clean up the audio, but you need to start with a good setup. Use a great microphone and high-quality software to record interviews, and do so in a sound-proof area. If you’re very busy and have the resources, you might leverage a third party for some of the editing work.
5. Get Help
People expect you to know a lot about your specific area of law – not podcasting. It’s ok not to be an expert. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from other successful podcasters or outsource some parts of the process to third parties. Find a mentor, read articles, follow blogs, etc. There is no shortage of resources out there to help new podcasters – don’t try to do it all on your own at first.
6. Never Ignore Your Podcast Audience
They are the most important part of your show, and how engaged they are will determine your law firm podcast’s success. Listeners might comment, email you, mention you on social media, etc. Make sure to respond, keep conversations going, and listen to their ideas. Ask for their feedback and find other ways to make them a part of your podcasting process.
7. Seek Out New Listeners
“If you build it, they will come” doesn’t usually apply to podcasts (or any content marketing, for that matter). You need to be active in finding new listeners for your show. Your social media channels, your blog, advertising networks, or even PR firms are all channels that can help you to grow your audience.
8. Track Your Goals and Optimize
When you begin your podcasting journey, think about what you want to achieve and create some specific goals around those areas. Then, track those goals over time. Where are you doing a great job, and where are you falling short? Your hosting site and podcast directories should provide some valuable metrics for you. Use these to see how you’re performing and what changes might need to be made.
9. Consider Monetizing Your Podcast
We say “consider” because money should never be the main goal of your podcast. First and foremost, your podcast should be about sharing authentic and valuable content. Focus on that objective (along with growing your audience). That being said, it’s an investment to take the time to podcast (not to mention the tools involved, etc). Eventually, you might choose to monetize your content. Most people start by selling advertising placements or getting a show sponsor. You can also create accounts where listeners can donate to support the show. And of course, your podcast should pique interest in your services as well.
10. Share Your Passion
To be a successful podcaster, you need to recall why you began in the first place. Was it just to advertise your firm? (Hopefully not.) As you continue to podcast, you need to remain passionate. Ensure listeners know that you are excited about the subject matter and happy to share your knowledge with them. That will translate into a more interesting and engaging show and build your credibility at the same time.
11. Leverage Guest Expertise
Always do thorough research on your guests and leverage their knowledge to cover various topics that you may not have the expertise to cover yourself. Look out for guests that already have a strong online presence. This’ll help expand your show’s audience and should make promotion easier.
Related: How to Land Great Guests for Your Law Firm’s Podcast
12. Promote, Promote, Promote
Your podcast will go to waste if people don’t know it exists. Make sure your podcast is easily discoverable via Google and on your firm’s website. Promote new episodes via email and social media.
13. Post Show Notes
Always post show notes for each episode on your website. Shownotes typically excerpts from the episode’s transcript to provide an overview of what the episode was about and what content was covered.
Takeaway
Podcasting is an easy – and even fun – way to increase the visibility of your firm and its lawyers and build awareness of your brand. It’s also great for creating partnerships and generating new leads.
Ready to get started? From start to finish, our podcasting for lawyers services enables lawyers and law firms to create, produce, and market podcasts that engage their audiences, create awareness, and fuel business development. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
This post has been edited and republished from April 14, 2021.
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