As professional services marketers, you need practical ways to put AI to work. Ways that actually help your teams and lawyers create and share more effective content that gets your firm noticed in an AI-first world.

We've put together this simple guide to help you cut through the noise with tools and techniques you can start using today to make AI work for your marketing.

What you'll learn

• Using AI to draft content (Sections 1-3): How to prompt effectively, optimize for AI discovery, and maintain your human voice
• Content distribution strategies (Sections 4-5): Repurposing content across channels and using smart tagging
• Optimizing for AI discovery (Section 6): Understanding GEO and getting your content cited in AI-generated responses
• The common pitfalls (Section 7): Top tips for avoiding the most common AI missteps, such as how to handle generic responses, factual mistakes and brand consistency

1. Drafting posts with AI

AI tools like ChatGPT are brilliant for getting you started, but they shouldn't do all the work. Here are a few steps to take when using generative AI to help keep your thought leadership on point and retain your firm's unique voice.

Give it context: The better the prompt (including your brand's tone, audience, and article structure), the better the output, for example:

"Below are a few key points on why cross-border M&A deals are becoming more complex. Turn these into a blog post in a professional yet approachable tone for a law firm audience of in-house counsel. Include a three-point structure and finish with a practical tip."

Use it for scaffolding: Get a draft or bullet points, then add your firm's unique perspective and insights. You could try asking:

"Below this prompt, I've written what the five biggest regulatory changes in financial services are this year. Turn these into a structured blog post outline with bullet points. Leave space for me to add examples from my firm's client work."

Keep it human: Weave in anecdotes, cases and client perspectives. AI can't replicate these; this is where your authority stands out in a sea of samey content.
 

2. Drafting posts for AI

Google's AI Overviews are reshaping search. If you want your content picked up, it helps to consider how AI reads it.

Most people are looking for answers to their problems, so make sure you're answering those questions for your audience. Let your firm's authority and knowledge on specific subjects shine through, and don't be afraid to get into the details.

Answer questions directly: Headings, lists and FAQs are your friends. Here's an example of how you can include the right responses:

"What are the biggest risks in cross-border M&A?"

• Currency fluctuations
• Conflicting regulatory requirements
• Cultural and communication challenges

Depth beats keywords: Don't chase volume, show authority in your niche. Try using very specific language and really get under the hood of your subject matter. The AI will thank you for it. This example gives you an idea:

Instead of writing "data protection rules are changing", write "the EU AI Act introduces mandatory risk assessments for high-risk systems, including those used in HR and recruitment".

Make it structured: Subheadings and tagging help AI understand your content (more on this later). Here's how that might look in practice:

Subheading: "Three ways law firms can prepare for ESG reporting"

• Map out current data collection processes
• Identify reporting gaps across practice areas
• Train teams on the new disclosure requirements
   

3. Make it human

Nobody wants to read something that sounds like a robot wrote it. People want connection and relatable content that feels human. Especially in professional services, audiences want to hear from real people with real knowledge.

Edit for flow: Strip out repetition and filler words. Focus on specifics and give advice that is genuinely useful. Here's what you might try:

"Rewrite this draft blog post to be clear and concise. Remove filler words, cut repetition, and make the advice feel actionable for time-poor in-house counsel."

Use your firm's voice: Confident, approachable, expert, personable - whatever matches your style. Try prompts like this to nail your brand tone:

"Below are my key insights on ESG reporting risks. Write a blog post in a confident but approachable tone that explains the top three risks of ignoring ESG reporting. Keep the language accessible, and include a practical takeaway for finance directors."

Fact-check everything: Accuracy is credibility, and AI doesn't always get it right. You can ask the AI not to return information it can't verify. For example:

"Summarise the latest FCA guidance on crypto-assets. If you are not certain about a fact or date, say 'unsure' instead of making it up."

Once you've created human-centred content that resonates with your audience, the next step is maximizing its reach and impact across multiple channels.
 

4. Use AI to recycle, reuse and repurpose

AI isn't just for writing; it can be a huge time-saver when it comes to distributing your thought leadership across multiple platforms.

Be multi-channel ready: Repurpose longer-form content for LinkedIn, newsletters and internal comms bulletins. Consider turning speaking opportunities into recordings and transcripts for sharing insights across your digital platforms. Here’s one way of doing it:

"Below is my 1,500-word thought leadership article on ESG reporting. Summarise this into a 150-word LinkedIn post that highlights the three biggest risks for CFOs, and into a 50-word internal comms update for colleagues."

