Sarah Allen: Simplifying Video Marketing for Lawyers and Beyond

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Sarah Allen discuss:

• The importance of consistency and discipline in achieving business success
• Leveraging video marketing to build credibility and save time
• Understanding and overcoming common barriers to adopting video marketing
• The value of clarity and focus in business strategy and client engagement

Key Takeaways:

• Starting with short videos that address frequently asked questions allows lawyers to engage clients effectively while also reducing the time spent repeatedly explaining the same concepts.
• Tailoring video content to a specific audience builds trust, credibility, and professional authority, making it more effective than chasing viral success or trying to appeal to a broad, unfocused audience.
• Creating high-quality videos does not require expensive equipment, as a simple setup with a smartphone, webcam, and external microphone can produce professional and engaging results.
• Videos that focus on providing solutions to client problems or answering their common questions not only save time but also help establish the creator as a knowledgeable and trustworthy expert in their field.

“The biggest benefit of video for attorneys is you get your time back… it’s literally duplicating yourself.” —  Sarah Allen

Got a challenge growing your law practice? Email me at steve@fretzin.com with your toughest question, and I’ll answer it live on the show—anonymously, just using your first name!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Rankings.io: https://rankings.io/

Rainmakers Roundtable: https://www.fretzin.com/lawyer-coaching-and-training/peer-advisory-groups/

Episode References: 

The No B.S. Small Business Book by Casey Graham: https://www.amazon.com/No-B-S-Small-Business-Book-ebook/dp/B09N9TZTW3

About Sarah Allen: Sarah Allen’s career bridges the worlds of big business and entrepreneurship, with leadership roles managing $100M+ divisions at Old Navy, Banana Republic, and eBay. Her time at eBay sparked a passion for empowering entrepreneurs, leading her to channel her corporate marketing expertise into helping small businesses succeed. Through her signature 5-step video marketing framework, Sarah has driven over $1M in revenue for her clients by helping them attract and convert new customers with ease.

Connect with Sarah Allen:  

Website: http://www.sarahallenconsulting.com/

Email: sarah@sarahallenconsulting.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-ann-allen

Connect with Steve Fretzin:

LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin

Twitter: @stevefretzin

Instagram: @fretzinsteve

Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.

Website: Fretzin.com

Email: Steve@Fretzin.com

Book: Legal Business Development Isn’t Rocket Science and more!

YouTube: Steve Fretzin

Call Steve directly at 847-602-6911

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Steve Fretzin: [00:00:00] Hey everybody, it’s Steve Fretzin. Welcome to the show. Before we get to the interview, I want to just take a moment to answer a Q& A from Travis in Oklahoma. And he’s asking, well, first of all, he says he loves my show, which is, I love that. Any, any strokes anybody wants to give me, I’m happy to listen to.

But here’s his question. What’s your favorite tip to people just getting started in the networking scene? Great question, Travis. I appreciate that. I would say most importantly is know who your targets are. The prospective clients and the strategic partners that you want to actually meet with and see at these events and at these groups, you need to make sure they’re there.

So do your research, talk to people, call around, call the people that run the groups, ask a ton of questions. That’s Just make sure before you even go to visit one to see if it’s right for you that the targets that you want to work with are there. For example, I’m part of Provisors. 50 percent of Provisors members are lawyers.

So for me, there’s no better place for me than to be surrounded by Provisors [00:01:00] members because there’s a very good chance I’m going to either find a client or I’m going to find someone that can refer a lawyer to me. So that would be my number one tip is to really be very highly targeted and also try to find places that you enjoy that you, that you can meet great people and have a good time with.

So that’s it, Travis. Hopefully that’s helpful. Good luck to you. If you need more information, go to my website, Fretzin. com. And that is everybody enjoy the show. We got a good one for you.

Narrator: You’re listening to be that lawyer, life changing strategies and resources for growing a successful law practice. Each episode, your host, author and lawyer coach, Steve Fretzin, will take a deeper dive, helping you grow your law practice in less time with greater results. Now, here’s your host, Steve Fretzin.

