CTV vs Print Advertising for Law Firms

Print advertising (newspapers, magazines, directories) was once essential for law firms. Now it’s a small slice of most marketing budgets. Here’s how print compares to CTV and when each still makes sense.

The Print Landscape

Print’s Decline

• Newspaper circulation down dramatically
• Magazine readership shrinking
• Yellow Pages largely irrelevant
• Digital has absorbed attention

What Remains

• Local newspapers (reduced but existing)
• Niche publications
• Community publications
• Legal directories (mostly online now)

Reach Comparison

For broad awareness, CTV dramatically outreaches print.

Engagement Comparison

CTV Engagement

• 94-96% completion rates
• Full audio-visual experience
• 15-30 second exposure
• Emotional impact possible

Print Engagement

• Seconds of attention (if noticed)
• Static image and text
• Reader controls pace
• Easy to skip/ignore

CTV commands attention. Print hopes for attention.

Cost Comparison

Factor	CTV	Print
CPM	$35-50	Varies widely
Production	$15,000-35,000	$1,000-5,000
Minimum buy	$15,000-25,000/month	$500-5,000/placement
Measurement	Strong	Very weak

Print is cheaper but delivers far less per dollar.

Measurement Comparison

CTV Measurement

• Verified visits
• Attribution tracking
• Branded search correlation
• Accountable ROI

Print Measurement

• “How did you hear about us?” (if they remember)
• Unique phone numbers (some tracking)
• Very limited attribution
• Largely unmeasurable

62% of consumers discover brands via TV. Print discovery is rarely tracked.

Targeting Comparison

CTV Targeting

• Geographic precision
• Behavioral signals
• Household-level
• Advanced segmentation

Print Targeting

• Publication’s readership
• Geographic (newspaper coverage area)
• Basic demographic (publication audience)
• Very limited precision

When Print Still Works

Local Community Publications

• Hyper-local focus
• Community credibility
• Low cost presence
• Specific neighborhood reach

Niche Publications

• Industry-specific (trucking, construction)
• Case-type alignment
• Targeted professional audiences
• Credibility in niche

Directories (Selective)

• Still referenced by some
• Declining rapidly
• May make sense for specific demographics

Credibility Plays

• “As seen in…” value
• Reprints for office
• Social proof element

When CTV Wins

For Awareness

CTV provides what print can’t:

• Scale of reach
• Emotional impact
• Brand building
• Measurable results

For ROI

CTV delivers accountable performance:

• Track from impression to case
• Optimize based on data
• Justify investment

For Modern Audiences

People don’t read print ads:

• Attention has shifted
• Video is expected
• Digital natives ignore print

Budget Allocation Reality

For most PI firms today:

Channel	Budget Share
CTV	35-45%
Search	25-35%
SEO	15-20%
Print	0-5%
Other	5-10%

Print is optional, marginal at best.

The Exception Cases

Print Might Get Budget If:

• Specific niche publication aligns perfectly
• Very local community presence matters
• Budget is very small (print cheaper entry)
• Credibility/social proof specific need

Print Shouldn’t Get Budget If:

• At expense of CTV presence
• For broad awareness goals
• Without clear niche alignment
• Based on “we’ve always done it”

The Practical Approach

If Considering Print

Do:

• Evaluate specific publication value
• Negotiate rates (print desperate for advertisers)
• Track with unique phone/URL
• View as supplementary

Don’t:

• Replace CTV with print
• Expect significant lead volume
• Invest without tracking attempt
• Assume print builds brand like TV

If Currently Running Print

Evaluate:

• What leads come from print? (really)
• What’s the cost per lead?
• Is there tracking in place?
• Would CTV budget serve better?

Consider:

• Shifting print budget to CTV
• Reducing print to true niche value
• Eliminating low-performing print
• Keeping only what demonstrably works

The Honest Assessment

The comparison heavily favors CTV for most marketing objectives.

For complete channel comparison, see the CTV vs traditional advertising guide.

References

• Nielsen. (2025). Connected TV: Transforming advertising trends. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2025/connected-tv-transforming-advertising-trends/
• IAB & Innovid. (2022). CTV takes center stage. https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Innovid_CTV-Takes-Center-Stage.pdf
• MNTN Research. (2025). 62% of consumers discover new brands through TV. https://research.mountain.com/insights/62-of-consumers-discover-new-brands-or-products-through-tv/