Posting car accident videos on Instagram does not help personal injury attorneys get cases, according to personal injury attorneys who have tried this.
For the last few years, every time we log into IG we see a law firm posting crash videos. These videos typically had traction on reddit or tiktok a few months ago, then, some “marketer” steals the video footage from these platforms and posts it to a law firm’s IG account along with silly tips like “look both ways before you cross the street” or “wear a seat belt”.
This is the most ridiculous thing we see on Instagram. I don’t know who would sell such a service, or who would pay for it. It’s truly bizarre.
I’m guessing some attorneys don’t use much social media, but they’re hungry for leads, so when someone comes along pitching their services, they bite and test the service out.
Let me save you some time and money. This is a total waste of time.
It’s a Scam.
In my opinion, this is not an innocent attempt at marketing, it’s a scam.
Anyone working in digital marketing or who has any familiarity whatsoever with Instagram know this will not help.
Don’t get scammed.
It’s Copyright Infringement.
In addition to this being a total waste of time and money, it’s Copyright Infringement.
Reposting other people’s image or video content without permission of the copyright owner is infringement.
- Read more about this from Attorney Cartee here: https://www.ac-legal.com/infringement-in-the-reposting-copyright-lawsuits-from-reposting-social-media-content/
You can be Sued.
“Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505.”
– https://www.kent.edu/it/civil-and-criminal-penalties-violation-federal-copyright-laws
Additionally, some states, like California, have state-level privacy and publicity laws, potentially increasing the legal risk for the person who reposts the content: https://www.wshblaw.com/assets/htmldocuments/uploads/2011/10/Right-of-Publicity.pdf.
You can be Banned from Instagram and TikTok:
Instagram and TikTok will remove videos like this if they see them. If you have multiple videos like this, your account will be closed.
- See TikTok’s Intellectual Property Policy: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/global/copyright-policy/en
- See Instagram’s Intellectual Property Policy: https://help.instagram.com/535503073130320/
Get Real Marketing.
There’s no intent on social media.
When someone turns to Google and searches for a Personal Injury Attorney, they’re going to call a Personal Injury Attorney.
Literally nobody is going to see a crash on social media and think “Hey, I was in a crash like this, I should hire this attorney!”
Rant over. Read about Personal Injury Law Firm SEO here.
