I. Introduction

This article explores the field of legal podcasting. It highlights how podcasts could revolutionise the way Indian law firms sell themselves. Podcasts offer law firms a platform to demonstrate authority, expertise and credibility by showcasing expert talks, facilitating enlightening debates, and concentrating on specific legal themes. This article moves through understanding the legal landscape in India that necessitates unconventional marketing tactics, explores podcasting as a potential avenue for law firms, identifies a few key benefits podcasts enjoy over other digital marketing means, and concludes with actionable advice on setting up a legal podcast.

II. Understanding the Legal Landscape in India

Legal firms' marketing strategies are hindered by restrictions on advertising by lawyers in India. Lawyers and firms are subject to strict rules and regulations set by The Advocates Act, 1961 and the Bar Council of India (BCI) regulations. Rule 36 of the BCI Rules prohibits direct or indirect contact of lawyers with potential clients[1]. A lawyer's ability to aggressively reach out to client prospects is, hence, limited. Law firms cannot commercialise their services altogether. They can only maintain websites about themselves or their legal practice. Law firms must ensure that content created for online marketing strategies adheres to legal advertising rules and regulations. There are severe advertising and marketing limitations for law firms, forcing them to adapt to the unique regulations governing the country's legal profession. Law firms can only operate online by building a robust online presence, providing legal updates, and participating in forums while being cautious not to violate the BCI Rules and Advocates Act provisions.

As a result of advertising and marketing restrictions, personal branding, brand awareness, and indirect, often word-of-mouth advertising become vital for law firms to establish their reputation and attract clientele. Personal branding is creating and establishing a unique identity as a lawyer. At the same time, brand awareness is the level of recognition a law firm enjoys among potential clients. Word-of-mouth advertising spreads information about a lawyer or firm through personal recommendations from satisfied clients or other industry professionals. Personal branding and brand awareness strategies are essential for law firms to differentiate themselves from competitors. Done right, said strategies help build trust with potential clients in a market where advertising is restricted. Therefore, law firms rely on websites, social media influence, posts, and engagement to market themselves in the digital space.[2] If done well, podcasts can be a valuable and powerful addition to this arsenal of branding tools.

III. Podcasting as a Potential Digital Marketing Avenue for Law Firms

The arena of law podcasts is still in its infancy stages in India. Podcasts allow law firms to reach wider audiences and place themselves as experts in their practice areas.

Some critical aspects of podcasting in the legal industry are:

Edu-Infotainment and Value-Adding Content: High-quality podcasts have immense educational value. They can provide thought-provoking discussions on contemporary legal issues. Employing these means, law firms can showcase their expertise and engage with target audiences.

Specificity and Niche: Law firms can indirectly build relationships with their potential clients and strategic partners through podcasts if they focus on niche legal issues, industries, and practice areas. It grows a referral network and valuable audience while showcasing the expertise and knowledge of the attorneys.

Interview style podcasts: Lawyers and law firms can invite guests to their podcasts to widen their audience, display expertise and knowledge, and bring broader perspectives. Interview podcasts have the added benefit of revitalising connections with existing contacts and creating new, lasting relationships with industry leaders and colleagues. Interview-style podcasts contribute immensely to expanding a law firm's network by interviewing other relevant authorities.

Online presence and reach: Podcasting is one of the many ways for law firms to build a solid online presence and grab the attention of potential clients. A long-running podcast provides a platform for law firms to connect and reach prospects, even before they walk into the law office for the first time. It allows firms to share helpful information ideas, ultimately helping the firm grow by reaching a wider audience.

Brand building and thought leadership: Podcasting enables law firms to establish themselves as authoritative voices in their sphere of expertise. Hence, it helps build credibility and trust with an audience before direct contact, ultimately leading to potential client engagement through the rule of familiarity[3]. Thought leadership has been proven to elevate the comfort level of potential clientele. Creating an audio presence enables law firms to showcase expertise, reliability and experience, which are invaluable in a competitive legal market.

Listener statistics display that podcasting has experienced a significant surge in popularity, becoming a preferred medium for information consumption, entertainment and relationship building[4]. Podcast listenership has risen 175% in recent years[5], with the number of shows available for streaming and download across platforms[6]. Podcasts are on the rise as mediums of information and knowledge consumption, and they can help in unique ways that other digital marketing tools cannot[7].

