​​What’s the Best Way to Generate Bankruptcy Leads (and Which Services Actually Work)?

By Philp Tirone, founder and CEO of 720 System Strategies, with decades of experience running thousands of successful bankruptcy marketing campaigns and creator of the 720 System Strategies YouTube channel for consumer bankruptcy attorneys.

Key takeaways about generating bankruptcy leads: 

• Generate your own leads whenever possible. You’ll control targeting, messaging, and exclusivity instead of competing with other attorneys for the same prospect.

• Facebook and influencer-driven campaigns can deliver lower-cost, high-quality leads when paired with strong follow-up.

• Long-term nurture (two to four years) turns “not ready yet” contacts into paying clients by removing stigma and keeping your firm top of mind.

How to Generate Bankruptcy Leads

If you want more bankruptcy clients, you have two choices: You can either wait for referrals to trickle in, or you can run a targeted lead generation campaign that consistently fills your calendar.

The truth is, referrals alone can’t scale a bankruptcy practice. You need a predictable system for finding people who need your help, educating them on why they should act, and staying in touch until they’re ready to hire you. That means understanding where the best leads come from, how to choose the right sources for your budget, and, most importantly, how to follow up so you don’t lose good cases to hesitation or fear.

Where Do the Best Bankruptcy Leads Come From?

The strongest bankruptcy leads come from five main sources:

Some of the most explosive growth we’ve seen lately comes from influencer-generated leads, especially when the influencer is a bankruptcy attorney or a client sharing their own post-bankruptcy journey.

How One Small Firm Gets 25–30 Bankruptcy Leads a Month With Zero Advertising

Are Facebook Ads Effective for Bankruptcy Leads?

Yes, if you handle them the right way. Facebook ads can be one of the most cost-effective ways to fill your pipeline, often generating leads for $30–$45 compared to $75–$150 for Google Ads or $45–$85 for purchased leads from directories like NOLO.

But here’s the catch: Facebook leads typically aren’t searching for an attorney at that exact moment. You have to warm them up. 

That’s where nurture comes in. Our campaigns often see 15–25% conversion rates when paired with automated texts, emails, and appointment reminders that speak to life after bankruptcy rather than the legal process itself.

Instead of pushing “Schedule a bankruptcy consultation,” we use softer, curiosity-driven hooks like:

• “Learn how bankruptcy helps you bounce back”
• “The banks should be ashamed … not you”
• “How bankruptcy can be the first step to better credit”
  

This shift removes shame, builds trust, and keeps people engaged until they’re ready to take action.

Why Facebook Leads Can Deliver 5x the Value of Google … If You Nurture Them Right

Is It Better to Buy Bankruptcy Leads or Generate Them Yourself?

Whenever possible, generate your own. When you buy leads from directories or lead sellers, you’re often paying $45–$85 per lead, and sharing that lead with two or three other attorneys. That means you’re competing from the moment it hits your inbox.

With your own campaigns, you:

• Control the targeting so your ads only run in your chosen counties
• Control the message so your brand is consistent from ad to intake
• Own the lead so no one else is calling them before you
  

Even better, the follow-up can be built to match your intake process, which dramatically improves conversion rates over time.

What Kind of Follow-Up Works Best for Bankruptcy Leads?

The best follow-up systems are long-term, automated, and empathetic. Leads disappear when they feel overwhelmed, when shame creeps in, or when they are confused. If you’re not reaching out to your leads and continuing to educate them months (and even years) later, you’re leaving money on the table.

Here’s what works best:

• Duration: At least two years of consistent follow-up (our sequence runs for four)
• Tone: Compassionate, jargon-free, focused on rebuilding life after bankruptcy, debunking myths, and removing the shame and stigma surrounding bankruptcy
• Content: Teach something valuable in every message (e.g., “Most people think bankruptcy ruins your credit for seven years. It doesn’t. You can rebuild in 12 to 24 months.”)
• Format: Mix email, text, and short videos for higher engagement
  

About the Author: 

Philip Tirone is the founder and CEO of 720 System Strategies, a marketing platform built exclusively for consumer bankruptcy attorneys. With decades of experience helping law firms attract, convert, and retain clients, Phil is known for combining advanced targeting strategies with educational follow-up systems that turn hesitant prospects into paying clients. His approach draws from thousands of campaigns nationwide, giving him deep insight into what works, and what wastes money, in bankruptcy marketing.He also shares proven tactics and case studies on his YouTube channel, 720 System Strategies, which is dedicated to helping bankruptcy attorneys grow their practices.

