Social media marketing for a San Diego estate planning firm works when it answers the questions people put off for years: will or trust, what happens if I die without one, and who gets the house. Nobody needs an estate plan this week, so the firm that has answered their questions for months is the one they call when they finally sit down to do it. Short form videos of the attorney explaining one question at a time do that. Keep every client, family and asset out of frame (Rule 1.6), and never promise an outcome like "no probate, guaranteed" (Rule 7.1).
Why estate planning is different on social media
An injury client needs a lawyer now. An estate planning client often waits until something pushes them: a new baby, a new house, a diagnosis, a parent who died without a plan. Until then they are watching.
That changes what works:
- Plain words beat legal words. "Who gets the house" is a better hook than "intestate succession".
- The adult children are watching too. Some search for a parent who needs a plan, or after a parent died without one.
- Saves beat likes. A clear video on will versus trust gets saved and sent to a spouse or a sibling.
What do people ask an estate planning attorney before they call?
These come from what people type into Google about wills, trusts and estate planning lawyers in California, and from what your intake team already hears:
- Will or trust in California: which do I need?
- What happens if you die without a will in California?
- Is a trust better than a will in California?
- How much does an estate planning lawyer cost in San Diego?
- How do I find a good estate planning attorney?
- What happens to my house if I die?
- When should I update my plan?
Each one is a 30 to 60 second video with the attorney answering it. Answer only what is true in California and for your firm. Where the answer depends on the family, say what it depends on.
Estate planning video ideas
- Will versus trust. Google suggests at least six versions of this question for California alone. One video for what each does, one for who usually needs which.
- "I don't have a will." What happens in California when someone dies without one, in plain words.
- Life events. A new baby, marriage, divorce, a home purchase, moving to San Diego from another state: what each one means for a plan.
- For the adult kids. How to start the conversation with your parents, and what to ask.
- The first meeting. What to bring, how long it takes, what it costs at your firm.
- Your team. The paralegal who will walk people through signing, so the first call feels easy.
What an estate planning video may not do
- Promise outcomes. "Avoid probate, guaranteed" or "your family will never pay a cent" are claims the facts may not support for every family, and misleading claims are banned (Rule 7.1).
- Say "certified specialist" unless you are certified in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by a State Bar accredited body, and the post names it (Rule 7.4(a)). Saying your practice is limited to estate planning is allowed (Rule 7.4(b)).
- Show a client, a family or their assets. Who someone leaves money to is confidential. Client confidences stay secret "at every peril" (Rule 1.6, B&P 6068(e)). No real names, addresses or documents in frame.
- Let a seller's script decide the plan. The State Bar warned decades ago against lawyers letting living trust marketers steer clients into a product (CAL 1997-148). If you co-host a seminar with a financial adviser, the advice in your videos still has to be yours.
- Pitch people in comments or DMs. A public video is fine. A real-time message to a specific person to win their business can be solicitation (Rule 7.3).
Every rule, with its source, is in the California lawyer social media guide. This is not legal advice; your firm's attorneys decide what posts.
A worked example: "Will or trust in California?"
Filmed at the attorney's desk. Nobody else in frame.
| Seconds | On camera | What the attorney says |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Attorney facing the camera | "Will or trust? In California, this is the question I get most." |
| 3 to 18 | Attorney holding up two folders | "A will says who gets what. A trust can hold your things now and pass them on later." |
| 18 to 35 | Close-up | "Which one you need depends on what you own, where it is and who you're leaving it to. That's what the first meeting is for." |
| 35 to 42 | Attorney facing the camera | "If you have neither, doing nothing is still a plan. It's California's plan, not yours." |
| 42 to 47 | End card | Attorney name, firm name, office city |
Have your attorney check every line, especially any claim about probate, before it posts.
How Launch Social works with estate planning firms
- We film at your office, on 2 or 4 scheduled days a month. No clients on set.
- You approve every video before it posts. We post to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn.
- We do not answer comments or DMs. Conversations with people who might hire you stay with your firm.
- Spanish videos. I am a native Spanish speaker, so we can film in Spanish. If a video implies your firm serves clients in Spanish, it has to be true (Rule 7.1, comment 5).
- One firm at a time. We do not take on two competing firms at the same time.
Our law firm client today is Mova Law Group, a personal injury firm in San Diego. More on the law firm page.
What does it cost?
$2,500 a month for 10 to 12 short form videos and 2 filming days, or $3,500 a month for 15 to 20 videos, 4 filming days and two features on San Diego CA Living, my own Instagram page with 100K+ local followers. For a law firm, those features are Instagram only, because TikTok bans paid posts promoting legal services. The monthly price is the whole bill, with no ad budget on top. The first three months, then month to month.
Questions people ask
How do estate planning attorneys get clients from social media?
Estate planning attorneys get clients from social media by answering the questions people put off, one short video at a time: will or trust, dying without a will in California, and when to update a plan. People watch for months before they call, so the firm that posts consistently is the one they remember.
What should an estate planning attorney post on Instagram?
Short videos of the attorney explaining one question at a time: will versus trust, what happens without a will, what to bring to the first meeting, and what a life event like a new baby or a new home changes. Keep every client, family and document out of frame.
Can an estate planning attorney say "avoid probate" in an ad?
Only if it is true for the people the ad reaches, and with the context that makes it true. A blanket promise that a plan avoids probate for everyone can be misleading under Rule 7.1. Have your firm's attorney approve the wording.
What should an estate planning firm look for in a social media agency?
One that films your attorneys at your office, keeps clients and their families off camera, sends every video to your firm for approval and never pitches people in DMs. The law firm page lists seven questions to ask before you sign.
Related
- Social media marketing for law firms in San Diego
- What California lawyers can post on social media
- Social media marketing for family law attorneys
- Instagram content without being on camera
Want this done for you? Book a free 15-minute call with Danny. We look at your account and the businesses you compete with, and you leave with a written plan for your next 90 days, whether you hire us or not.