Using Podcast Production as a Marketing Strategy for Your Law Firm with Robert Ingalls
Marketing strategy fads come and go, but there’s one strategy that’s here to stay: podcasting. Today, we can't deny that we live in the era of podcasting. It's one marketing tactic that remains consistently productive and high-yielding no matter how much time passes. And it's no surprise why: podcast production creates a content goldmine. Putting out a single episode can take you to places more than you can imagine and produce content that lasts for a lifetime.
In this episode, Robert Ingalls, founder of podcast production agency LawPods, joins us to discuss how law firms can use podcasting effectively as a marketing strategy. Robert provides insights on the ins and outs of building and launching a podcast. He also lets us in on the process of working with a podcast production agency. Finally, he highlights the importance of commitment and consistency in making any marketing strategy work.
If you want your law firm to reap the benefits of podcast production, this episode is for you.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode
- Learn the benefits of podcasting as a marketing strategy for your firm.
- Discover why podcasting can serve as a content goldmine.
- Find out everything you need to know about starting a podcast and working with a podcast production agency.
Resources
- Book a ONE-ON-ONE FREE COACHING SESSION with our coaches at Profit with Law’s Law Firm Expansion Coaching Session today!
- Join the Law Firm Growth Summit waitlist!
- Profit with Law Take Your Profits Training for Your Law Firm
- LawPods: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
- Connect with Robert: [email protected] | Facebook | LinkedIn
- Get your legal templates from Bobby Klinck!
- The Mo Show Live! by Maurice Lilienthal
- Podcast Answer Man by Cliff Ravenscraft
Episode Highlights
Robert’s Legal and Podcasting Journey
- He ended up in a law office because it was the easy way for him, coming from a blue-collar community.
- After practicing law, he realized quickly that the constant conflict wasn’t for him.
- He discovered podcasting in 2015. The biggest thing about podcasting for him was the network effect of interviewing people in the community.
- It took a couple of years for his marketing agency to get a handful of clients who needed help launching a podcast. COVID was the tipping point.
- It wasn't until he was 35 that he realized he was creative.
Robert: “For anybody out there who's like, ‘It's too late to do something different,’ get out of here. If you love something, you dive headfirst into it, and it doesn't take that long to get really good at it.”
Should You Begin Podcast Production?
- First, you have to have a budget to commit to a strategy. Otherwise, it’s not for you.
Robert: “Any business, sell first. Sell, sell, sell. Try to get out there, try to knock on the doors, [and] get some revenue. But at that point, then that opens up a different conversation.”
- Podcasting is content marketing.
- ‘’Any firm that can benefit from content marketing can definitely benefit from podcasting.’’
Why Podcasting over Other Marketing Strategies?
- Your podcast content is something you own that you can always build on.
- The selling point of law firm podcasts is content that speaks directly to pain points of potential clients.
- Podcasting also checks other boxes, including SEO, long-form and short-form video content, and social media marketing.
- Podcast production creates a goldmine of content.
- Listening to somebody regularly creates an affinity and establishes trust with them.
Budgeting for a Podcast Production Agency
- It will take around 5 to 12 grand a month if you're doing one episode weekly. It depends on how much work you can do solo and how much help you want.
- You’re on the high end if you only want to do the talking part and nothing else.
- You're in the 5 grand range if you're willing to outline episodes and do a little work yourself.
- It will cost around 3 grand to have at least some bare-bones show notes and have the audio cleaned up.
- Having the audio cleaned and mixed up professionally is key to gaining your audience's trust.
The Type of Show You Want to Run
- Create something people would want to consume outside of you.
Robert: “You just happen to be the person speaking, you happen to be the sponsor of it, but it's something people want anyway.”
- Focus on commitment and be consistent about the type of content you’re putting out.
- Community shows require booking guests and creating relevant content consistently.
- The production value of community content is hard, especially for smaller firms, but it is immensely valuable.
Moshe: “A community show is going to have people listening all the time, and now, they're just aware that you exist. And that's actually moreHaving a community is so powerful because they might refer your business without ever having done business with you.”
- Doing a community show is branding yourself to a point where people can’t think of someone else.
How SEO and Podcasting Goes Hand-in-Hand
- A critical step in successful podcast production is hammering out SEO.
- Google indexes spoken word on Google Podcast. The transcribed version lands on the website as well.
Robert: “There's very much an SEO angle to all of the content we're creating past just giving good answers in audio format that we can then use for other content marketing.”
- Robert prefers working with a firm’s existing SEO team for general podcast episodes.
- You can always come back and optimize previous episodes for SEO.
What the Service Packages of Podcast Production Agencies Look Like
- Robert’s agency’s strong suit is production and promotion. They don’t lean into the consulting game.
- They have three production and promotion tiers for small, medium, and large firms.
- Medium-sized firms tend to be more interested in doing things themselves.
- Large firms with in-house marketing are more open to getting the complete service package.
The Person Behind the Microphone
- Choosing the host of the podcast varies based on the strategy.
- Younger attorneys host their own podcasts to brand themselves. Meanwhile, firms focus on bringing people in and highlighting who their attorneys are.
- There are some firms where the owner hosts all the episodes. Others have a recurring host or hosts that revolve from time to time.
- The power of having a recurring host is listeners feel like they’re starting fresh with each episode.
- There's no right or wrong answer. The key is to plan every episode and deliver on your promises.
Robert: “Whoever's on the microphone, deliver on the promise that you made them. Make sure that you're not wandering into left field and talking about things that no one wants to hear about. Don't waste two minutes.”
Coming from a Video Angle First
- Many firms prefer making short-form video content.
- Making a high-quality production video is difficult and pricey.
- With a video podcast, the watcher understands that the purpose of the recording is for a podcast.
- From a budget standpoint, podcasts are a more viable marketing tool than going video first.
Robert’s Parting Piece of Advice
- For any marketing strategy, you have to look at it not as a quick win but as a roadmap.
- Commit to consistency on your chosen marketing channel, and go for it.
Robert: "Don't just keep bouncing from one thing to the next, hoping something's going to be the quick win. There's almost no quick wins. Find the strategy that works for you and commit to it."
- Tune in to the episode to hear about Moshe's advice on consistency when producing podcast episodes!
About Robert
Robert Ingalls is a recovering lawyer, speaker, and the founder and Chief Podcast Strategist of LawPods. LawPods helps law firm owners create and grow branded podcasts that boost SEO, build solid relationships, and drive revenue. Some of the premier law firms they've worked with are McGuireWoods, Blank Rome, and the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt.
As a speaker, he mostly speaks on podcast content marketing, entrepreneurship mental health, and law office technology.
If you wish to get in touch with Robert, you may connect with him through his email at [email protected], Facebook, or LinkedIn.
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Author
Moshe Amsel
Author
Moshe Amsel the host of the Profit with Law podcast is not an attorney. As the owner of a successful accounting firm DreamBuilder Financial and Law Firm Growth coaching organization Profit with Law, Moshe has proven that there are better and different ways for a law firm to do business and be successful.