Steve Fretzin: Hey everybody, welcome back. It’s Steve Fretzin and you are on the. Be that lawyer podcast. And you know that already because. You’re the one who put it on your phone, so, good for [00:02:00] you, you’re already ahead for the day, that’s one way to look at it. I just want to thank you for listening to the show, and just for being so gracious in telling other people about it and helping us continue to support it.

We are coming up on close to 500 shows, as Sarah pointed out, which is pretty impressive, I guess, in five years, you think so?

Sarah Allen: Absolutely. 500 episodes. Yeah, not too shabby, right? Yeah, absolutely. We’re

Steve Fretzin: doing 27 shows a week. No, we’re doing two shows a week. We’ve been doing that, I think we did like one show.

Here’s what happened. Nobody cares about this, but I’ll tell you anyway.

Sarah Allen: No, I care. Tell me.

Steve Fretzin: Okay, okay, alright. Somebody cares. I

Sarah Allen: want the secret.

Steve Fretzin: Alright, here’s the secret. Well, this isn’t a secret, but here’s what happened. So I was doing one show a week. That’s kind of how I set it out. And then I would like say, all right, Sarah, you’re recording with me today.

And like three months from now, your show will air. And you were looking at me like three months from that, because I had that many guests and that many, like in the queue, like done. And so I’m like,

Sarah Allen: you know,

Steve Fretzin: I’m a, I’m not a [00:03:00] celebrity, especially to my teenager. If I ever feel, if I, my ego gets too big, I just go talk to my son, knock it right down.

But ultimately I said, you know what, I think I have enough. And I think I have enough people that want to be on the show. And then I’ve got enough of like a, you know, like a magnet to bring good people in that I could do two weeks. So that’s what’s happened. And that’s why we’re getting close to 500.

Sarah, I’m just so happy that you’re here. We had a terrific pre interview chat that to know each other a little bit, and we’re going to be talking a lot about video today and helping lawyers really figure out this whole crazy video world that they’re in. But, you know, if you’ve been listening to the show and I think you have that, we’ve got a quote of the show we got to get through.

So this is. Tony Robbins, who, you know, look, I’m no Tony Robbins. I do like to walk on coals for fun, but that’s just me. It’s, and here’s this quote. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently. So welcome to the show and tell us why you love that quote so much.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, totally. And I think that your tee up for the doing the 500 episodes is like a great lead into that quote, right? [00:04:00] Because you’ve said, Hey, like, I’ve just showed it up consistently. And I don’t know about you, Steve, but sometimes as a business owner, I can get caught in the weeds. I can get too caught up with any one hour, any one client.

Any one season of my life. And I’m not taking a step back and going, okay, wait a second. Like, what am I actually doing consistently? And when I think about like my week, something that me and my family, we do consistently is I go on a walk with my sons around the block every day. And I’m like, that is consistent.

I’ve been lifting weights two to three times a week. That’s consistent. We go to church, you know, and it’s like helping. And then with my clients, it’s like helping them create consistent video. And I just, when I look back or even look into my future self. It’s going to be those things that are consistent, that really, like you said, shape our lives.

Steve Fretzin: And I would add, you know, the key to consistency is discipline. Also, by the way, helps if you enjoy it. So I’ll give you a quick example from my, I went to a really tough Pilates, I’ve been doing Pilates for over [00:05:00] two years now. And I have the discipline to show up and do the work that I need to do in that class every single week, multiple times a week and all that.

And I think without the discipline, it’s very hard to do things consistently. So I would say we have to put consistency in the same category as discipline because without that, I don’t think you can be consistent. And by the way, P. S., the reason I do Pilates, other than it’s easier on my back than some other stuff, Is because I enjoy it more than other junk.

