Estate planning and probate marketing
Marketing for estate planning and probate law firms
Planning clients take their time: they read, compare prices and talk it over with a spouse or their children first. Probate clients can't wait, because someone has just died and the paperwork has landed on them.
By Charlotte Thompson, Co-Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
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The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Estate planning marketing works when a firm keeps turning up while people research for weeks, and probate marketing works when the firm is there the week a family needs help. The two halves of the practice need different channels.
For most estate firms we start with AI search and the Business Profile, because planning clients ask a lot of questions before they call. We add Local Services Ads or Google search ads for probate and for people ready to sign. One client replaced webinars and in-person seminars with that kind of system and now brings in around $30,000 a month in new estate plans.
Intake here is about follow-up more than speed, since many planning leads aren't ready on the first call. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
How estate clients choose
Planning clients research. Probate clients react.
Nobody wakes up needing a will today. Planning clients compare for weeks or months; probate clients search in the days after a death, often from another city.
- A life event starts the search
A new baby, a marriage, a diagnosis, a parent's death, a second home. Questions like "do I need a trust or a will?" come first. "Estate planning lawyer near me" comes much later, once they have decided to act.
- They compare process and price
Planning clients often ask two or three firms what a will or trust package costs and what it includes. Clear flat-fee information and a plain outline of the steps keep a firm on the shortlist while they decide.
- Adult children start searches for parents
A son or daughter often begins the research for an aging parent's will or trust. The website has to speak to the child doing the reading and to the parent who will sign.
- Probate is urgent and often long-distance
After a death, an executor needs to know what to do about the house, the bank accounts and the court. They search for help near where the person lived, which is often not where they live.
- The relationship outlasts the plan
Planning clients come back when life changes, and their families often call the same firm when it's time for probate. A firm that stays in touch keeps that work instead of losing it to whoever ranks this year.
Channels that fit
Which channels fit an estate planning firm, and why.
Planning needs channels that answer questions over weeks; probate needs channels that catch a search this week. We start with AI search and the Business Profile, then add paid channels for the matters that are ready now.
- AI search
Planning clients ask ChatGPT and Google's AI answers detailed questions: will or trust, what probate costs, whether a trust keeps the house out of court. Those tools name firms with clear answer pages, current Business Profiles and consistent reviews. One client moving from family law into estate planning built its new reputation this way, and prospective clients now find them inside ChatGPT and similar tools. See how firms show up in ChatGPT.
- Local Services Ads
Google lists "Estate lawyer services" as a US Local Services Ads category. It suits probate calls and people ready to book a plan, and you pay per lead rather than per click. The Google Verified badge comes first; our guide to getting verified covers the checks.
- Google search ads
Search ads let you split probate from planning, with separate budgets and landing pages. Block searches for will templates and do-it-yourself kits, because those people want a form, not a lawyer.
- Seminars and webinars
Many estate firms were built on seminars. They can still bring in clients, but they cost the lawyer's evenings and weekends. One client wound his webinars and seminars down, replaced them with a steady system, and now runs the firm remotely while he travels.
- Social media and Facebook ads
Short videos that each answer one planning question build the familiarity planning clients want before they book. Facebook and Instagram ads suit a simple message, like "Still no will?", shown to people nearby who aren't searching yet.
| Matter | Usually starts with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wills and simple plans | AI search, Google search ads, Business Profile | Price-aware people comparing a few firms |
| Trusts and larger estates | AI search, referrals, reputation | Longer research; accountants and advisers refer |
| Probate and estate administration | Local Services Ads, Google search ads | Executors need help this week, near the estate |
| Plan updates | Email to past clients, reviews | Existing clients return when life changes |
Rules that shape it
Fee advertising and specialist claims need care.
Estate planning is a practice where firms often advertise prices, so the fee rules matter. In England and Wales, uncontested probate pricing has to be on the website.
- England and Wales: the SRA Transparency Rules cover the collection and distribution of a deceased person's assets in the UK where the matter isn't contested (rule 1.3(b)). Firms that offer it must publish cost information on their website, including the total cost or a range, the charging basis, likely disbursements, VAT, what's included, key stages and timescales, and who does the work (rules 1.1 and 1.5), in a prominent place (rule 1.6).
