Podcasting is a unique and consistently growing medium for speaking directly to your customers, partners, and peers, no matter what industry or field you belong to. More and more owners and managers are jumping into the fields of podcasting (or ‘vodcasting’: podcasts with a video component), but we also continually meet owners who are reticent to tackle the challenges of setting up a podcast, given the time and commitment needed to break into the field. And sometimes, we encounter companies that recognize the opportunities and advantages of starting a podcast, but worry that their industry or field won’t be a good fit for the podcast format.
But the great thing about podcasts is that the format is totally elastic. Even within a very rarefied field, there are always distinct and specific approaches that can be taken to create a show that is vastly different from anything else within the same space.
The Right Show for the Right Client
For example, say you work for a law firm. You understand that podcasting would be a great means to communicate directly with the public and spread awareness of your company and brand. But before setting up a podcast for your company, maybe you scratch your head and go, “But wait, aren’t there already a million podcasts about lawyers and lawfirms? Hasn’t everything already been done? Wouldn’t my podcast just end up being more of the same?”
Here are some examples of legal-themed podcasts to give you a sense of how wide a scope of tone, format, and perspective there can be even within a sub-category of podcasting that automatically necessitates overlap in subject matter. Even so, there are always new and interesting approaches.
For example:
Lawyer 2 Lawyer
The hugely acclaimed and long-running series Lawyer 2 Lawyer is hosted by attorney J. Craig Williams. When you listen to Layer 2 Lawyer, very little of the presentation jumps out as remarkable. The format is a standard half-hour discussion of the latest news within the legal profession, with Williams joined by a special guest to discuss the ins and outs of whatever the given topic is (separation of church and state; the Ticketmaster antitrust suit, wrongful convictions, etc.). Williams’s audio quality is basic and does not have the crispness and clarity you see from the latest mics. But that doesn’t matter in comparison to the content of the show itself, with excellent and informative guests, a confident and compelling host, and the reputation for quality and expertise embued on the show by the sheer longevity and quality of the output. Williams successfully utilized the podcast medium to create and enshrine his reputation as an expert, and the longer the show runs, the more solid that reputation becomes.
The Legal Toolkit
For a radically different approach to the same subject matter, there is The Legal Toolkit podcast. Host Jerry Carrea is also well-established within the legal profession, and he also uses his podcast to discuss the ins and outs of the legal world and to impart practical advice and insider tips. But as a show, Legal Toolkit could not be more dissimilar from the standard interview/news discussion format. Carrea mixes the central focus with diversions into pop culture, everything from sketch comedy to the Beach Boys. He cracks jokes and is casually profane, creating an irreverent tone that moves the podcast to the intersection between informative and entertaining.
Grow Your Lawfirm
Meanwhile, the Grow Your Lawfirm podcast is an example of how a specific point of view and theme can drive the content you create. Grow Your Lawfirm is not trying to keep up with the latest news or take a fully holistic look at the legal world. Instead, it frames the subject matter through the lens of…well…it’s right there in the title. How do you grow a law firm? How can lawyers leverage marketing and changing technologies to expand their business? What are the management strategies that work in this modern age, and which are becoming outdated? By having such a clear intent and central dramatic hook, the show is immediately distinctive and can be explained and recommended easily. Looking to grow your law firm? Well, you should listen to the Grow Your Lawfirm podcast. Clarity and specificity count for a lot in the world of podcasting.
Get In Touch
There are many other examples we could reference here, but these three podcasts serve as a demonstration of how robust the podcast format can be, and how much creative freedom there is even in an audio medium. Even if each of the above shows boils down to lawyers and legal consultants chatting about their industry, there are whole worlds of differences between them. None of these shows could ever be mistaken for one of the other ones, they are each too firmly and fully defined by their specific points of views and identities.
Setting up a podcast isn’t always easy, but it also doesn’t have to be difficult. Whatever kind of show you’d like to create, whether you’re looking for a standard podcasting format or are interested in exploring vodcasting or other multimedia forms of outreach, ModPod is ready and excited to work with you to create the very best version of whatever show you’re looking to make.
Contact us today, and let us help you find your voice.