Like you just had me running on a treadmill or you had me doing other types of things, like lifting weights. I used to do. That to me is not as enjoyable as something that moves really quickly from one thing to the next to the next. So I think consistency, but discipline and then trying to find something you can be disciplined in because you actually enjoy it or can tolerate it might also be a fact.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, no, I couldn’t agree more. And I love how, like, I feel like discipline is a common thing that you talk about a lot in the podcast, like even with lawyers, like. Being disciplined to not just like look [00:06:00] at your phone all the time. I think you’re totally right. It’s discipline is incredibly is like an integral piece to being consistent.

Steve Fretzin: Well, and if you think about business development, which is my jam, and the fact that most lawyers hate it, despise it. Don’t want to do it. It’s not what they signed up for. I try to make it fun and systematic and interesting and all that to get people to realize, like, you know, it’s hard, but it doesn’t need to be hard.

It can also be fun, like meeting people and asking them questions and listening and like getting them to do video or whatever it is that, that, you know, help them grow their law practices. But let’s take a step forward now. And everybody’s Sarah Allen is the founder of Sarah Allen consulting. Give us a little background because I don’t think you’ve always been in video, right?

Sarah Allen: No, I haven’t. I actually had a career in buying. So I basically got to pick the clothes that went into the old Navy and Banana Republic stores. That was really like my career. And then I went to eBay most recently to learn e [00:07:00] commerce. So yeah, things have pivoted quite a bit. Yeah.

Steve Fretzin: I was a big banana fan for a while now that the malls have all shriveled up and they’re not in the malls anymore.

Like they used to be at least the ones I go to. I

Sarah Allen: actually saw Banana Republic at Costco the other day. Really?

Steve Fretzin: Oh my gosh.

Sarah Allen: Yeah. Yeah. I was like, okay, things have changed.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah. You know, Kirkland banana. That’s, you know, right in the same thing. Thumbs up. So give us your background. How did you get into video and then what, and tell us a little bit about your business too.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, totally. I mean, if I’m being all the way honest, Steve, like the business started for me actually at a low point in my life. So I was, like I said, I had the successful career at these, you know, large fortune 100 companies. And I was at eBay and I actually was laid off. There was a mass layoff during the first maternity leave that I had with my son.

And so eBay, I had the opportunity to work with a lot of successful entrepreneurs when I was at eBay. Like my job was to help grow their business. And it was the first time that I think I got that entrepreneurial itch. Because I saw it modeled, I was like, wait a second, like, [00:08:00] they figured something out here and I’m interested in being an entrepreneur.

And it was also at that time, like having my son, I didn’t really want to go back to like a corporate climbing that corporate ladder, so to speak. And so. So basically like when you think about a career in buying and even video, there’s a lot of commonalities in the sense that there, you need the science and you really need the art for both of those things to work.

And so that is really like my skills. I think the meshing of both of those. And so, I mean, really what happened was we bought a house and my real estate agent needed some help in marketing. And so she just like wanted to hire me. So I, I started to do marketing for her and it was so quick that I realized video is really what’s going to drive her results.

And I’m going to be honest too. I mean, we just like made a lot of mistakes along the way. We, we did paid advertising. We did a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and we weren’t focused. And so the business really started to turn around when we started to like go all in and focus on video. So that, so me in a nutshell, [00:09:00] but kind of how my career has transitioned.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah. So then let’s talk about lawyers and video in, in my, you know, I’m getting more lawyers that are my clients to understand the business development side and the marketing side and how they match together. And I’m really trying to lead them down a path of doing more video and getting out there and building their personal brand, but they shy away from it.

Why are you seeing, why do you, I have my own take on it, but I’d love to hear your take on why lawyers seem to shy away from video when they have, you know, there’s writing, there’s video, they’re speaking, there’s a lot of different ways to build brand, but that seems to be the one that most of them are hesitant to try.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, I mean, I think that there’s it with when you think about attorneys, there’s just an inherent like risk aversion, right? And so I think that’s really I call it if people have this pretend to purr they focus May they major people a lot of people especially attorneys major in the minors, right?

