As streaming services continue to overtake traditional TV, businesses are considering leveraging them as a new advertising solution. Over-the-top (OTT) advertising has emerged as an effective strategy to reach certain audiences. Here’s what you need to know about OTT ads and how your personal injury law firm can maximize this strategy.

How to Create Impactful OTT Ads for Personal Injury Lawyers

It wasn’t long ago that linear or traditional television was the only option for video entertainment. Since the launch of Netflix, streaming content services — many of which are supported by advertising dollars — have exploded in popularity. For personal injury law firms, OTT ads may be an ideal strategy for reaching your target audience. Your over-the-top marketing strategy will have the best chance of success if you understand the potential challenges and follow a few best practices. 

What is OTT advertising?

OTT (over-the-top) advertising involves placing ads on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Disney Plus and Apple TV. It’s called “over-the-top” because it bypasses traditional cable, broadcast, and satellite TV to deliver video content via the internet on a connected TV (CTV), mobile device, tablet, or gaming console.

OTT ads can show up on streaming services in a variety of ways. A few examples of OTT ads include:

• Long-form video ads that play during scheduled commercial breaks
• Short ads that play when a viewer pauses their video
• Short “pre-roll” ads that play before the main content begins
• Banner ads that appear on the screen while content is being played

Benefits of OTT ads for law firms

According to Mordor Intelligence, the OTT Market was worth $600 billion in 2024, a figure which is expected to soar to $1.27 trillion by 2029. This equates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.14%. North America is currently the largest OTT market and home to some of the most prominent platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Roku. 

Some of the benefits of leveraging OTT ads for personal injury law firms include:

• Massive audience: The number of streaming subscribers is now huge. According to Forbes, 99% of all U.S. households now pay for at least one streaming service, with Americans spending an average of over three hours daily streaming digital media. 
• Precision Targeting One of the best things about OTT ads is that you have a lot of control over who will see them. Unlike traditional cable channels, you can pinpoint your target market by location, demographics, and interests.
• Affordability: OTT ads are usually priced on a cost-per-thousand impression basis. The cost to advertise on streaming services varies, but it is much more affordable than placing ads on traditional television networks. 
• Analytics: Another benefit of OTT ads is that you can get access to detailed analytics to track your performance. For example, some platforms offer data on factors like impressions, click-through rates, and view completion rates. 

Running OTT ads for your law firm also represents an outlet that isn’t highly saturated by other firms — yet. As one of the few personal injury firms advertising on streaming services, you can quickly build brand awareness in your market. 

Challenges of OTT advertising

While a streaming service like Hulu might seem like an ideal opportunity, every service is divided across different channels, publishers, and devices. OTT ads can be complex due to their challenges, including:

• Transparency: Most brands will gain access to OTT platforms via an aggregator or reseller. Using this approach can make it more difficult to determine whether your ads are running on premium or less popular channels. 
• Targeting: Targeting is one of the benefits of OTT advertising, but some platforms still haven’t perfected this. For example, you may be limited in targeting your ads if the platform isn’t able to correlate its ad IDs with IP addresses. 
• Measurement: Because they are internet-based, streaming services are getting better at delivering analytics. However, it may be helpful to work with a professional who understands OTT advertising so you get the best results. 

Tips for creating impactful OTT ads

Where do you start if you’re ready to explore OTT ads for your personal injury law firm? Here are some tips to get the most out of this digital marketing strategy:

1. Consider your goals

Before running ads on various streaming services, take time to weigh your target outcomes. Create a list of your ideal client’s characteristics and what you want to accomplish from your ad campaigns. 

Do you want to increase the visits to your website? Boost awareness about your brand? By answering these questions, you can identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and hone in on the right types of ads for your campaigns. 

2. Compare opportunities

You can find OTT advertising opportunities on numerous platforms, so you’ll want to compare the programs and requirements to determine which one works best for your business. You can buy ads directly from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and other platforms. 

The platform you choose should be based on the demographics of the audience you are trying to reach. 

3. Generate your ads

Once you know your objectives and decide where you want to advertise, it’s time to create your content. Most platforms will have technical requirements, such as ad length and video resolution, so review these guidelines carefully. If you aren’t confident in your ability to create high-quality video content, you may wish to collaborate with a professional. 

4. Evaluate your results

Most platforms will offer analytics so you can track your ad’s performance and determine whether it is achieving your goals. For example, are you getting the engagement and click-throughs you expect? 

In some cases, you will zero in on an OTT ad strategy that produces excellent results, so you can build on that momentum. If your metrics indicate otherwise, you can adjust your approach. 

Optimize your personal injury advertising strategy and capture more leads

Having ads on popular streaming services can give your law firm valuable exposure. OTT ads for personal injury lawyers can elevate your marketing strategy to boost awareness and drive more traffic to your website. 

Once potential clients decide to investigate your firm and arrive at your website, what happens next will be a vital step in the client acquisition process. CloudLex’s Intake Manager streamlines the intake process so you can capture a prospective client’s critical data in an accessible and simple-to-use format. If you accept the intake, you can convert that data to an active matter with the click of a button. 

CloudLex was developed exclusively for personal injury attorneys. Contact us today to schedule a free demo and learn more about how our solution can help your firm improve law firm client communication and workflow.