Is TikTok a good place for lawyers to market content?

TikTok is a social media platform focused around creating, watching, and sharing short-form videos. It revolves around a “For You” page: an endless stream of videos personalized to individual users by the TikTok algorithm. You can watch what you like, skip what you don’t like, and share videos to others. The app also features live streaming, editing tools, and video effects for creators.

TikTok is famous for being an addictive app with a hold on Generation Z and millennials. It’s also one of the most controversial social media apps. What’s so special about it?

Here are some statistics about TikTok you may have interest in:

• 167 million videos watched per minute
• 1 billion active viewers
• Most downloaded app of 2021 (656 million downloads)
• 3rd top grossing app with a revenue of $41 million worldwide

TikTok is unlike any other social media app, meaning it’s also not for everyone. Before we jump into the best tips to use TikTok, let’s decide if you should or shouldn’t create content for it.

Should You Use TikTok?

Although TikTok is a huge platform, it does not mean that everyone should try to use it in their marketing strategy.

TikTok is a very nontraditional app. It can be difficult to navigate if your firm has focused on traditional advertising in the past.

But it does present unique opportunities. Take a look at the statistics! TikTok is not slowing down anytime soon. Videos can go viral and get hundreds of thousands of views overnight.

There are certain factors that will determine if you should make an account for your law firm, though.

You need to know your audience. Most of TikTok users are Gen Z and millennials. If your practice focuses on a consumer client base, this may present opportunities for you! There may not be clients searching for you on TikTok now. But if you build a name for yourself, future clients will think of you first.

Do you already make a lot of video content? Can your thoughts fit within the framework of a TikTok creator? Do you like to get creative with marketing?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, TikTok could be an option for you.

Why TikTok May Not Be for You

If the people using TikTok are not in your field of vision to market, this would not be the best place to focus on.

If your marketing style is more traditional and formal, people will not receive your videos well. They won’t enjoy content that seems solicited.

And most important: You don’t want others to see you as an amateur! TikTok is still developing and changing with new trends, updates, and features. If you’re not up for adapting to the app and staying up to date with trends, this may not be best for your law firm.

So, if you decide to go with TikTok: What’s the best advice? Here’s our top tips for using TikTok for your law firm.

Top 10 TikTok Tips for Lawyers

1. Spend time on the app as a viewer

Some of the best preparation before creating anything is to watch others and get a feel for how the app works. There’s nothing to lose from checking out what others are doing!

You can also familiarize yourself with some of the app’s features. Some of these include trending hashtags, video effects, popular songs in videos, and live streaming.

You wouldn’t start playing a new sport without going over the rules and strategies. Stick with the same process for creating marketing strategies on the app.

2. Create consistent content

You should create content on a regular basis. A good rule of thumb is at least once per day, however you can post as much as you’d like. If you make longer-form videos, you can post 2-3 times a week.

You should also make sure your videos have good lighting and audio as well as a clear image. Try not to film in the same background too many times. Otherwise, you may lose the interest of viewers.

3. Decide what content you want to make

It’s important to create content your audience will enjoy. Many lawyers on TikTok aim to educate, entertain, and motivate others.

Would your audience appreciate videos that are information based? A Q-and-A session? Going over hypothetical cases? Or perhaps legal updates or commentary on news stories?

Live streaming is optional for creators, but is another good way to grow on TikTok for lawyers. You can interact with others live and even collaborate with other creators.

Either way, it’s important for your content to be informal, easy to understand, and relatable for your audience. Make sure to stay away from self-promotion though- it will not work!

@husbandandwifelawteam

Mark reacts to Saul Goodman #breakingbad #bettercallsaul #lawyerreacts #lawyersoftiktok

♬ original sound – Mark & Alexis Breyer

4. Keep up with trends and relevant legal topics

It’s necessary to keep up with trends. Not only will this help you become a more experienced creator, but the algorithm will be more likely to recommend your videos to people.

You can see current trending hashtags on the Discover page. A lot of these may not appeal to your specific content, but some will. Challenges, songs, and hashtags are all good things to add to your videos if applicable.

Recently, the Depp v. Heard case was huge for TikTok lawyers to create content from. There are many other important legal issues in the world today, so be careful when adding your opinion to certain topics. Pick and choose what’s important to you!

It’s also good to add trending hashtags to your captions but be careful not to overdo it! Try to only use them when participating in that specific trend.

