Creating a trending post or video is an art. Immigration news is always the hottest topic for potential clients. Many of them are super hopeful for an amnesty, a law that would finally forgive their unlawful entry, EWI, overstay or working in US without permission.

Most immigration news are published in serious publications and are too long or difficult to digest for many of our potential immigration clients, especially when/if their reading comprehension is limited. (For example, Title 42 is a topic most people have no idea about. It needs a long definition/explanation every time it’s brought up.)

When Politico or the Wall Street Journal publishes a long article discussing the SCOTUS consideration of whether the Biden administration can pass pseudo-laws like DACA or priorities in removal, the immigrants who are clients do not even try to understand those articles. It’s beyond their digestibility.

This is where we have a great opportunity as immigration practitioners to educate our public (our potential clients) and give information that is not direct marketing, but does sell our services. Educational content is what makes us experts. Experts are the kinds of professionals people want to hire. Our potential clients look for the expert they like and click with on an innate level.

One person may pick someone like me who is more light-hearted and does TikToks with occasional lip-syncing and dances. Another person may pick another practitioner who is more quiet, somber, and serious. There is a cover for every pot, so to speak. Every one of us here has an audience, just put yourself out there for people to even know you exist and where your expertise is.

Interpreting news for our clients is a big money-maker.

The challenges arise herein:

1. Coming up with interesting news to discuss

2. Voicing your opinion. 

The hottest topics are amnesty, Congress, processing times, entry to the United States and the easing of naturalizing processes. It is not easy for us as advocates to put our own voice into the discussion, but that’s what the viewers and readers want. Prospective clients want your personal spin on the news you report to them, and they seek to determine how this make things easier for them. Give examples, talk about your cases (without names or any identifying details). They want to hear your success stories.

By creating content that is authoritative and unique, immigration lawyers can increase their visibility, build their authority and attract new clients. Here are a few strategies.

1. Use all the platforms available. Personally, the most effective ones for my practice for collecting good leads are YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Our Facebook pages are more for brand awareness, while they don’t always bring in leads for perspective clients. There are also Webinars (you can do free ones or paid), Telegram groups, etc. Each of these platforms requires a different format for your content.

2. Do simple blog posts and short videos. The longest videos go to be posted on YouTube, but even there – keep it under 10 minutes!

3. Catchy names for your posts or videos work tremendously. People love to read and watch “3 tips”, “5 mistakes”, “10 things to avoid” “4 best tricks” “DIY” types of content. Work with an SEO specialist or do some keywords research as you share your content online.

4. Create content for the case types you are most interested in getting clients for. For example, I talk about VAWA, Asylum, Cancellation of Removal, O-1 Visas, Removal Proceedings and NIWs. You can pick even one or two case types and keep hitting on those. Your knowledge is superior to that of any of your clients, so you can make short videos about even the smallest, finest points. Remember, it’s like explaining immigration law to a teenager. Your prospective clients will appreciate simple explanations and easy how-to’s.

5. Think of your ideal client: How old they are, their gender, where they live, what they like to do in their free time, what types of jobs you think they have, what they like and dislike. Cater to those factors when creating your content.

6. Do not be afraid that you will give away too much for free in your videos and posts. Video content will never equate to legal assistance for personalized cases. People still need immigration attorneys for almost anything related to USCIS, NVC, and Consular processing. Videos cannot replace you. Clients usually don’t even know how to contact these agencies. They have no idea about how to use the Processing Times link and figuring out how long their case type usually takes.

7. When potential clients contact you on social media – you cannot provide legal advice, but you also should not tell every single person with a question – contact us for a consultation. You have to ‘tease’ a little when they ask general questions. Some examples of questions like these include:

1. What is the time frame for VAWA or PERM?

2. How long does an I-130 filed by a USC parent for a married child take from inception to the issuance of the immigrant visa?

3. When can someone generally file for asylum after 1 year from their last entry.

8. Do not be afraid to say, “generally, xyz petition takes 18 months, but it depends where you live and what service center at USCIS is processing it.” And if they continue talking, reel them in for a paid consultation with you on specifics of their personal situation. 

9. Keep it fun, but don’t be afraid to say no to people asking for free consultations if you only do paid consultations like we do.

10. Make the rules of your firm very clear – for example, we clearly disclose that we only do paid consultations, they are pre-paid and after their completion – not refundable. We do not make up stories for their cases, they must work on questionnaires for us, etc. Pick your rules and stick to them.

11. Create a database of people interested in your services – anyone who reaches out to you – make sure to collect name, phone number (mobile) and email. You may want to get special software or even an assistant to keep track of all this information and enter it in your firm CRM system like MyCase or Clio. Use your database for newsletters and campaigns. Make sure you get their full contact info in exchange for answering even their general questions.

12. Be careful with what you answer – make sure no attorney/client relationship is created and tell them this information.

13. Make it easy for people to schedule a consultation with you. Provide a Calendly link or scheduler app link to schedule with you. Set up pre-pay. Ensure that clients receive an automatic confirmation email with all your rules, explaining how long the consultation will be, how you collect their info and documents to review, refundability, etc.)