IV. Unique benefits of Podcasts for lawyers over other digital marketing avenues

Here are a few of the unique benefits podcasts offer to lawyers over other platforms for digital marketing and brand building:

A highly engaged audience: Blog posts can be skimmed through, and video content can be skipped. However, data shows that 80% of podcast listeners finish each podcast episode they start[8], making the audience a lawyer or firm can attract through a podcast highly engaged and valuable. Podcasts are often listened to in combination with other tasks - cleaning, driving, doing laundry, exercising, etc. which makes it even less likely that a listener might skip ahead. The audience absorbs the entire message of the creator. It is very often retained, helping to build strong positive associations and familiarity with the creator.

Cost and effort effective: Compared to managing a social media presence, YouTube videos, webinars or other avenues of outreach, a podcast is a cost-effective and easy means of publishing a message. A podcast can be audio-only, negating the need for efforts taken on appearance and visual processing. A podcast can be relatively unscripted, informal and conversational. It is one of the most "low-effort" means of publishing on the internet and is helpful to attorneys who are always on a time crunch. All it takes to get an episode ready is an hour (podcasts can run longer or shorter), an attractive personality (which lawyers should have anyway), and an interesting conversation that provides value to the audience.

V. How to Successfully Execute a Law Podcast

If you have decided to set up your legal podcast, here are a few handy tips that can help its execution:

Define the Niche: Instead of trying to cast your net far and wide, it is more beneficial to niche down on a particular area of law. Defining the niche should be the first step in modern content creation. Instead of being a "legal podcast", your podcast can be a "family law podcast" or even better, "a divorce law podcast." the better one niches down on an area of law, the easier it is to establish oneself as an industry expert and attract the targeted audience. It also helps if the area of law you are podcasting about is something you are excited, knowledgeable and passionate about.

Get the right equipment: One will need a microphone, a computer, headphones and recording software to start the podcast. Pragmatism suggests avoiding “analysis-paralysis” in this step. Start with entry-level tools as a beginner; as you advance, you will know what you are looking for in equipment. As you scale up, you can always upgrade to ensure better quality and ease of production. Remember, “right” does not mean “perfect”. Perfection will come with time and repetition.

Plan the content: A slight scrutiny of the target audience is essential to understand what they are looking for and to create informative and engaging content. Format, length and frequency of updates and episodes must be planned out in advance so that there is less likelihood of friction when it comes to production.

Consistency is key: In social media and content creation, it is always advised to avoid perfectionism and just focus on publishing content consistently. Consistency in publication will ensure that the quality rises over time. The same rules apply to podcasts - it is vital to establish a regular schedule for releasing episodes and stick to it. Retaining and engaging an audience through frequent and regular updates is essential. Only podcasts which update regularly have a growing and dynamic audience.[9]

Invite Guest Speakers: Other legal professionals or experts in related or target fields can add variety and much-needed gravitas to podcasts. They can bring different perspectives and insights on discussion topics, with the added benefit of expanding and polishing the podcaster's existing network. By getting a creator with a significant audience to your podcast, you can attract their audience to your content.[10] A podcaster must never shy away from an opportunity for collaboration with another, and inviting guest speakers from various fields adds value to the podcast.

VI. Conclusion

The path of evolution from personal branding to digital marketing through podcasts appears promising for lawyers and law firms. Law firms face unique challenges, and there is an opportunity to transform these hurdles into opportunities for innovation. Podcasting has its educational allure, unparalleled reach, cost efficiency, and benefits over other digital marketing methods. While it does not replace other marketing methods like blogging, video content and short-form content, podcasting is a beneficial tool that any lawyer or firm can consider adding to their marketing arsenal. The future of legal marketing lies in navigating the restrictions imposed on it while leveraging the creative avenues on offer. Podcasting is an unchartered territory by which firms can amplify their voice, engage audiences, and propel themselves into a novel era of digital influence.

[1] Rule 36, Bar Council of India Rules, 2008.

[2] Y.K. Dwivedi et.al, Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions, 59 International Journal of Information Management (2020), available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168, last seen on 07/12/2023.

[3] R.B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 127 (New & Expanded Ed., 2021).

[4] D. Pace, Unlock The Power of Podcasting, Jaffe Blog, available at https://www.jaffepr.com/blog/unlock-power-podcasting, last seen on 08/12/2023.

[5] Podcasts and the attention sweet spot, Spotify Advertising, available at https://ads.spotify.com/en-US/news-and-insights/podcasts-and-the-attention-sweet-spot/, last seen on 07/12/2023.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Supra 5.

[8] Supra 5.

[9] The Power of Podcasts of Reaching New Audiences, AIContentify, available at https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/power-of-podcasts-for-reaching-new-audiences, last seen on 07/12/2023.

[10]K. Lee, We Didn’t Know How to Promote a Podcast. So Here’s All We Learned, Buffer, available at https://buffer.com/library/promote-a-podcast/, last seen on 07/12/2023.