Tailor tone by audience: Business leaders don't need the same angle as technical peers; consider different versions for different audiences. An example might be: 

"Below is my blog post on cross-border M&A. Rewrite this content to create one version for CEOs that focuses on strategic risks and one version for junior lawyers that highlights regulatory compliance details."

Save time: Let AI handle content formatting, so your team can focus on strategy. For example:

"Below is my thought leadership article on the EU AI Act. Turn this content into: (1) a LinkedIn carousel outline with 5 slides, (2) a newsletter intro paragraph, and (3) a 2-minute webinar script."
 

5. Tagging is your secret weapon

It's not the most exciting job in the world, but tagging is critical. Tags make your content visible to both humans and machines.

Be consistent: Use tags for practice areas, sectors and topics.

For example: "Employment Law, Financial Services, ESG Reporting, Technology Transactions." A blog post about new whistleblowing rules could be tagged with "Employment Law" and "Regulatory Compliance", so it shows up in both relevant areas.

Help AI connect dots: Tagged content is easier for algorithms to recommend.

Here’s one example: A thought leadership piece on supply chain risks tagged with "Construction," "Dispute Resolution," and "International Trade" could be pulled into AI Overviews for multiple queries, from "construction contract disputes" to "global supply chain risks."

See real results: Internally, it powers cross-selling and externally, it boosts discoverability.

An example could be: A partner looking for recent insights in "Energy and Infrastructure" can quickly find case studies and blogs tagged that way, making it easier to share relevant content with clients. Externally, tagging ensures that when someone searches "energy transition legal challenges," your article has a better chance of surfacing.

With your content properly organized and distributed, it's time to focus on the bigger picture: ensuring your expertise gets discovered in an AI-first search landscape.
 

6. GEO and why it matters

Understanding GEO vs SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) isn't dead, but the game is changing. More and more people are using AI search to get answers, and those AI summaries at the top of Google are starting to steal traffic from websites.

Here's the catch: those summaries list their sources. That means the real goal now is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), or to put it simply, getting your firm's content picked up in those AI-generated answers.

Here are four ways to generate AI visibility:

Own your niche: Go deep on topics, not just keywords.

For example: Instead of writing a broad piece on "employment law updates," publish a detailed guide on "How the UK's new whistleblowing rules impact financial services firms." That depth makes your content more likely to be cited in an AI summary answering a specific query.

Be visible everywhere: Distribute your content across your website, LinkedIn, podcasts, industry sites, and YouTube. The more signals of authority, the better.

Here’s one example: A tax advisory firm publishes a blog on "Cross-border tax challenges for US companies entering the EU." That same content is repurposed as a LinkedIn carousel, a 5-minute podcast episode, and a short video explainer on YouTube. If AI sees the same expertise across multiple platforms, it's more likely to cite it.

Build authority: Thought leadership, events and third-party mentions all count.

Here’s one scenario: A law firm partner speaks on a panel about ESG regulation, publishes a supporting article on the firm's site, and is quoted in an industry journal. Those overlapping signals help Google's AI identify the firm as a trusted authority on ESG topics.

Repurpose relentlessly: Turn one idea into many formats to keep your voice active and consistent.

For example, a webinar on "The EU AI Act and its impact on HR tech" is transformed into a blog recap, an FAQ page, a LinkedIn post series, and an internal client alert. Each format increases the chances of being pulled into an AI-generated response.
 

7. Common AI pitfalls and how to avoid them

When AI output sounds too generic:

• Add specific examples from your firm's work
• Include industry-specific terminology and context
• Ask AI to rewrite with more personality: "Make this sound like it's written by an experienced lawyer, not a textbook"

How to handle factual errors:

• Always fact-check dates, statistics, and regulatory references
• Use prompts that encourage accuracy: "Only include information you can verify. If unsure about any detail, flag it for me to check"
• Cross-reference AI output with your firm's knowledge management systems

Managing brand consistency across AI-generated content:

• Create a brand voice prompt template for your team to use
• Establish approval workflows for AI-generated content
• Regularly audit published content to ensure it aligns with your firm's standards
   

And remember, AI is an enabler, not a replacement

AI won't replace your partners or your marketing team. But it will amplify them.

When used well, AI helps you:

• Create content faster
• Optimise it for discovery
• Distribute it more widely
• Connect it with the right people

The firms that experiment, adapt and blend human knowledge with AI will be the ones who stand out and win. So don't just read these tips; pick one or two, try them out this week, and see how AI can start working for your marketing today.