Filters and effects can also trend but don’t use them too often. This can potentially make viewers believe you’re a beginner to the app.

5. Interact with viewers

Like on other social media apps, it’s good to interact with viewers!

If people comment on your post, reply to them and/or like their comments. It’s also a good idea to do this with live streams, if you decide to use them. Show viewers that you’re friendly and easy to talk to.

This will also help recommend your content to more viewers. Stay active on the app!

6. Add your personality to videos

You don’t have to dance or be a comedian to add some of your own authenticity and real personality into your videos. Show your staff, hobbies, and everything outside of the law.

Be you when creating content. What do you find funny? What do you want to give opinions on? Don’t be afraid to also post content that you enjoy.

This will help differentiate you from other TikTok lawyers and show authenticity apart from the legal stuff. People will think of coming to you when they have a legal issue.

7. Track your performance

It’s important to track your performance on all platforms to see if your content is likable or not. You can do this through various software (like Hootsuite) or through TikTok itself.

Some key metrics that TikTok provides are Overview, Content, Follower, and Live metrics. There are tons of analytics to see within each category that can help you strategize advertising.

All in all, tracking your performance can help you decide what works and what doesn’t.

8. Appeal to a subculture

The main place people spend time on TikTok is the For You page feed. Videos that appear here are individually crafted by the algorithm, so it can be difficult to always reach a niche that is specific.

Subcultures are communities/demographics on TikTok that you can direct your videos.

These subcultures are easy to tap into through hashtags. Subcultures build loyalty and credibility for your account. It also make it easy to expose your videos to your target niche- you don’t have to wait for your videos to appear on their For You page. Instead, they can search for it through these hashtags.

They differ from trends and aren’t short-term. Subcultures are long-lasting demographics on the app.

Some examples include FitTok (fitness lovers) and MomsofTikTok (parents, specifically Moms).

@ongsquad

How to open a pineapple without a 🔪 #MomsOfTikTok #LearnOnTikTok #CookingWithKids #Pineapples

♬ original sound – Ong Squad

9. Consider using TikTok Pro

In relevance to tip #7, you’ll need a TikTok Pro account to see metrics directly through TikTok. This is basically a business account for TikTok creators.

Going Pro won’t boost your content in any way, but it will make it easier to measure analytics.

To switch your account to Pro, go to your profile. Tap on the three-button icon in the upper right corner, tap “Manage Account,” and then tap “Switch to Pro Account.”

10. Network and collaborate

Feel free to make friends with other creators on the app! You can collaborate with other TikTok creators and network for referrals.

Collaborating with influencers who have larger fan bases can potentially help grow your own follower count.

Examples of Lawyers on TikTok

Mark and Alexis Breyer (@husbandandwifelawteam) are personal injury spouse attorneys with 331.6K followers and 13.6M likes. They post to TikTok daily about their thoughts on cases and questions from followers. They also share their story of starting their own law firm whilst having 8 kids!

Angela (@thelawyerangela) is a NYC attorney and Harvard Law graduate with 986.8K followers and 11.5M likes. She’s known on TikTok for being a chic and stylish lawyer and mother! Her posts are generally informational on range of topics from class action settlements to consumer rights. She also has “Lawyer Explains” and “Day in the Life” videos where she shows her expertise in legal updates and being a mom!

Ryan Stygar (@attorneyryan) is a former firefighter and employment attorney in California, also known as The Labor Lawyer on TikTok. Ryan makes humorous and informational videos on employer rights. He currently has 1.5M followers and 15.2M likes on TikTok.

@attorneyryan

#serverlife #retailproblems #Totinos425 #attorneyryan #clockedout

♬ Kernkraft 400 (Original Radio Edit) – Zombie Nation

Ethen Estroff (@ethenostrofflaw), also known as The TikTok Lawyer, is a personal injury lawyer licensed in Pennsylvania. Ethen makes informational videos on how to identify if you have an injury case and addresses FAQs. He currently has 222.4K followers and 7.4M likes.

Calina Plotky (@galawyer) is a family law attorney based in Georgia with 471K followers and 19.4M likes. She makes humorous videos on lawyer life, being a mom, and having interstitial cystitis- a common chronic illness. She also gives her opinions on legal cases, questions from followers, and politics. Calina is additionally running for Congress in Georgia!

@galawyer

It has been a day! Some days it seems like the world is trying to break you #WeWinTogether #breakyou #badluckday

♬ You Got It – Vedo