Meaning it’s easy to Really fixate on these like minor details. Like what mic [00:10:00] am I using? What’s the camera? What is like this particular client gonna say right? And in my mind, it’s like, and from experience with my clients, the more notoriety you get, that’s when like people start kind of coming out of the woodwork.

Right. But it’s so few and far between that, like all the negativity that I think is perceived, that’s going to come and the, from these videos is actually false. It’s actually a lot of positivity that comes, you know, one of my clients, Ellen Cookman, who I know you’ve had on the show. I mean, her clients are so grateful for her videos, like it’s just like, thank you for explaining this concept topic, you know, this complex topic in a simple way.

And so I really, I think that it’s like, I think it’s the risk aversion that really, really can hold people back and really that just perfectionism.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah, I was going to say, and you jumped in and nailed it, but I think, yeah, the perfectionism, like I used to do three camera shoots and lighting [00:11:00] and everything for some of the videos that are, if you go way, way deep into my YouTube channel, like back years and years ago, you’ll find some pretty fricking good videos that were done by like professionals that had multiple cameras and they were doing like coaching me.

I think I, one point I wore makeup, which, you know, all right, didn’t think I needed, but I guess when my face a little red. So and then lawyers have the time and here’s the big one that I’m thinking too is like they see YouTube videos and they see these, you know, Shylocks and like these kind of greasy characters that are saying, Hey, lawyers, and they go on and they kind of totally, you know, like do that.

And they’re like, I would never lower myself to that. You know, bow tie, funny hat, you know, hammer the glass or whatever, you know, shtick is going on. And I, so I think they have, there’s a very negative connotation about some of the videos that they’re seeing and they feel like all videos are that when that’s not necessarily the case.

Sarah Allen: Oh, totally. And I think that what’s really important for lawyers to think, to [00:12:00] understand when they’re starting videos. Is people that create videos typically have two different business models, right? They’re creators, right? Which are going for views and it’s all about getting more, more, more, right? But then there’s this other camp that you and I fall into, as well as these attorneys, which we use video to help promote the business, right?

And so when you think about it from that lens, it’s like, no, you don’t need a hundred thousand views. to bring in, like you don’t need to be an entertainer, right? To bring in the amount of views that attract your ideal client. And I think that that’s kind of another like fallacy that people have because a lot of those, like you’re saying, these like slick YouTube channels, they’re great.

They can be entertaining, but their model is about getting ad revenue from YouTube. They don’t have a business necessarily. Right. And so I think that that’s like really a differentiator when it comes to like thinking about promoting your law firm with video. I mean, you can. I remember Ellen, like she had a hundred subscribers and she got her first client.

You know, it’s [00:13:00] not like you need to put up these. Incredible numbers. I actually have a video that talks about how like a viral video could actually really hurt your law firm If you think about it,

Steve Fretzin: so expand on that expand on that for a moment What about I mean a viral video how would that hurt a law firm?

Like I mean, I got some things in my head that that I could come up with that would mess

Sarah Allen: You got any viral videos steve that you’re thinking about?

Steve Fretzin: No, i’m just saying like if like I mean if a lawyer like went off the rails and did something and yeah And it could be malpractice. It could be confidentiality Breach You know, there’s a number of guidelines and rules that could break.

So there’s that, but I guess it’s more about the, they may not seem professional when they see them, like they seem a little, I said a little slimy. So therefore that’s how all videos are. And that, I don’t want to, you know, I’ll give you an example for me. Like, I know that this is a good way to do a video is I’m walking down the street.

In my neighborhood, I’ve got my phone on me and I’m talking into the phone as I walk down the street and go, Hey, lawyers, step up and I’m talking and I’m [00:14:00] explaining something about it. Like, I know that that’s the algorithm that gets, I just, for me, it’s not me. I just can’t get myself to walk down a street and talk on the phone because when I see.

Those videos, I don’t like them. That doesn’t mean other people don’t. Other people might want me walking down the street talking about, you know, why videos better than writing or something like that. I don’t know, I think, is that maybe the problem? That we have our own, like, head trash about things and therefore, we can’t get ourselves to do certain things?

