Podcasts are some of the most engaged forms of media today. A podcast is an audio series of recorded discussions centered around a topic that is available for on-demand consumption. With an endless volume of topics and niche subject matters, podcasts offer great opportunities for attorneys, business professionals and entrepreneurs to increase awareness, connect with your clients and establish authority in your industry.
Quick 2023 Stats on Podcasts
- While most people listen to podcasts between 15 and 25 minutes, 70% of people give podcasts at least 1 minute of their time, no matter what the topic.
- There are currently over 2.4 million podcast stations globally that have recorded over 66 million podcast episodes.
- 62% of American consumers also listen to podcasts.
Keep reading to learn more about the growth opportunities that podcasting offers and the best podcast tips for growing your business.
Why Should Attorneys Create Podcasts?
Podcasts have become a popular method of consuming content, especially among professionals. You can listen to a podcast while doing other tasks like driving, cleaning up or getting ready for work. Attorneys should consider ways to engage with prospects via podcasting by either starting your own podcast or dipping your toes to be featured on another podcast program.
The best legal podcasts update listeners on industry trends, best practices, and everyday challenges that lawyers face. So, attorneys that create podcasts provide their listeners with free, valuable information. As a result, attorneys who own podcasts and those that feature on prominent podcasts gain a lot of exposure. And you’ll find that other lawyers look to podcasters as industry leaders and may seek a working relationships with them.
Meanwhile, clients are more likely to hire attorneys that are respected thought leaders. So as a lawyer, it would help if you started a podcast. If you can’t create a podcast, you should seek invitations to speak on popular legal podcast interviews.
How to Get Started With Your Own Legal Podcast
Below are a few podcast tips to help you start your legal podcast.
1. Plan Your Podcast
One of the most important podcast tips we can give you about starting a legal podcast is to plan it out. Many people start podcasts without thinking them through and end up abandoning them after a few episodes. They struggle to build an audience because their podcasts lack focus and meaning.
So how can you plan out your podcast? First, get clear on why you want to create a podcast.
Do you want to share your knowledge? Increase your sales and revenue? Build your brand as an industry expert?
The reason why you are starting a podcast will guide all your strategic decisions while growing it. You must also identify who your target audience is and what value your podcast can give them.
2. Pick a Theme
The best way to establish yourself as a podcaster and earn dedicated listeners is to center your podcast around one topic. Law is a vast topic and one podcast can’t exhaustively cover the varied range of information it contains.
For instance, the legal podcast audience comprises people who want to know about criminal law, personal injury law, corporate law, or even taxation law. It would be best to pick one area that you are knowledgeable and passionate about for your podcast. Narrowing the focus down will also help with podcast SEO for law firms.
Going deep on one topic will establish you as the industry expert for that topic. Clients looking for representation in that area will easily find you online through your podcast. Also, other lawyers that aren’t experts in your field will see you as the subject expert and refer clients to you.
3. Choose Your Equipment
If you have a smartphone, you can start recording your podcast episodes. The benefit of using a smartphone is that you can record with it anytime and anywhere.
Unfortunately, your smartphone will not produce the best quality podcasts you can make. To create a great podcast, we suggest you buy a microphone, interface, and recorder.
Initially, while you set up your podcast it may not make sense to invest in the most expensive equipment. You can find great microphones and recorders at affordable prices. Once you have a routine going and have gained a significant audience, you can invest in higher-quality equipment for your law podcast.
4. Build Your Audience
Once you get your podcast off the ground you must follow the proven content strategy formula for converting listeners to loyal fans. Popular podcasts inform, entertain, and engage their audience. These podcasts also follow a consistent posting schedule.
To create compelling content for your audience you must know what they are looking for. Research your target audience to know what makes them tick and then provide the information they need to improve their life.
Another one of the best podcast tips is to entertain your listeners. Just because your podcast covers serious legal topics doesn’t mean that it must be boring. Crack jokes during the podcast and use animated language when talking.
Your passion for the topics being discussed should come out in your voice to attract the interest of your listeners. To secure subscribers, you must also pick a posting schedule that you can follow consistently. Most podcasters post an episode per week, but you can choose to post once every fortnight or once a month.
How to Have an Impact as a Podcast Guest
Even if you don’t have a podcast, you can establish yourself as a legal expert by speaking as a guest at other attorneys’ podcasts. You can reach out to your favorite legal podcasters or subject matter experts with a proposition for them to host you as a guest.
You may have a greater success rate if you start with less popular podcasts. As you build your brand, you will get invited to more popular legal podcasts.
To make the greatest impact as a podcast guest, make sure you have a glowing bio that the host will read out when introducing you. Also prepare a compelling story that describes your core strengths and value.
Before your episode, listen to at least two episodes of the podcast so you know the host’s style and podcast theme. Doing this will help you tailor your communication to suit the host’s audience.
Try These Podcast Tips and Best Practices For Attorneys
When it comes to podcasting for attorneys, this is a great marketing method to add to your plan. If you haven’t already started a podcast, this is the time to start one. Use our podcast tips above to start your firm’s podcast and watch how much your business grows.
Are you interested in a virtual law firm to take the next step in your career as an attorney? Contact us to learn more today.