Tom McParland 
Video content has become a cornerstone of effective marketing campaigns. This is particularly true in the legal space, where video is an essential asset for law firms and attorneys looking to differentiate themselves and attract high-value clients.
However, the process of creating quality video content involves months of planning, coordination and prep work. Skilled PR agencies like Maven bring a level of strategic thinking that goes well beyond video production, offering the experience, relationships, and know-how to maximize the return on a client’s investment. We understand how to position attorneys not just as service providers, but as thought leaders and trusted advisors in their respective practice areas.
We recently worked with our client, Kleinbard LLC, on a fifth video series, showcasing the firm’s deep expertise and talented bench of attorneys across practice areas.
Each video campaign presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, but below, I outline best practices for crafting effective videos and highlight the important role PR professionals play in bringing it all together.
Laying the Groundwork
It’s a PR agency’s job to internalize a client’s voice, brand and key audiences. At the very start of our working relationship, we conduct an extensive discovery process to identify growth opportunities based on a firm’s individual strengths, objectives and current position within the marketplace. With this understanding, we are well positioned to build out a comprehensive content framework that harnesses video to meet a client’s priorities and aligns with broader PR and marketing objectives.
For Kleinbard, this involved working with attorneys over the course of multiple years to track practice area developments and find new opportunities to tell their stories. For example, a panel-style video on the intricacies of Pennsylvania Supreme Court one year evolved into a primer on expected litigation heading into the 2024 presidential election. We’ve also worked with another attorney over the course of two years to produce a total of four videos exploring legal developments around cyberbullying and school liability.
PR firms like ours also have established relationships with talented video-services providers, who produce high-quality content that can be tailored for social media, web or email marketing. Early, proactive coordination with a trusted partner often streamlines the creative process and creates a sense of comfort for the client, particularly if they do not have experience creating video content.
Identifying Goals and Audiences
The pre-production phase involves intense collaboration between a PR agency and the client to ensure every element of the video campaign serves the strategic objectives we’ve established. Once we’ve worked with the client to identify spokespersons, we’ll pose a series of questions to help them think through their goals and target audiences. For example:
- Is the objective to position attorneys as subject matter experts with reporters?
- Are you showcasing expertise in a certain issue or area of law?
- Are you demonstrating positive aspects of firm culture that may help the firm attract top talent and lateral hires?
Each of these objectives require a different approach to strategy, messaging and tone, which will be referenced continually throughout the production process.
Prepping Spokespersons
Next, we meet with the individual attorney spokespersons in prep sessions meant to identify topics and then work with them to draft video scripts that incorporate clear and concise key messaging.
We find that the ideal video length is typically around 90 seconds, so the key is not to bog attorneys down with too much verbiage. It may help to think of the script more as an outline that offers a logical narrative structure and allows the speaker to flow freely from one point to the next. Often, we will work with an attorney to craft a series of short videos around the same overarching theme, so a cohesive “storytelling” approach will ensure that the content works together and not only as isolated pieces.
It’s also important to remember that even the most experienced communicators can freeze up in front of a camera, so we encourage attorneys to try rehearsing their messaging in front of a mirror before the shoot.
PR professionals will always be on-hand to manage production on the day of filming. Our role is to facilitate communication between the attorneys and video staff, making sure that our client feels comfortable and informed about the process, expectations and feedback.
Some key tips for attorneys to keep in mind before shooting include:
- Solid colors typically look better on camera. Stripes or busy patterns can distract the viewers. This rule also applies to accessories. Try subtle, contrasting colors.
- We recommend dressing how you would on a typical day (meeting with a client, etc.).
- Make sure the clothing you wear is comfortable and you like the way it looks standing and sitting.
Making the Most of Your Video
Finally, a PR agency will work closely with our video-services provider throughout post-production to ensure that the final product is consistent with the goals, strategy and objectives we established at the outset. This includes multiple rounds of editing, as well as coordinating with the client to make sure they feel comfortable with the results.
Once the videos are complete, we can help promote the content across the firm’s website, socials and other marketing materials, while also mining the videos for actionable media positioning opportunities. The assets themselves can also be used in speaker applications to secure additional thought leadership opportunities consistent with the firm and attorneys’ expertise.
While the process can seem daunting, experienced PR agencies are an invaluable resource for law firms to navigate each part of the video process.
Posted In Legal Industry, Public Relations, Thought Leadership