Podcast engagement strategies for law firms

Podcast engagement is growing in popularity. According to Earthweb, 2-million podcasts exist right now – with people tuning in to get the latest entertainment, business, or education news. 

If you’re still not convinced, consider:

  • People spend seven or more hours each week listening to podcasts
  • The industry is predicted to generate nearly $100 billion by 2028
  • This year podcast audiences are set to number close to 424 million

Make podcast engagement part of your law firm’s marketing strategy and you’ll be tapping into a growing audience of interested prospects who could well become future customers.

In this blog we’ll explain:

  • How to start from scratch
  • Which format to choose
  • Why titles matter 
  • How to be coherent

We’ll also share three examples of law firms nailing podcast engagement – which we hope you’ll find inspiring.

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How to podcast

If you’re new to the world of podcasting getting started can be challenging. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead. With that in mind here are six quick tips to help you get started and hit the ground running.

#1 Define your audience and topic

What’s the aim of your podcast? Defining your objective early on will ensure your content is relevant to its intended audience – which will, in turn, result in optimal engagement.

Do you want to:

  • Educate your audience about a specific topic?
  • Share industry insight with other professionals?
  • Tell listeners about a service you’ve launched?

This process will involve a deeper understanding of (1) your objective; and (2) the type of people you want to reach. 

Top tip: follow other law firms on platforms like iTunes and Spotify to get fresh podcast engagement ideas for your series.

#2 Choose the right law podcast format

Having identified your audience and topic it’s time to choose the format. Skip this process at your peril if you want to maximise podcast engagement and turn curious listeners into loyal followers.

Three types of podcast formats

  • Interview podcasts – find and engage with thought leaders in your sector to boost brand credibility.
  • Q&A podcasts – answer hot-topic questions your audience is searching for answers to
  • Storytelling podcast – turn a real-life story into relatable content your listeners will understand.

Choose the right delivery method and great podcast engagement will usually follow  But be prepared to hit a speed bump. Your preferred format might not hit the spot – in which case you’ll need to adapt your structure.

Top tip: once you’ve found a format that works, stick with it – because listeners love consistency.

#3 Choose a compelling title

Presuming your listeners have notifications enabled on their smartphones, the title of your podcast could appear on their home screen. If the title of your broadcast is anything less than attention-grabbing your audience is unlikely to follow up – resulting in a lost opportunity.

Here are three ways to use podcast titles effectively…

Be short

People have short attention spans. So tell them what they need to know in 60-characters or less.

Be relevant

Make the format and purpose of your podcast clear. That way you’ll attract the right types of listeners.

Be intriguing

  • Make a cryptic statement to arouse curiosity
  • Ask a question to invite engagement
  • Share a statistic to get attention

Top tip:  make sure your title and content match – otherwise listeners will feel cheated and look elsewhere for content.

#4 Remember you’re a storyteller

So get straight to the point by removing unnecessary anecdotes and distractions from your podcast. Engagement will only follow if your narrative is relevant and compelling.

A good story should comprise:

  • A character your listeners can relate to – and who probably reflects them to some degree.
  • A challenge that must be overcome and which reaches its crescendo about halfway through.
  • A resolution that resolves the aforesaid crisis and which ties into your story’s objective.

Follow these three steps and listeners are less likely to abandon your podcast because (a) they’re confused or (b) bored by your content.

Top tip: when reviewing your podcast check it reflects the title to ensure you’re not deviating and edit accordingly.

#5 Create a powerful Call To Action (CTA)

You created your podcast for a reason. And that reason should be reflected in the call to action at the end. Ask yourself: what do I want listeners to do at the end?

Perhaps you want them to:

  • Book a free consultation with your firm
  • Follow or subscribe to your podcast
  • Download a free resource
  • Sign up for your newsletter

Top tip: To build podcast engagement keep your CTA short, simple, relevant – and persuasive too (as you did with your title).

Distributing & publishing your podcasts

Once you know how to podcast it’s time to think about distribution. That way you won’t be limiting exposure of your content to a small audience.

Step 1 – Where should I host my law podcasts?

Before unleashing your content and benefiting from great podcast engagement you’ll need to find a hosting platform. Whilst you can create podcasts on popular apps or sites like Spotify, your files are usually stored elsewhere.

Popular podcast hosting companies include:

  • Buzzsprout
  • Captivate
  • Transistor
  • Castos
  • RSS.com

Step 2 – Prepare to unleash your podcast series

Prior to choosing the best distribution method ensure you have at least three episodes ready to go. That way, if your first podcast is popular, you’ll be able to maintain momentum.

Step 3 -Where should I share my law podcasts?

Why not…

  • Embed law podcasts on your website. It takes seconds and, if time allows, you could use the podcast as the basis for a blog too.
  • Share episodes on your social channels. Create a 20-second audiogram of your content and share it with already-engaged followers.
  • Add your audio files to platforms like TikTok and YouTube – spicing up your clips using animated images to capture audience attention.

Three examples of law firms nailing podcast engagement

Although you should never copy, learning best practices from accomplished firms in your sector is advisable. Here are three that understand how to increase podcast engagement better than most. 

Why not subscribe, watch, learn and enjoy…

Crowell and Moring

Crowell and Moring understand better than most the importance of getting straight to the point. Their popular series – entitled ‘Fastest Five Minutes – helps followers with limited time stay up to speed with all the latest legal news.

Akin Gump

While some law firms drum up podcast engagement by discussing local news, Akin Gump delves into wider global issues – providing insightful commentaries on trade, politics, investment, and more.

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance uses a news-style format that involves the firm’s experts discussing tech, construction, public policy, and numerous other topics. It also live-records events which it shares with its followers.

Conclusion

Mastering podcast engagement isn’t easy. Even when you’ve established your audience – and identified the challenges they want you to solve – the learning curve is steep.

Experimentation is key. So don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats. But that on its own isn’t enough Publish new content consistently – so followers don’t forget you. 

In summary:

  • Research your audience and their challenges
  • Choose the format you think works best
  • Monitor engagement and adapt accordingly
  • Publish on multiple channels to maximise reach

Or you could trust your podcast engagement to us instead…

We’ve been publishing engaging podcast content for years and will use our knowledge to help you choose the right topics, formats, and distribution platforms. Contact us to learn how.

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