Sarah Allen: Yeah, so it’s a good point and I think it’s, Emily, you touched on it’s like know thyself. There’s things that work and there’s things that don’t. Podcasting works for you. So awesome. Right? Double down on that. The thing with viral videos, I think a lot of people don’t see that the biggest thing that you need to do if you’re going to be successful with video is pinpoint one ideal client.

Right? And so the thing with viral videos is, if you think of like a funnel, like viral videos are going to bring a ton of people, right, into that funnel. [00:15:00] And only a small portion are people that you actually want to serve. Okay? Yeah. So cool, so you got this viral vid so let’s just play this forward a little bit.

You got this viral video. And then a bunch of people come into your channel, and then you do another video that’s actually more relevant to the person that you actually serve, all of those people are going to click on that video and click out immediately, because it’s just not relevant for them, right?

And so I think it’s interesting, Steve, because it almost gets back to that idea of like discipline that you were talking about, right? Like really being disciplined on who is the like one person that I’m talking to? And I think that a lot of lawyers think, okay, well, if I only talk to this one person.

This one particular person, then, you know, I’m not going to be able to serve these other people in my law firm. And I’ve talked about Ellen a little bit, but like. Ellen has, is brilliant in the sense that she’s like, Hey, I can actually be really known and add a lot of value for people in the special needs community in the trust space in California.

[00:16:00] Right. There’s a ton of like estate planning attorneys. This is what I focus on on the YouTube channel. However, I will tell you that a huge part of her practice is actually traditional estate planning. Right. And so I think it’s just about like this idea of. Like virality is all about being generic and specificity is what really builds credibility with people.

And so I just, I think it’s important to, yeah, virality, in my opinion, should not be the goal.

Steve Fretzin: Other law firm marketing agencies can’t deliver. Get more rankings, get cases, and schedule a free consultation at Rankings. io today. Hey everybody, Steve Fretzin here. Man, I thought I was a good marketer, but maybe not. Lawyers have been approaching me asking, what’s the Rainmakers Roundtable? Well, I tell them this is a special place created [00:17:00] exclusively for rainmaking lawyers.

To continue their journey of prosperity. Our program is unique as every member has a significant book of business and is motivated to grow it year after year. Where else does this exist? If you’re a managing partner who’s looking to get off your lonely island and talk shop with America’s top rainmakers, please go to my website, bretson.

com, and apply for membership today. Well, I think with the podcast or video or social media, whatever it is, like, I’m only looking to meet and work with the most ambitious, interested, coachable attorneys that are out there. And this show, I think of all the shows, and there’s a lot of law shows and there’s a lot of just general podcasts, and I listened to some really great ones.

My show doesn’t need to have a million people. My show needs to have a very specific set of followers that care about the content and are interested in this content. And I’d rather deal with a small group of highly motivated people that are listening [00:18:00] than a random group of strangers that. Are listening to me talk about a broader subject that isn’t quite as specific to what I’m actually trying to accomplish in the industry, which is to educate on, you know, the stuff they never touch in law school.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I like, but you are clear about that. And I think that that’s where it’s so important. I think people arbitrarily will go after, I need 20, 000 views. I need, and I’m, my question is why, how many clients do you even need? You need a hundred thousand new video to bring in 10 clients.

You don’t, but that’s clarity is important.

Steve Fretzin: Sorry. So, no, no, this is all great, but I’m just like, all right. So there’s a lawyer listening right now who is not a video person and they are hearing this. What’s the benefit and value of video may be different than again, all the other options that exist.

Sarah Allen: Yeah.

I mean, video, the biggest, in my opinion, the biggest benefit of doing video for attorneys is you get your [00:19:00] time back. So attorneys repeat themselves a lot. Like I think if, if there was a clock and they had to, you know, clock in, clock out, how much do I repeat myself every single week, every single month? I mean, it would really add up.

