If you’re running or growing a PI practice, you’ve probably noticed that marketing looks different in this space. The budgets are bigger, the competition is fiercer, and the strategies are more sophisticated than most legal marketing. There’s a reason for that, and understanding it helps you make smarter decisions.
Why PI Marketing Is Different
Personal injury operates on a unique economic model that shapes everything about how firms acquire cases:
High case values justify high acquisition costs. A single auto accident case might generate $50,000-$500,000+ in fees. That math supports marketing investments that would be impossible in most industries.
Contingency fees align incentives. You don’t get paid unless you win, but when you win, the economics often support aggressive client acquisition.
Competition is intense. Every PI firm in your market understands these economics, which means everyone is competing for the same cases with sophisticated strategies.
What PI Marketing Actually Costs
A comprehensive study of 49 PI firms spending $21.4 million annually on marketing found average CPLs by channel:
| Channel | Average CPL |
|---|---|
| SEO | $183 |
| Generative Engine Optimization | $246 |
| $286 | |
| Display | $296 |
| YouTube | $319 |
| Local Service Ads | $378 |
| Google Search Ads | $442 |
These are averages across markets. In highly competitive metros, CPLs can reach $700-$1,500 per lead.
Cost by Case Type
Different case types have different economics:
| Case Type | Average CPL |
|---|---|
| Slip and fall | $312 |
| Workplace injury | $354 |
| Auto accidents | $391 |
| Product liability | $476 |
| Medical malpractice | $512 |
Medical malpractice costs more to acquire but typically has higher case values. The economics vary, but the pattern holds: marketing investment scales with case value potential.
Cost Per Signed Case
CPL is just part of the equation. What matters is cost per signed case.
With typical lead-to-case conversion rates around 10%, a $400 CPL translates to approximately $4,000 cost per signed case. Industry benchmarks suggest $2,700 as a reasonable CPA target in competitive PI markets.
The Channel Mix
Successful PI marketing isn’t about finding one magic channel. It’s about building a system where channels work together:
Search and LSAs: Capturing Intent
Google Search Ads and Local Service Ads capture people actively looking for a lawyer. High intent, but high competition and rising costs.
TV and CTV: Building Awareness
Television, both traditional and streaming, creates the awareness that drives search. When someone has an accident and remembers your name, they search for YOU, not “car accident lawyer.”
SEO: Compounding Returns
SEO has the lowest CPL ($183) but requires patience. Average law firms spend around $150,000 annually on SEO and see 526% three-year ROI, but breakeven takes about 14 months.
Social: Targeting and Retargeting
Facebook and Instagram offer precise targeting and effective retargeting. CPLs around $286 make social competitive with other channels.
Referrals: Highest ROI
Referrals from other attorneys, past clients, and community relationships often have near-zero acquisition cost. They’re not scalable like paid media, but they’re often the highest-quality cases.
Building a PI Marketing System
The firms that grow consistently don’t just buy leads. They build systems:
Awareness channels (TV, CTV, social) reach potential clients before they need you. When they do need a lawyer, they already know your name.
Capture channels (Search, LSAs, SEO) convert that awareness into leads. Branded searches, people looking for your firm specifically, convert at 2-3x the rate of generic searches and cost a fraction of the CPC.
Nurture systems (email, retargeting) stay in touch with people who aren’t ready yet.
Intake processes convert leads to signed cases. A 10% conversion rate is common, but improving to 15% effectively increases your marketing ROI by 50%.
Common Misconceptions
“PI marketing is mostly TV and billboards.” Not anymore. Digital channels (search, social, SEO, CTV) now account for a large share of PI acquisition costs. The firms winning combine traditional and digital.
“Any lead is good.” The real constraint is qualified, case-fit leads, not just raw volume. A thousand unqualified leads just burn staff time and create frustration.
“We just need more leads.” Maybe. But if your intake converts at 8% instead of 12%, you’re leaving cases on the table. Marketing and intake are two sides of the same system.
What This Means for Your Firm
PI marketing is expensive because it works. High case values support high acquisition costs, which attracts competition, which drives costs higher.
The question isn’t whether to invest in marketing. It’s how to invest efficiently. That means:
- Understanding your true cost per signed case, not just cost per lead
- Building systems where channels reinforce each other
- Investing in brand awareness that makes all other marketing more efficient
- Optimizing intake so you convert more of what you’re already paying for
The firms that thrive aren’t necessarily spending the most. They’re building the smartest systems.
Go deeper: Our complete personal injury lawyer marketing guide covers strategy, channel mix, and optimization in detail.