Hashtags, Handles, and Headlines: A Law Firm’s Social Media Style Guide

One can only wish that a cool, up-to-date website would lead to more clicks and a complete marketing package, but it’s not that simple. Your website is a tool—a big and important one —but there are other facets of marketing that need your attention. To help build your reputation, share information, and be overall searchable, you need to give your social media channels a little love.

For more than 20 years, PaperStreet has partnered with law firms to master that balancing act. Growing your social‑media presence doesn’t need to feel like a tightrope walk. A style guide removes the guesswork, turning every post, comment, and interaction into a reflection of your firm’s brand and values. No more awkward moments when you read a post and think, “What law firm would post that?” only to realize it was yours.

Why Law Firms Need Social Media Style Guides

If you have an inconsistent social media presence, potential clients will pick up on it immediately. Imagine a personal injury attorney who shares a meme one morning, then follows it up with a legal warning the next. Those mixed signals blur the firm’s brand identity, like walking into a courtroom in a tailored suit one day and flip‑flops the next. A carefully designed style guide ensures your content always aligns with your firm’s brand and meets professional standards.

After decades of experience, we know that the most successful law firms online have more than one person involved. When you can get everyone at the firm thinking about what to post online, the more complete and diverse your voice can be. While it’s a team effort, those efforts need to run through one person to ensure your voice is consistent and that everything that goes online is vetted from a branding perspective.

Crafting Your Firm’s Social Media Voice

Begin by identifying three to five adjectives that reflect how you want audiences to perceive your firm on social media. Is your goal approachable yet authoritative? Perhaps innovative while remaining trustworthy? Your choices should align with your brand identity and the specific clients you serve.

A family law practice might prioritize:

• Compassion
• Support
• Professionalism
• Reliability
• Understanding

A business litigation firm likely gravitates toward being:

• Strategic
• Experienced
• Results-driven
• Analytical
• Confident

The logic’s straightforward. Nobody wants a divorce attorney with no empathy or a corporate lawyer with way too much.

Your tone needs to stay recognizable while adapting to each platform. LinkedIn content is typically formal and business-focused. On Facebook, you’ve got more room to relax. Consider these fundamental tone elements:

• Formality level: What’s the boundary between conversational and unprofessional for your firm?
• Humor policy: Is humor acceptable? If yes, what types actually work for your practice area?
• Industry jargon: When should you use legal terminology versus everyday language people actually speak?

Master these fundamentals, and you’ll maintain consistency everywhere you appear. No more seeming like three separate firms, depending on which platform someone discovers you through.

Handle and Username Strategy

When possible, secure matching social media handles across all platforms. If your firm’s named “Johnson & Associates,” claim @JohnsonAssociates or @JohnsonLaw everywhere you plan to maintain a presence. If you can’t get exact matches, maintain a consistent pattern. Consider adding your city to the end: @JohnsonLawBoston.

Effective username choices follow these guidelines:

• Keep handles concise and memorable (nobody wants to type @JohnsonAssociatesPersonalInjuryLawyersOfGreaterBostonMetroArea)
• Avoid numbers and special characters unless absolutely necessary
• Ensure they’re simple to spell and pronounce
• Incorporate location or practice area keywords where natural

Your handle functions as a digital business card. Use it wisely.

Hashtag Strategy for Law Firms

Effective hashtag strategies go beyond obvious choices like #lawyer or #attorney. Think about hashtags tied to your specific practice areas, geographic location, and target clientele. Start by looking at what is getting results for successful firms in your market.

Develop firm-specific hashtags for campaigns, events, and recurring content series. Your firm name works perfectly fine, but for some content, a memorable slogan or series name works even better. Try out something like #LegalTipsMonday or #AskAttorneySmith.

Combine high-volume hashtags that boost your discoverability with niche hashtags that connect you with targeted audiences. A personal injury firm might use #PersonalInjury (broad reach) alongside #CarAccidentLawyer (more targeted) and #ChicagoPI (location-specific).

Remember, social media platforms utilize hashtags in different ways: 

• LinkedIn: Stay with 1-3 professional hashtags
• Instagram: Between 5-10 hashtags works well, you can extend to 30 when appropriate
• Twitter: Limit to 1-2 hashtags for readability
• Facebook: Hashtags carry minimal weight; use them sparingly

View hashtags as social media’s organizational system. Deploy them correctly, and people locate your content precisely when they need it.

Headlines That Capture Attention

Social media headlines must immediately communicate and connect with the user. Compare “New Blog Post About Divorce” with “5 Things Every Parent Should Know Before Filing for Divorce.” Notice the difference? The second headline tells readers exactly what they’re gaining. It’s the distinction between a forgettable movie trailer and one that drives ticket sales.

Powerful verbs make headlines stand out. Words like “discover,” “protect,” “avoid,” “secure,” and “understand” propel people toward action. They fit naturally with what legal services provide: problem resolution. Your potential clients face stressful situations. Headlines that acknowledge their concerns and offer solutions consistently outperform bland announcements.

Most social media is consumed on mobile devices, where lengthy headlines get truncated. Winning headline strategies will:

• Target under 60 characters whenever feasible
• Place the most critical information first
• Deploy action words sparking engagement
• Address specific pain points your audience experiences
• Offer concrete value, not vague promises

Your headline typically gets one opportunity to stop someone mid-scroll. Don’t squander it.

Platform-Specific Strategies

LinkedIn serves as the professional networking hub. Content here tends to be formal and industry-oriented. Users share thought-leadership pieces, industry insights, firm announcements, and professional achievements. Imagine it as a digital bar association meeting, but typically more engaging.

Facebook allows more personality while maintaining professionalism. Community involvement, firm culture, and educational content perform well here. Facebook’s local business feature is particularly valuable for law firms serving specific geographic regions.

Instagram is driven by visual content. Think about behind-the-scenes photos, team spotlights, office culture moments, and infographics simplifying legal concepts. These connect well with Instagram users. A picture really does convey a thousand words. Make sure yours tells the right story.

Twitter is more fast-paced. This is ideal for quick legal insights, commentary on breaking news, and real-time discussions about legal developments. Remember: Everything posted on Twitter becomes public and permanent, even after you delete it.

Engagement and Response Guidelines

Set clear expectations for how quickly your firm responds to comments and messages on social media. Immediate responses aren’t realistic for most practices. Acknowledging inquiries within 24 hours shows professionalism and care. Social media moves fast, but your responses don’t have to.

Create protocols for addressing negative comments or reviews. Usually, a professional, empathetic response can turn around an otherwise negative situation. Avoid public arguments or defensive reactions. Remember this: You’re representing your firm constantly, even when someone is acting unreasonably.

Implementation and Success

At PaperStreet, we’ve seen how the right social media strategy can transform a firm’s digital presence and create results. If you are ready to build a social media presence that enhances your reputation rather than undermines it, we can help you create a comprehensive social media style guide that keeps your firm’s online voice professional, engaging, and consistently on-brand. Contact us today to get started.