Author: Nicole Bergen
Why PI Firms Are Losing the First Call and What to Do About It.
We just wrapped the largest personal injury market study of the year. Over 1,200 interviews across multiple demographics. And the findings? Honestly, a little maddening.
Here’s what we uncovered and what every PI marketer, managing partner, and media buyer needs to hear.
Let’s Start with the Punchline
- The real competition isn’t the guy down the street. It’s the insurance company.
- Consumers don’t buy “No fee unless we win.” They think it’s BS.
- ChatGPT is convincing people they can self-lawyer.
- Attorneys aren’t losing trust they’re just losing priority.
- Step-by-step clarity isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s table stakes.
Consumers Trust You. They Just Don’t Think to Call You.
Here’s the wildest stat in the data: 57% say they trust attorneys to help them get properly compensated. Only 16% say that about insurers.
But when asked what they’d actually do after an accident?
- 65% call their own insurer first
- 45% call the other driver’s insurer
- Only 42% call an attorney
And that call to an attorney? It happens at Step 7 of 12. After the police. After their own insurance. After Googling it.
The Gap Between Belief and Behavior Is the Industry’s Greatest Blind Spot
People know lawyers will fight for them. They just don’t think they need one until things feel messy.
That’s the wedge. That’s the opportunity. We don’t have a credibility problem. We have a visibility and clarity problem.
“You Might Be Owed Millions” Isn’t Helping You.
I’m going to say something unpopular: your big promises are backfiring.
- 59% of consumers say slogans that sound too good to be true reduce trust
- 50% say “You could be owed millions” doesn’t matter to them
- 64% still believe lawyers are expensive – even when they see “no fee unless we win”
When we asked consumers how they interpret that phrase, here’s what they said:
“There’s gotta be a catch.” “I don’t believe it.” “I still think they’ll send me a bill somehow.”
It’s not that they don’t want help. It’s that they think they can’t afford it – even when you tell them they can.
AI Is Creating Self-Lawyering Overconfidence
This one’s fascinating:
- 1 in 3 Americans say tools like ChatGPT make them feel confident navigating legal matters alone
- Among young Black Americans? That number jumps to 52%
- And 73% of young Black Americans are more likely than average to feel this way
This is not a fringe behavior. This is your next client deciding they’ve got it covered until they’re in too deep.
Feels Like an Escalation
We asked men why they don’t call a lawyer first. Here’s what they said:
“Calling a lawyer feels like crossing a line.” “Only if it was really bad.” “I’d start with insurance. That’s what I pay for.”
We’ve got to stop assuming they get how the process works. They don’t. And we’ve done a poor job explaining it.
Your Social Strategy Is Your Trust Strategy.
This next part might ruffle feathers.
You cannot build trust on a billboard. You cannot teach in a 30-second spot.
If you’re not showing up on social, on video, on podcasts, on forums like Reddit, you’re not in the room when the decisions are being made.
And here’s the kicker: you can’t farm this out to your intern. This is brand strategy. This is educational content. This is relationship-building.
You don’t need to go viral. You need to be visible, consistent, and human.
Bad Creative Is Killing Good Media Budgets
Creative is not a side dish. It’s the main course and we need to invest properly in video creative to be heard, in a human way that connects.
We’ve tested hundreds of PI ads. The bad ones? Always the same story: bad lighting, no strategy, no clarity, no connection.
The good ones? They show real cases, use real language, and always, always, connect the dots for the client in the must human way possible.
Pro Tip: To deliver that quality message a minimum investment of 10% of a firm’s paid video budget should be spent on video production.
Assumptions Are Killing Your Pipeline
This one hit me hard.
“78% of people want clarity before hiring a lawyer But half say it’s only “worth it” if their case feels big enough”
So they self-edit. They talk themselves out of a case before they even call you.
If you’re only showing the million-dollar verdicts, you’re leaving money on the table. Why not spotlight the “small cases that became big wins”?
Clarity Is the New Credibility
This isn’t about dumbing things down. It’s about walking people through it step by step.
- What’s the process?
- What does it cost?
- How long does it take?
- What if it’s a small case?
- When do I actually need a lawyer?
Put that in plain English. On your site. On your socials. In your intake scripts.
Because here’s the truth: Consumers don’t need another promise. They need a guide.
TLDR: My Plea to the Industry…
Stop leading with your verdicts. Start leading with your voice.
If you want to earn the first call, you’ve got to:
- Educate before you advertise
- Humanize before you hype
- Prove it before you pitch it
- Do your market research to understand where the cracks are in your brand
Let’s change the conversation. Before AI, insurance, and inertia win it for us.
Want help doing this work? This is what we do at Elevate Marketing Research. We give law firms the data they didn’t know they were missing then help them build marketing plans that actually land.
📩 DM me or reach out to Jennifer@GrowWithElevate.com to schedule a call to learn more. Let’s make your message the one that wins the first call!