And so when you think about a video, like that’s literally duplicating yourself, right? So you’re able to really. Like, what I tell people, if this is somebody that’s just thinking about video, I’m not even saying you need to go all in. Just record five videos of your most frequently asked questions, right?

And so then when clients are emailing you, or even preemptively, like before you meet with clients, you’re able to send them those videos and it’s a win win because you’re able to save your time, but then the clients are going to be so happy because most people are visual learners and they’re going to be able to.

Really absorb the information so much better. So I think it’s a time thing. It’s totally a time that most people are focused with video about leads, leads, leads, leads. And I’m telling [00:20:00] you, like, especially for the solo, you know, the solo law firms out there, it’s really about your time. Like that’s our most valuable asset.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah. And I think, I think leads. It could be what you’re trying to go for. What I’m thinking about for videos that I is this valuable to the community, you know, answering a question that they have, or is this, is this interview good? Or is this, is this helpful to them? The fact that they like it and are getting value and then want to call me.

To talk about their own specific practice. That’s wonderful. Like I’m, you know, I’m, I’m in business for a reason. I’m, I need to make money and pay for my son’s 529 for college and all that stuff. Okay. Right. You’ve got to, so, but, but ultimately I’m trying not to be salesy and trying not to like, you know, be, make videos promotional for me because again, I feel like that’s not what videos should do.

I think videos done properly should show you as an expert should show you as the thought leader. And based on that [00:21:00] should drive the traffic to your show, to your YouTube channel, and ultimately into your pipeline.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, totally. And it’s really about, if you think about it, it’s really about building belief, right?

Because I think a lot of people with video, like even, they might be thinking, Oh, well, Sarah, like what’s the mic that I need? And I’m like, wait a second. Like before we even get to the mic, like, do you even believe this is a viable business model for you? Like, do you even believe that this is viable to help, you know, grow your business or do you believe in your, I’m not sure how old you are, Steve, but you’re very young.

Okay. Maybe under 30. Okay. Maybe under 30. Okay. But let me just say like in this 2. 0 season of your life, right? Where like, you’ve got a lot of experience. I’m going to tell you a belief that you need to know is that you have an advantage over the 20 somethings because you know what you’re talking about, right?

So it’s like understanding like video can actually build those beliefs so that like even when you acquire that customer, they’re ready to go. They don’t have all this hesitation that [00:22:00] slows them down.

Steve Fretzin: And look, I’m a big book person too. Like I’m working on my fifth book and it’s coming out in Q1.

Everybody big surprise come in, but like I will go. Wow. All right. Sarah’s got my book. Legal business development is in rocket science. Everybody available on Amazon. But the. Shameless self promotion there the the idea though is it used to be had to have a book to be famous like that’s what the gold standard is for credibility and i think today it might be a podcast it might be video like those might might be have taken over what thought leadership and what belief and credibility is in the space that you’re in.

Sarah Allen: Totally. And like something else that I’ll offer to Steve, like I actually just had a client who was not feeling comfortable on video and they wanted to do a podcast, but something that’s growing in popularity. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this is this idea of private podcasting, right? And so maybe an attorney listening and saying, Hey, Sarah, you know, like, yeah.

That, you know, shooting some video or even [00:23:00] shooting a podcast sounds interesting to me, but I just don’t want it to go to the mass public. Right. It’s a great walk before you run strategy of like, you can just send it to clients or perspective clients or people, and then you can kind of, you know, handle control the distribution a little bit.

It’s just a like really good starting place.

Steve Fretzin: Hey, do you have any insight on what like the YouTube guy gods are asking for video? Like I was mentioning about walking down the street like what are like the algorithms change and like what? YouTube is saying for people to do to get more views to get more action.

Are you privy to that?

Sarah Allen: Yeah, so I am actually not in touch with the YouTube gods either, so, no, but I think that like it kind of gets down to like some of the things that we’ve touched on in this conversation, like one of the things people, this is a big thing that people miss on YouTube, like people think YouTube is a video platform and it is, but I would argue that YouTube is more of a packaging platform.

