What is Synthesia?
Synthesia is an AI-powered app that takes text documents (such as Word or Google docs) and creates videos with AI spokesmodels and voiceovers quickly and easily.
One of the issues that law firms, like many other businesses, have with their marketing strategy is the time-consuming process of creation of and repackaging their digital content to use on their website, social channels and outbound marketing efforts. Synthesia can easily take written marketing content and in a matter of minutes, convert this into video content without the need for one of your attorneys or spokespersons to go in front of a camera.
We believe that using Synthesia is a perfect way to create educational videos, firm overview videos, and case study content. In some cases, the written content is already available, so creating the video content and posting on a firm s website or social channels is easy. By using Synthesia and similar tools to create video content can both drive more engagement and improved search engine performance.
As mentioned, using Synthesia is pretty easy. The first step is to pick a template. There are literally hundreds of already created templates with different backgrounds and looks, and you can easily modify any of these to change colors, add your firm logo, etc. Next, you will need to pick an AI-generated avatar. Synthesia continues to add avatars, and they currently have over 200 AI-generated avatars in a variety of ages, ethnicities, and genders. Further, there are over 2000 voices across 29 languages to choose from. Note that you can also create your own digital twin using your voice, if so inclined, though this isn't recommended for long videos as it could become distracting since this avatar is not a perfect replica. Based on the template chosen, the avatar can be the primary image in the video or can be secondary to the other content.
Next, you create a script and its scenes. You can look at scenes as being the main points of the script. I.E. if your script has 5 main points, then there are at least 5 scenes. Most likely, you will also create scenes for the introduction and summary of the video. You can add text or other content such as background music, images or videos to any individual scene or just have the avatar in the scene. Probably the most common style for creating a scene is to create bullet points or add pertinent images that coincide with the script of each scene. This process is very similar to creating individual slides in a PowerPoint presentation.
Once you create and edit your video, you then render it, which is what creates the avatar and synchs it with the content and voice.
You can then download your video to play on your website, social channels or other platforms. Alternatively, Synthesia has integrations with 3rd party applications and platforms including YouTube, Vimeo, HubSpot, WordPress and Squarespace so you can easily upload or embed your videos.
Synthesia Pricing
Pricing for Synthesia is based on a Freemium pricing model, meaning that the lowest tier pricing is free, though you are limited to a small number of avatars and total minutes of rendered video per year. Pricing for Synthesia is very reasonable however with the Creator plan, which is the highest priced plan, still being less than $100 per month. Note, there is also custom pricing for the Enterprise plan, but we think that for most law firms, the Creator plan will absolutely cover all your needs.
What We Like About Synthesia
- The ease of use of this tool. Most people will have a very short learning curve and can be creating videos in no time. It is appropriate for use by any size law firm practice from solos to larger firms with that have marketing resources.
- The sheer number of avatars, voices and languages available.
What We Don t Like About Synthesia
- The AI avatars and voices still are not as authentic as human spokespeople, though they continue to get better with each new release.
- While there are a lot of avatars, voices, and languages to choose from, it lacks the flexibility or customization of full-video editing tools.
- Prior to rendering the videos, you should carefully watch and listen to the output. The voice-over can and does mispronounce words that it is unfamiliar with.
Competitors to Synthesia
This space will get more and more crowded over the coming months and years. Currently, we see Lumen5 and Movio as the most popular direct competitors with other companies like InVideo, while not focused specifically on avatar-based videos, bringing ease to video creation.
Key Benefits of Synthesia for Law Firms
Time and Cost Savings: Traditional video production can be time-consuming and expensive. Synthesia allows law firms to create professional-quality videos in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost. This efficiency frees up valuable resources for other marketing initiatives.
Professionalism and Brand Consistency: Synthesia's AI avatars deliver content in a polished and engaging manner, ensuring a consistent brand image across all videos. This professionalism instills trust in potential clients and reinforces the firm's expertise.
Personalized Client Communication: Videos can be customized with client names, case details, and other relevant information, creating a more personalized and impactful experience. This can definitely help when a law firm engages in an account-based-marketing approach.
Versatility: Synthesia supports a variety of video formats, including explainer videos, testimonials, case studies, and social media content. This versatility enables law firms to create targeted videos for different platforms and audiences.
Overall Assessment of Synthesia
Synthesia is a valuable asset for law firm marketing, offering a cost-effective and efficient way to create professional-quality videos. By leveraging this AI-powered tool, law firms can enhance their online presence, attract new clients, and strengthen existing client relationships.
Please note, however, that AI-generated content may lack the warmth and authenticity of human presenters, so while we like the benefits of tools such as Synthesia and Luman5, this should supplement, and not totally replace human presenters.
LawBARD Score for law firm use: 4 out of 5 gavels
Remember, as with all law firm marketing efforts, that it is your responsibility to make sure that your videos comply with your state's Bar Association Advertising Rules and Regulations or the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct. If you are unsure, contact your local Bar Association.
