Robert Ingalls is Tom Fox’s guest on this episode of the Innovation in Compliance Podcast. He is the Chief Product Strategist at Law Pods, a podcast for busy attorneys. In this episode, Robert and Tom talk about the power of podcasting as a medium for professionals in legal fields, why it works, and what’s in store for the future of podcasting in the legal industry.

What Makes Podcasting Work

Consumer behavior is shifting, and so are people’s learning styles. Nowadays people want to be entertained whilst receiving information; podcasts are a great medium for this, especially for legal professionals who wish to pass on legal expertise to a wider audience. “When you make a podcast you're asking them to press play and keep living their life,” Robert tells Tom. Audio allows people to consume content in a way that is most convenient and accessible to them.

Making The Leap

Lawyers have had the ability to produce audio content for many years. Tom asks Robert why this was never utilized until recently. “Because they don't need the new thing,” Robert replies, cheekily. A lot of law firms catch up with the trends slowly, and they also hope that the new trends will fizzle out or go away so they don’t have to implement them. However, the legal industry is shifting and lawyers and other legal professionals are making the leap into audio content, and picking up on social media a lot faster than they used to. They are noticing that other law firms are doing so as well, and that their clients are reacting to it. Law firms are now understanding that consumer culture is shifting and taking necessary measures to stay relevant.

The Power of Storytelling

The easiest way to attract someone to your content is via interesting and authentic stories that are also a little informal. “Be a little more informal… relax yourself and tell [your listeners] what you would want to tell them in that kind of [cocktail party] environment and pepper in some stories,” Robert advises Tom and the listening audience. The podcast is a unique area to use your voice to make a connection with someone else. When storytelling attracts your audience, it encourages them to come back, which in turn motivates them to share your content. 

What’s Next

In the near future, there will be a period of concentrated growth. People will be able to ask legal questions via their digital assistants and get specific answers from lawyers, that are segmented audio clips from podcasts. Podcasting will no longer be considered something that is a fad to the legal industry but a useful tool.

Resources

Robert Ingalls | LinkedIn | Twitter

Law Pods