And what do I mean by that? Title and [00:24:00] thumbnail are literally like 80 percent of it, right? And your lawyer, like the lawyer listening to this podcast is they’re going to want to focus on the talking points, right? They’re going to want to focus on the meat of the video. And unfortunately the meat of the video is not why people click on the video.

Right. And so what I’m not saying is, you know, clickbait and, you know, but it’s like really thinking about taking like a disproportionate amount of energy to think about, like, what’s a title that could, you Interest people. And then like, what’s a thumbnail that could really, you know, create some interest.

And by the way, I mean, there’s great thumbnails that you can get on Fiverr for like 20 bucks. It’s not something that, you know, your lawyers have to be in Canva and take on.

Steve Fretzin: But I think you’re right. Like, and I think when I go through in my head about YouTube and what I’m clicking, a lot of it has to do with the title, a little bit with the image.

Right? But if that, like, I even was thinking back to when, you know, there was, we’re in the middle of the political season and the campaigns and all that, and some of the people on the left had some videos and they would like bold some [00:25:00] words in the title that were so catchy. And then I’d click on it and I’d realize, Oh, they just totally like catfished me.

This is not at all exciting or interesting, but they made it sound unreal in the in the title.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, no, totally. Totally. I mean. It’s a packaging platform.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah, absolutely. Those sons of guns. All right. Last question I’ve got for you is really around lawyers getting started with video. So like they’ve been hearing now they’re hearing us talk about it for almost 30 minutes.

What types of videos should they be creating? How do they get that first one started so that they can get consistent with it over time?

Sarah Allen: Yeah, absolutely. Great question. So. I would look at your, so the first thing I would do to come up with a list of topic, look at the people, the clients that you’ve met with in this last week and this last month, what are the top questions that you are asked, right?

All those down. And you can even keep a notebook and while you’re in meetings, you can write them down. Right. And it’ll become [00:26:00] very clear. Okay. People always ask me, what do I need to do to get an estate plan? Or like, how should I consider, you know, if I want to get a divorce? It’ll be really clear. And those will be your, those should be, in my opinion, your first set of videos.

And I think when you’re thinking about shooting, I’ll just say quickly that the, the simpler, the better. And so even now, as I’m talking to you, like this is literally a webcam with a podcasting mic that is connected to my computer and this doesn’t need to change. So I, I really encourage people to like.

Lower the barrier and just like shoot it on your computer. I mean, you can shoot it on loom video. You can do a zoom video, but don’t overthink it. And yeah, so really think about the questions you’re asked and then just keeping the equipment simple. You really only need like an external microphone.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah.

And if you’re going to do it on your iPhone, I would say get, you know, buy a 20 stand a tripod exactly. And you can shoot a vertical video that used to not be a thing. Now it’s a big [00:27:00] thing, especially if you want to do, you know, YouTube shorts or Instagram or anything like that. But really great stuff.

Let’s wrap up with our game changing book. This is one that I don’t think has been on the show and it’s one you just read so it’s really fresh in your mind. It’s the No BS Small Business Handbook. I love everything about that title, by the way. Casey Graham?

Sarah Allen: Yes,

Steve Fretzin: Casey Graham. Tell us about it. Yes,

Sarah Allen: so this is a book that has really like risen to the My best read in a while and for me, so the, the book really talks about a need to, as a business owner have an owner’s intent and he talks about how like most people cannot tell you in one sentence, like why they are in business and it appears like, ah, do I really need an owner’s intent, but like, I will, you know, encourage the audience to think about like, what is your energy right now around your business?

Right? Like, do you, are you feeling like you are in alignment, right? Or are you out of alignment? Cause I think we’ve all had those moments in business. And so that book has really helped me to go, okay, like, [00:28:00] what do I value? Why am I in business? And then from there, it’s very clear. My pricing, what I offer, what I don’t offer, who I work with, who I hire, who I don’t hire.

