We surveyed a simulated crowd of 1,000 Sacramento-area adults about callegacylaw.com, tested nine ad angles on them, then built and tested six ads from the two winners. Everything leads to one offer: a free 15-minute Probate Risk Check.
“I want to make sure my family is protected, even if it means talking to a new firm.”
“I've heard about probate costs and want to avoid them.”
“A flat fee sounds fair. I want to know the cost upfront, no surprises.”
“I want my family to get along after I'm gone. That message really hits home.”
“I'd feel better if they had more reviews or a big name.”
“I want my kids to be taken care of. That message really hit home.”
“Passing the family home without tax issues sounds good.”
“It's close to me and open late, but I need more info before I commit.”
“I want to make sure my family is protected, even if it means talking to a new firm.”
“I've heard about probate costs and want to avoid them.”
“A flat fee sounds fair. I want to know the cost upfront, no surprises.”
“I want my family to get along after I'm gone. That message really hits home.”
“I'd feel better if they had more reviews or a big name.”
“I want my kids to be taken care of. That message really hit home.”
“Passing the family home without tax issues sounds good.”
“It's close to me and open late, but I need more info before I commit.”
The market is the "maybe" group. It is concentrated in parents, grandparents and households earning $100k or more, where about half said maybe.
| Reason | Share | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Price not shown | 29% | Publish flat fees |
| Small firm they don't know | 19% | Google reviews and testimonials |
| Not urgent yet | 15% | A reason to act now: the free check |
| Need reviews or credentials | 5% | Same as above |
What moved the maybes: protecting their kids and family (16%) and fear of probate (9%).
| Channel | Share | Said maybe |
|---|---|---|
| Referral from a CPA, financial advisor or realtor | 20% | 55% |
| Referral from friends or family | 20% | 35% |
| Google search | 15% | 16% |
| Nextdoor or local groups | 13% | 11% |
| Facebook or Instagram ads | 10% | 18% |
| Free seminar or workshop | 4% | 85% |
Each person picked the one message out of nine that would most move them to book. Ranked by the warm group, the 335 who said maybe or yes. Half the crowd saw the options in reverse order to cancel out position bias, and the top four held either way.
| Rank | Angle | Warm picks | Strongest with | Sample line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Probate math | 30% | Ages 55+ (38%) | A $500,000 Sacramento house can cost $20,000+ and up to 3 years in probate. |
| 2 | Family peace | 22% | Parents and grandparents (24%) | Make sure your family still loves each other after you're gone. |
| 3 | Pass the home without a tax hit | 18% | Ages 55+ (20%) | Pass the family home to your kids without a surprise property tax bill. |
| 4 | Free Probate Risk Check | 10% | People not yet sold | Find out what probate would cost your family. No obligation. |
| 5 | Kids, not court | 6% | Parents of kids under 18 (9%) | If something happens to you, a judge decides who raises your kids. |
Weak as headlines: evening and Saturday hours (6%), business and family in one plan (5%), local founder with reviews (under 1%). Reviews still matter, but they belong on the landing page. The flat fee also ranked low as a headline, yet price was the top reason people said no, so add it to every ad as a supporting line.
The warm group saw all six and picked the one they would most likely click. Run the three marked Top pick first.
Free 15-minute Probate Risk Check. We'll show you what probate would cost your family and how to skip it. No obligation. Evening and Saturday appointments in Midtown Sacramento.
Top angle in every segment, strongest with ages 55+. Leads with a hard number: what probate costs a family.
Second place overall and strongest with parents and grandparents. Leads with the relationship, then the court.
The survey's warmest channels were referrals from CPAs, advisors and realtors (55% maybe) and free workshops (85% maybe). These ten ideas put the firm in front of people through someone they already trust.
Realtors hand every buyer a card at closing: "You just bought the house. Make sure your kids get it." It's good for a free Probate Risk Check. A new deed is the moment people think about who gets the house.
First step: pitch 5 Midtown and East Sac agents as a free closing gift they can give.
A 30-minute lunch talk at a CPA or advisory office on the probate math and Prop 19. Leave behind a one-page checklist their clients can use. Tax season is when CPAs see which clients have no plan.
First step: book 2 firm lunches before January.
A simple insert in closing packets: "What happens to this house if something happens to you?", with a QR code to the free check. Reaches every buyer at no ad cost.
First step: ask 2 local escrow officers if they'll include it.
A breakfast with the Metro Chamber or Midtown Association for owners: succession, buy-sell agreements, and protecting the family if the owner dies. This uses the founder's business and M&A background, which no estate-only firm can match.
First step: offer it as a free member event.
An evening workshop with a daycare, preschool or parent group. Parents leave with a free guardian nomination form. This is the "kids, not court" angle turned into an event for the group most likely to say maybe.
First step: partner with one preschool or parent group for a pilot night.
Congress marks the third week of October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Run a "Probate Risk Check week" with extended evening hours. It's a ready-made news hook, and it's a few weeks away.
First step: announce it on Google Business, Nextdoor and the site now.
Pull public Sacramento County probate filings and publish what probate cost local families this year, along with how long cases took. Real local numbers are a story the Bee, ABC10 or CapRadio will want, and they back up every ad.
First step: sample a month of filings from the Superior Court's public index.
A short, no-sales talk at churches and at 55+ communities like Sun City Roseville and Lincoln Hills. The 55+ group chose probate math and Prop 19 most often, and trust carries over from the host.
First step: offer one free talk to a church and one to a senior center.
About 4 in 10 Sacramento adults are Hispanic or Asian, and few estate firms reach them in their own language. Hold Spanish and Hmong or Vietnamese workshops with a trusted community group and an interpreter.
First step: partner with one cultural association for a pilot session.
One day a year, offer free basic wills to local teachers, nurses and first responders. It earns goodwill and press, and it gets families talking to the firm. It also fits the founder's nonprofit background.
First step: pick a date and contact one union or school district.
California State Bar rules bar paying partners for referrals. Keep these as free value swaps (talks, checklists, events), with no fees or kickbacks.
Method: 1,000 simulated respondents built to match Sacramento County's age, income, education and ethnicity mix, each answering in character on a local AI model. These are AI stand-ins, not real people. Use the results to choose what to test first, then let real click and booking data decide.