Guide
Law firm video marketing: answer one client question per video
Updated
Law firm video marketing works when your videos answer the questions people search before they call a lawyer. This guide covers what to film, how to script it and the rules.
In short
- Law firm video marketing works best as short videos that answer the legal questions people search before they call a lawyer.
- The three videos to make are an answer to a common question, how the process works and how your fees work.
- Each video can follow a 4-sentence script: the question, a plain answer, a caveat and one next step.
- Filming 10 questions in one sitting each month gives you enough for about 2 posts a week.
- Your videos must not promise results or mention a client's case without written permission.
- Kinds of video to make first
- 3
- Longest video Google Business Profile takes
- 30 s
- Cutroom credits for a finished 30-second video
- 110
Why video works for law firms
Someone with a legal problem searches the problem, not your firm's name. Then they call a lawyer whose answer made sense to them.
- People search questions like what happens after a DUI stop, how much a divorce costs or whether a landlord can keep a deposit.
- A clear video answer lets them see how you explain things before they call.
- A small firm can compete with a big one, because people compare the answers, not the size of the office.
- A firm with no videos is missing from the video results for those searches.
The 3 videos to make
Rotate these three. Your intake calls give you new questions every week, like the examples below.
- A family lawyer might answer "Can I keep the house?" or "What does mediation change?"
- A personal injury lawyer might answer "What is my case worth?"
- A criminal defense lawyer might answer "What should I say at a traffic stop?"
- An estate planning lawyer might answer "What happens if I die without a will?"
The answer, the process and the fees
| Video | What it covers | Why people watch it |
|---|---|---|
| Answer video | One question from this week's intake calls, in 30 to 60 seconds | It is what they typed into the search bar |
| Process video | What happens after someone hires you: the steps, the timeline and what to bring | People put off calling when they do not know what happens next |
| Fees video | How billing works, what a typical matter costs and why prices vary | Few firms talk about price, and clients search for it |
Video: Answer video
- What it covers
- One question from this week's intake calls, in 30 to 60 seconds
- Why people watch it
- It is what they typed into the search bar
Video: Process video
- What it covers
- What happens after someone hires you: the steps, the timeline and what to bring
- Why people watch it
- People put off calling when they do not know what happens next
Video: Fees video
- What it covers
- How billing works, what a typical matter costs and why prices vary
- Why people watch it
- Few firms talk about price, and clients search for it
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to script a law firm video
Four sentences are enough for one question. Say the answer out loud once before you record, because written lines sound stiff when spoken.
- Open with the question exactly as clients ask it.
- Explain the answer the way you would to a neighbor across the kitchen table.
- End with one practical step, such as bringing the lease, writing down the date or calling before you sign.
A law firm video in four sentences
Sentence 1: the question
In the client's words, like "Can they fire me for this?"
Sentences 2 and 3: the answer
Plain words, no statute numbers and no Latin
Sentence 4: a caveat and a next step
"Every case is different. Bring your lease when you call."
Where and how often to post
Posting steadily works better than posting a lot at once, because a searcher can land on any week of your account.
- Once a month, write down 10 questions from intake calls and film them one after another.
- Post 2 a week. Ten filmed answers cover a month, with one or two in hand for a busy week.
- Post the same vertical video to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok and Facebook, and on the matching page of your website.
- Add a 30-second version to your Google Business Profile, which takes videos of up to 30 seconds.
How to film the videos
A phone is enough. Sound matters more than the camera.
- Put the phone at eye height and face a window, so the daylight is on your face.
- Film in a quiet room, close the door and turn off loud air conditioning.
- Film upright (9:16), so the same video runs on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok.
- Say the answer out loud once before you record, and keep each answer to 30 to 60 seconds.
What to write in the title, caption and description
People search the question, so put the question in the words they type.
- Use the question as the title, word for word: "Can a landlord keep my deposit?"
- Put the same question in the caption on Reels, TikTok and Shorts.
- Say your city and practice area in the first line of the description, because people need a lawyer where they live.
- Add the label your bar requires, such as "general information, not legal advice".
- Link to the practice page on your website that answers the same question.
The advertising rules for law firm videos
This is general information, not advice about your own bar. The details differ per bar, but these four points come up in most of them.
- Read every word of the finished video before it posts.
- Check your own bar's rules, because the details differ from place to place.
Four rules for law firm videos
| Rule | Avoid | Do instead |
|---|---|---|
| No promised outcomes | "We win" or "you will get compensated" | Explain the process and the law |
| No praise you cannot prove | "Best", "top" or "leading" | Give a plain, useful answer |
| No real cases without written permission | "My client from March" | "Clients in this situation often..." |
| Labels where your bar requires them | Posting without a required label | Add the label, and "general information, not legal advice" |
Rule: No promised outcomes
- Avoid
- "We win" or "you will get compensated"
- Do instead
- Explain the process and the law
Rule: No praise you cannot prove
- Avoid
- "Best", "top" or "leading"
- Do instead
- Give a plain, useful answer
Rule: No real cases without written permission
- Avoid
- "My client from March"
- Do instead
- "Clients in this situation often..."
Rule: Labels where your bar requires them
- Avoid
- Posting without a required label
- Do instead
- Add the label, and "general information, not legal advice"
Where Cutroom fits
You can film ten answers in one sitting. Editing ten videos by hand is the part that does not fit in the week, and Cutroom does that part for you.
- You upload one video of you answering a question, up to 3 minutes. The edit comes back in about a minute.
- Cutroom cuts it, adds captions timed to your voice and places stock clips over your words.
- 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. Basic is $39.99 for 2,500 credits, twice as many, and it 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
- Which video should a law firm make first?
- The question your intake calls heard most last week. People are already asking it, you know the answer well, and it fits in one short video.
- How often should a law firm post videos?
- Two a week is enough if you keep it up. Someone can find any week of your account, so 8 videos every month work better than 20 in January and none in February.
- Do I need professional recording equipment?
- No. A phone, a window in front of you and a quiet room are enough. Sound matters more than the camera, and a clip-on microphone is a good upgrade later.
- Can an associate present the videos instead of a partner?
- Yes. Choose the lawyer clients will actually deal with, and keep one person per practice area so viewers recognize them. A paralegal can explain the process, but legal answers should come from a lawyer.
- Should law firms post on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram?
- All three, with the same vertical video. It runs unchanged on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok. Also put it on the matching page of your website and on your Google Business Profile.
- 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, enough for 2 posts a week. Your first video is free.
Write down ten questions from this month's calls and film them in one sitting. Your first video is free.