How to Select a Podcast Style for Your Law Firm

Converting downtime into uptime can be one of the most effective ways to maximize productivity. For example, drivers stuck in gridlock traffic often look to podcasts as a means of turning the “stop and go” into a chance to learn and grow. Inserting your content into a client’s downtime/uptime conversion creates value, and, as we know, that is the goal driving any marketing endeavor. Among the many evolutions in media over the last two decades, the podcast lies near the summit of “infotainment.” This is a relatively new slang term describing the intersection of providing information and entertainment simultaneously to an audience. As one of the hallmarks of this infotainment medium, the podcast can be a versatile tool for business development. Part of succeeding with your content involves choosing the correct format. Here is a breakdown of how to select a podcasting style for law firms.

Podcast Formats: Choosing the Right One

A podcast format is another way of referring to a genre. The ideal format for your firm’s podcast depends on two things: whom you intend to reach with your content and the overall end goal. Identifying which format is best for your firm directly correlates to the type of client you’re trying to attract and your area of professional expertise. Here is a list of the six most common formats applicable to law firms and a brief description of each one.

Selecting a Podcasting Style for Law Firms

1. Interview

You’d have to look far and wide to find someone unfamiliar with this podcast style. The host conducts a Q&A interview with a guest on a topic of interest. This style is excellent for a lively conversation on an area of expertise and strays from improvisation. It’s not uncommon or unwise to include a second host too.

2. Conversational / Co-hosted

The second host is integral in this format, but the guests are usually left by the wayside. Podcasts like this are conversations between personalities dynamic enough to make their dialogue “water cooler worthy” and hold your interest on myriad topics. In many cases, the advantage of this style is that most use it as a commentary on current events in the world and, more importantly, their respective vocational fields.

3. Panel

Take the “Interview” format, mega-size it, and now your firm has a panel podcast. The hosts welcome a group of guests, and the rest is history. This is a more improvisational-driven style that leans more towards entertaining than informing more often than not. There’s nothing wrong with straying from “the message” to show your audience a good time. 

4. Solo Monologue

As the title suggests, you’re flying this ship solo. The goal is to present an area of expertise as if the audience was sitting across from you, listening intently. This is a great way to dip your toe in the proverbial podcast water because it’s just you, the microphone, and a flashing red light. This podcasting style for law firms adheres to a strict subject, suitable for drilling down on complex topics, but you have to keep it exciting or lose your audience.

5. Repurposed Content

In most cases, podcasts that utilize this format offer their audience a second chance to experience live content they missed. For example, your firm holds a webinar on a Livestream and uploads a recording of the audio to the podcast page. You’re repurposing something that already exists in some form, which includes lectures from company executives and reciting blog articles.

6. Original Content

The first rule of this podcasting style for law firms is that there are no rules. Let your imagination run wild and develop a style that suits your firm’s needs on your terms. There is a lot of freedom here that allows for a podcast that looks and sounds like no other. Trailblazing is the name of the game here.

There’s More than One Correct Solution

Selecting the proper format is not an exact science. The likelihood that multiple formats might be suitable for your firm is very real, and that’s a good problem. Using Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” franchise as a model, you might start with a successful flagship podcast that may lead to spin-offs. Before long, your practice may find itself at the epicenter of a podcast universe.

Takeaway:

Podcasts create value for a prospective client, mainly by entertaining and informing. Inserting your firm’s message into their daily lives increases the chance your content will resonate and leave them wanting more. While the format of a podcast can take many shapes, choosing the right podcasting style for law firms is different for everyone and may take some trial and error.

We’ve produced countless podcasts for our clients, making the process as simple as sitting in front of a microphone and saying what’s on their minds. If you’d like to learn more about how we’ll assist your firm in easing this time-consuming and sometimes complicated process, please get in touch with us today.