Guide
How to get clients as a lawyer: answer their questions on video
Updated
People with a legal problem usually search it before they call a lawyer. These 5 steps put your video answers in front of them.
In short
- To get clients as a lawyer with video, answer the questions people search before they hire someone.
- Answer one real intake question per video, starting with the question in the client's own words.
- Say your city and practice area, because people need a lawyer licensed where they live.
- End each video with one useful next step, such as which documents to bring, instead of a sales line.
- A library of 20 to 30 answers, posted about 2 a week, meets far more searches than one video.
- Steps in this guide
- 5
- Longest video Google Business Profile takes
- 30 s
- Cutroom credits for a finished 30-second video
- 110
How people choose a lawyer
Most people do not start by looking for a lawyer. They start with a problem, like a letter, a charge or a low insurance offer.
- Referrals, reviews and your Google Business Profile still bring in clients.
- Video adds a way for strangers to see how you explain things before they call.
How people choose a lawyer
A problem arrives
A letter, a charge or an offer
They search it
In their own words
They watch who answers
And see how each lawyer explains things
They call from a short list
Often before any firm knows they exist
The 5 steps at a glance
Each step is a habit you keep, not a one-off campaign.
5 steps to get clients as a lawyer with video
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Answer the exact question | One intake question per video, in the client's words | It is what they just searched for |
| 2. Say your city and practice area | Name the place and the kind of law you practice | People need a lawyer where they live |
| 3. End with one next step | A practical instruction, not a sales line | It is useful and promises nothing |
| 4. Build a library | 20 to 30 answers, about 2 posts a week | More searches lead to you |
| 5. Keep the editing quick | Post as is, hire an editor or use software | Filming is quick; editing is the step that has to fit in your week |
Step: 1. Answer the exact question
- What you do
- One intake question per video, in the client's words
- Why
- It is what they just searched for
Step: 2. Say your city and practice area
- What you do
- Name the place and the kind of law you practice
- Why
- People need a lawyer where they live
Step: 3. End with one next step
- What you do
- A practical instruction, not a sales line
- Why
- It is useful and promises nothing
Step: 4. Build a library
- What you do
- 20 to 30 answers, about 2 posts a week
- Why
- More searches lead to you
Step: 5. Keep the editing quick
- What you do
- Post as is, hire an editor or use software
- Why
- Filming is quick; editing is the step that has to fit in your week
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Step 1: answer the exact question
The questions already reach your office. Almost every intake call starts with one.
- Common ones are "Can they do this?", "What will it cost?", "How long will it take?" and "Do I have a case?"
- Start the video with the question word for word, because that is what the viewer searched.
- Use the same question as the title of the video and the first line of the description.
- Answer it plainly in under a minute, the way you would across a kitchen table.
- Give the real answer. The consultation is for the questions that depend on the person's own case.
Step 2: say your city and practice area
People need a lawyer licensed where they live, so they add the place to their search.
- Say the city and your practice area in the video, in the caption and in the first line of the description.
- For example, a family lawyer in Tucson answers questions about divorce in Arizona.
- You then compete with the few local lawyers who post videos, not with every lawyer online.
- Post the same video on the matching practice page of your website and on your Google Business Profile.
Step 3: end with one next step
Most lawyer videos stop at the answer. One practical instruction at the end makes the video more useful and shows the viewer what to do next.
- Good next steps are "bring these three documents", "write down the date it happened" or "do not sign until someone has read it".
A sales line or a next step
Example
- Sales line
- "Call now for the settlement you deserve"
- Next step
- "Have your paperwork ready when you call any lawyer, including us"
Advertising rules
- Sales line
- Can break the rules on promised results
- Next step
- Plain, general advice
For the viewer
- Sales line
- Nothing new
- Next step
- Useful enough to send to a friend
| Sales line | Next step | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "Call now for the settlement you deserve" | "Have your paperwork ready when you call any lawyer, including us" |
| Advertising rules | Can break the rules on promised results | Plain, general advice |
| For the viewer | Nothing new | Useful enough to send to a friend |
Step 4: build a library of answers
One video answers one search. Twenty or thirty answers mean many more of the questions people search lead to you.
- Once a month, write down 10 questions from intake calls and film them in one sitting.
- Post 2 a week. Ten filmed answers cover a month, with one or two in hand for a busy week.
- Ask every new caller how they found you, so you know which videos bring in calls.
Step 5: keep the editing quick
You can film ten answers in one sitting. Editing them by hand is the slow part, so decide how you will handle it before you film.
Three ways to handle the editing
| Option | What it takes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Post it as it is | The app's own captions, no cutting | Videos you got right the first time |
| Hire a freelance editor | A fee per video, and a wait for each round of changes | Firms with a marketing budget |
| Use editing software | Upload the video, then check the result | Lawyers who want it done quickly |
Option: Post it as it is
- What it takes
- The app's own captions, no cutting
- Good for
- Videos you got right the first time
Option: Hire a freelance editor
- What it takes
- A fee per video, and a wait for each round of changes
- Good for
- Firms with a marketing budget
Option: Use editing software
- What it takes
- Upload the video, then check the result
- Good for
- Lawyers who want it done quickly
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom edits each answer for you. You upload a video of yourself talking, and you get a finished, captioned vertical video back in about a minute.
- It takes up to 3 minutes of video, and you can pick any of 40 caption styles.
- Every word is on one screen before you export, so you check the video by reading it. You can fix any word it misheard.
- A 30-second video costs 110 credits: 100 to edit and 20 per minute of export.
- Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos of 30 seconds, which covers 2 posts a week.
- Basic is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, and adds avatars and generated music.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark that Lite removes.
Questions people ask
- How many videos does it take before clients call?
- Nobody honest can give you a number, and your bar would not let you promise one. What you control is how many questions you answer: 20 to 30 answers meet far more searches than one video. Ask every new caller how they found you.
- Which practice areas does video work for?
- Any area where clients search their question before calling: family, criminal defense, immigration, personal injury, employment and estate planning. It does least for work that comes through referrals between businesses, where the client never searches.
- Should the videos also go on my website?
- Yes. Put each video on the practice page that answers the same question, and on your Google Business Profile. Visitors then see the same lawyer who answered them on social media.
- What should a lawyer never say in a video?
- Promises about results, words like "best" or "top", and real client stories without written permission. Add a "general information, not legal advice" line and check your own bar's rules before you post.
- Do I have to follow trends to get clients with video?
- No. Someone with a legal question wants the answer, not a trend. A lawyer answering plainly at a desk is also easy to keep up for a year, which is how the library grows.
- What does it cost to have the videos edited?
- In Cutroom, a 30-second video costs 110 credits. Lite at $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits covers about 11 of them. Your first video is free, with no card, within 7 days of signing up.
Pick the question you answered most this week and film it once. Your first video is free.