Like, there’s just like so much clarity that can come from an owner’s intent. So I just, that, the simplicity of that, especially in the season of life for me, just like resonated with me. It’s like a super easy to read and he’s a guy that’s built like several companies, some that have exited and. Just good knowledge to have.

Steve Fretzin: Yeah, and I’d like to say everybody, whether you’re at a big firm, a small firm, mid market, whatever, on your own, it’s always Ewing, meaning, you know, even when you’re at a, at a company or a firm or something where you’re, you know, a spoke in the wheel. Ultimately the way I see it is everybody’s their own entrepreneur.

The fact that you’ve got an umbrella over you of this sperm, that’s fine, but you are the one that has to produce for you. And that’s what this show is all about. Right? So I’m tying it back together, Sarah, in a nice little bow. Let’s [00:29:00] take a moment. Thank our wonderful sponsors. Of course, rankings IO, we’ve got the law, her podcast, which is phenomenal, especially for women and also the.

Be that lawyer rainmakers roundtable so if anybody’s interested in being in a millionaire million dollar plus rainmaker group with other top players and talk shop and have a chance to work on your issues and be held accountable and have your best year ever i have a number of these groups where i we went through this last session i said.

Yeah. All right. It’s December. How did you finish 2024? What’s your big plan for 2025? Everyone in both of my, in the two main groups I run, everyone had their best year and the year before that was their best year and next year will be their best year. So that’s something you’d like to be involved in.

Everybody just shoot me an email at steve at pretzand. com. We will talk about it. More importantly, Sarah, people want to get involved in video. They want some help. Two things. One is what’s sort of like your general like deliverable, like, or just like the one that would help the lawyers that need [00:30:00] like just someone to kind of coach them through it.

And then what’s the best way for them to reach you?

Sarah Allen: Yeah. Can you, so my deliverable, can you tell me what that means?

Steve Fretzin: And just like, what are you offering to lawyers that it’s going to help them get started in video? Because obviously you could tell them how to do it themselves, but you’re running a business too, where you like help them create the content.

Sarah Allen: Yeah, totally. One of the things that I launched a few months ago, Steve, is a group coaching program. It’s called Video Made Simple Academy. And it’s really for that lawyer that, kind of like you said, that’s interested in Interested in video, doesn’t know really what to expect and doesn’t know the next steps.

And so that’s a program that’s, it’s 2. 49 a month. And there’s a couple of group coaching calls a month, and you’re really able to understand, like, how do I tactically make this happen in my business? So. Yeah. And then in terms of like reaching out to me, LinkedIn is a great place to find me, you know, also on my website, but those are the two best places to reach out to me.

Steve Fretzin: And all of that in the show notes, everybody. Sarah, thanks so much. I appreciate your kind [00:31:00] words to me and, and, and thoughtfulness. And, and I’m just so happy that we were able to get together, do this podcast and share your wisdom and get people excited about video. Cause it’s really, Like YouTube is taking over, like people are looking for stuff on YouTube even more than on Google in some capacities for content, so, anyway, fantastic stuff, thank you.

Sarah Allen: Thank you,

Steve Fretzin: Steve. Yeah. And thank you everybody for spending some time again on the Be That Lawyer podcast with Fretzin twice a week, as you guys know, and we’re here to help you grow. Let’s, let’s make 2025 our best year. So we’ll we’ll do that at all, any chance you get, if you need anything from me, you just let me know.

I’ve got all the resources. My YouTube, I actually looked, I have over 600 videos on my YouTube. People don’t even know I have a YouTube channel. I’m terrible at marketing, yeah. It’s just go to Steve Fretzin on YouTube and you can pull up a tremendous amount of content. Thanks everybody. Take care. Be well.

Be safe. We’ll talk again soon.

Narrator: Thanks for listening to Be That Lawyer. Life [00:32:00] changing strategies and resources for growing a successful law practice. Visit Steve’s website, Fretzin. com for additional information and to stay up to date on the Development and Marketing Trends. For more information and important links about today’s episode, check out today’s show notes.