30 September 2026 · 5 min read · Oscar Markham
Reaching people about a will before they need one
Making a will is the classic deferred decision. Everyone intends to, almost nobody does it spontaneously, and the ones who finally act have nearly always been prompted by something. Those prompts are predictable, which makes this one of the few legal services that can genuinely be marketed rather than merely waited for.
The prompts are the campaign
A death in the family, a new baby, buying a house, a diagnosis, a milestone birthday, emigrating, or going through somebody else's estate and resolving never to leave that behind.
Content written for each of those moments reaches people at the point they are actually receptive, rather than shouting at everyone else.
Probate work feeds it directly
Almost everybody who administers an estate resolves to sort their own affairs out. They have just seen exactly what happens when it is not done.
A firm handling probate is sitting beside the most motivated will clients it will ever meet, and most never mention it. A gentle note once matters have concluded is appropriate and effective.
Answer the questions that stop people
Whether they need a solicitor at all, what happens if there is no will, whether a will made abroad counts, what happens to a house in joint names, how to appoint a guardian.
These get searched heavily and answered badly. Plain answers rank, and they demonstrate the patience somebody wants from the person handling this.
Keep the tone light, not morbid
This is an administrative task with an emotional shadow. Treating it as ordinary and manageable — something that takes one appointment and then is done — removes most of the reluctance.
Heavy imagery and talk of legacy makes people close the tab.
It is the start of a longer relationship
A will client becomes a conveyancing client, a probate client and frequently an introduction to the rest of their family.
That changes what the first instruction is worth, and it is the argument for treating a small piece of work as something to be sought rather than fitted in.
Written by Oscar Markham, founder of Dublin Growth Digital. We run lead generation for Irish estate agents and trades, reported every Friday in enquiries and booked work.