Personal Injury Mastermind 295. Perfect Content Fails, Raw Content Scales: Building a 1.9M Following w/ Ryan Stygar
Most lawyers think success means looking polished and professional. This former firefighter proved them wrong. In this episode of Personal Injury Mastermind, Ryan reveals how his early attempts at "looking like a lawyer" bombed, while raw, emotional content built him a following of 1.9 million. From getting rejected by 13 law schools to becoming a social media phenomenon, Ryan breaks down why authenticity beats credentials in modern legal marketing.
Dominate your market today. Grab a copy of Chris’ latest book, Personal Injury Lawyer Marketing: From Good to GOAT.
In this episode of Personal Injury Mastermind, former firefighter turned employment lawyer Ryan shares how he built a following of over 1.9 million people through education instead of advertising. Ryan found his path and revolutionized legal marketing by focusing on authentic content that serves his audience.
We discuss:
- How to build trust through education instead of sales
- Why practice area shouldn't limit your content strategy
- The power of showing emotion and being real on camera
- Why competing with big firms on their terms is a losing strategy
- The metrics that actually matter for social media success
Guest Details
Ryan Stygar is a former firefighter who spent four years battling California's wildfires and serving as a desert-rescue specialist in the Ocotillo Wells region before becoming an employment lawyer. He's built an incredible following with 1.9 Million TikTok followers and 191K YouTube subscribers.
- Ryan Stygar: LinkedIn, Website, Books
- Centurion Trial Attorneys: Website, YouTube, Podcast, TikTok, Instagram
Chris Dreyer and Rankings Details
Chris Dreyer is the CEO and founder of Rankings.io, the elite legal digital marketing agency.
- Rankings: Website, Instagram, Twitter
- Chris Dreyer: Website, Instagram
- Newsletters: The Dreyer Sheet
- Books: Personal Injury Lawyer Marketing: From Good to GOAT; Niching Up: The Narrower the Market, the Bigger the Prize
- Work with Rankings: Connect
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
02:11 Why Ryan Left Firefighting
04:14 Starting from Zero: Early Days of Marketing
05:47 The Anti-Sell Approach: Education Over Advertising
07:03 Content Strategy: Why Practice Area Doesn't Matter
08:41 The Evolution: From Polished to Authentic Content
13:20 Organic vs Paid Growth: Strategic Approach
14:33 Building a Personal Brand vs Traditional Marketing
15:34 Don’t Box Mike Tyson: Play Him at Pickelball
16:25 The Power of Authenticity and Work-Life Balance
17:30 Closing Thoughts
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