- Canada's Model Code (Federation of Law Societies of Canada), rule 4.2-2: fee advertising must be reasonably precise about the services each fee covers, say whether disbursements and taxes are extra, and the lawyer must stick to the advertised fee in every applicable case.
- ABA Model Rule 7.1, comment [3]: an unsubstantiated comparison of your fees with other firms' fees can mislead. "Half what other firms charge for a trust" needs proof behind it.
- ABA Model Rule 7.2(c): saying you are a certified specialist requires certification by a state-approved or ABA-accredited organization, named in the communication. The ABA's list of accredited programs includes Estate Planning Law from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.
Most of this is good marketing anyway: precise package prices and named credentials are exactly what planning clients compare. This is a plain summary for marketing planning, not legal advice.
Intake
Where estate planning firms lose clients after the first inquiry.
Planning leads are rarely lost to a missed call. They are lost to silence, while the person keeps meaning to get around to it.
No second touch
Someone asks for a price, or books a consultation and cancels, then goes quiet. A friendly reminder a week later, and another a month later, brings some of them back. Without it, the will stays on their to-do list for years.
Probate calls queued like planning calls
An executor holding a letter from the court shouldn't wait two weeks for a consultation slot. Give probate inquiries a faster path to a lawyer.
The parent isn't in the meeting
When an adult child calls about a parent's plan, book a meeting that includes the parent. The parent is the client and the one who signs.
Not asking for reviews at signing
Planning clients rarely leave reviews unprompted. Asking when the plan is signed, while they feel relieved it's done, builds the profile that AI tools and Local Services Ads lean on. Our intake metrics guide covers what else to track.
See it for your firm
See what we work toward for your firm.
Pick "Estate Planning & Probate" in the demo on our AI search page, type your firm and city, and see the kind of answer we work toward when someone asks whether they need a will or a trust. It's an illustration of the goal, not a real result.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Two estate planning results: a solo who replaced seminars and webinars with a steady system bringing in around $30,000 a month in new plans, and a firm that moved from family law into estate planning and is now found inside AI search.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
“Santiago has been responsive and has been working diligently to develop a marketing plan for our firm.”
FAQ
Questions estate planning and probate lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Do seminars still work for estate planning firms?
They can, but they cost a lot of the lawyer's time for each plan signed. One of our clients wound his seminars and webinars down and now brings in around $30,000 a month in new estate plans from a steady system instead.
Should we publish our flat fees?
Often yes, because planning clients compare prices before they call. Be precise about what each package covers and what costs extra. In England and Wales, uncontested probate pricing must be on the website under the SRA Transparency Rules.
Are Local Services Ads worth it for estate planning?
In the US, Google has an "Estate lawyer services" category. It fits probate and ready-to-book planning calls; it does less for people still researching. Our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide compares the two.
How do we get named in ChatGPT for will and trust questions?
Answer the questions people actually ask, one clear page each, and keep your Business Profile, directory listings and reviews consistent. One of our clients pivoting from family law into estate planning is now found inside ChatGPT and similar tools.
How long before marketing brings in signed plans?
Paid search and Local Services Ads can bring probate and planning calls within weeks. AI search and reviews build over months. Because planning clients take time to decide, judge the first months on consultations booked, not only plans signed. Our guide on what law firm marketing costs covers typical ad spend.
Do you work with estate lawyers in Canada and the UK?
Yes. Google's Canadian Local Services Ads pages list no legal categories. In the UK there is a "Probate lawyer services" category, but only in Greater London. Everywhere else in both countries we lead with AI search, the Business Profile and Google search ads. UK firms also need the SRA price information on their site.
Further reading
Guides for the next question.
Longer answers to the questions that come up once a firm starts spending on marketing.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA Transparency Rules
- Federation of Law Societies of Canada, Model Code of Professional Conduct (2024)
- ABA Model Rule 7.1, Comment
- ABA Model Rule 7.2, Advertising
- ABA, Private Organizations with ABA Accredited Lawyer Certification Programs
- Google Local Services Ads Help, eligible categories (US)
- Google Local Services Ads Help, availability (UK)
Written by
Co-founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads social media and content, runs onboarding for new client firms, and is on the regular check-in calls with clients.
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