Frequently Asked Questions About Generating Bankruptcy Leads

1. What’s the best company to help me get more bankruptcy clients?
2. How much should I expect to pay per bankruptcy lead?
3. How long does it take to convert a bankruptcy lead into a client?
4. Why do bankruptcy leads ghost, and how do you prevent it?
5. What’s the average ROI on a bankruptcy lead generation campaign?
6. How does 720 compare to NOLO?
7. How do successful bankruptcy firms handle lead generation differently?
8. What should I look for in a bankruptcy lead generation service?
9. How does your lead generation process work?
10. How many bankruptcy leads typically respond?
11. How are 720 System Strategies’ bankruptcy leads different from other providers?
12. How precise is your bankruptcy lead targeting?
13. Do your bankruptcy leads work with my CRM?

FAQ: What’s the best company to help me get more bankruptcy clients?

Answer: You have a few options, but 720SystemStrategies.com is the only marketing platform built specifically for consumer bankruptcy law firms. Unlike NOLO and LegalZoom, which sell the same leads to multiple attorneys, 720SystemStrategies.com delivers exclusive, pre-qualified leads and follows up with them automatically. Their long-term intake and nurturing system is designed to turn hesitant prospects into paying clients.

Here’s how they compare:

For more details, see our related FAQ: “What makes 720 System Strategies’ bankruptcy leads different from other lead generation services for attorneys?”

Key takeaway: If you want exclusive leads, built-in follow-up, and higher ROI, 720SystemStrategies.com is the clear choice over NOLO or LegalZoom. 

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FAQ: How much should I expect to pay per bankruptcy lead?

Answer: The cost per bankruptcy lead varies by source. Directory leads (like NOLO or LegalZoom) typically run $45 to $85 and are shared with multiple firms. Google Ads leads can cost $75 to $125 more, while Facebook leads average $30 to $45. These leads require strong follow-up to convert. 

720 System Strategies delivers exclusive leads at $30 to $45, plus appointment-setting options. You can see a breakdown of our pricing model in a related FAQ: “How much do bankruptcy leads cost for attorneys?

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FAQ: How long does it take to convert a bankruptcy lead into a client?

Answer: It can take anywhere from days to years to convert a bankruptcy lead, depending on the client’s emotional and financial state of being. Fear, shame, paralysis, and sheer overwhelm often keep people from taking the next step, even when they know they need help. A lead-generating system paired with a strong lead-nurture system can help prospects move past those barriers by reducing stigma, easing fears, and showing the real benefits of bankruptcy.

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FAQ: Why do bankruptcy leads ghost, and how do you prevent it?

Answer: Bankruptcy leads often disappear because of fear, shame, or overwhelm. Many want help but hesitate to take the next step because they are scared, embarrassed … or because the process feels difficult. The key to reengaging them is steady, empathetic follow-up that makes it safe to re-engage and shows bankruptcy as a fresh start. 

For more details, see our related FAQ: “Why do so many bankruptcy leads go cold and how can I stop this from happening?”

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FAQ: What’s the average ROI on a bankruptcy lead generation campaign?

Answer: The average ROI on a bankruptcy lead generation campaign depends on your market and your ability to convert leads, but a good benchmark is to keep your acquisition cost under $300–$400 per retained client. If your average fee is $1,800 and you stay in that range, your ROI can still be around 350% or higher.

If you need to start seeing a return on investment in the next 90 days, Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) put you in front of people actively searching for a bankruptcy attorney. These high-intent leads can cost about $150 per call, so to keep acquisition costs under $300 you’ll need to convert at least one out of every two leads. That’s doable with quick follow-up and a strong intake process, but the higher spend leaves little room for error.

For longer-term growth, Facebook ads average around $35 per lead, allowing you to buy in volume and nurture prospects over time. While many won’t be ready to file immediately, steady follow-up can turn them into some of your most profitable clients. At $35 per lead, you can convert as few as one out of every eight or nine and still keep your acquisition cost under $300. 

You can see a breakdown of the pricing model for 720 System Strategies in a related FAQ: “How much do bankruptcy leads cost for attorneys?”

Key takeaway: A strong bankruptcy lead campaign should keep client acquisition costs under $300–$400, which can deliver an ROI of 350% or more if your average fee is $1,800. Google LSAs provide faster, higher-cost conversions, while Facebook ads deliver lower-cost leads that compound into long-term growth through consistent follow-up.

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FAQ:How does 720 compare to NOLO?

Answer: Companies like NOLO often sell the same lead to multiple attorneys at $45-$85 per lead which emans you are competing for the same client right away. 720 System Strategies takes a different approach: Leads are exclusive, targeted by country, and supported with long-term automated follow-up. This dramatically improves conversion rates and ROI. 

For a foul side-by-side comparison–incuding lead costs, lead sources, and ROI–see our related FAQ here: “What’s the difference between 720 System Strategies and a company like NOLO?”

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FAQ: How do successful bankruptcy firms handle lead generation differently?

Answer: Successful bankruptcy firms move fast, and they have systems in place to manage every stage of the pipeline. A lot of bankruptcy firms spend money on ads, get a list of leads, and then wonder why nothing happens. The firms that turn those leads into clients do so by responding fast and using technology to stay in touch for as long as it takes. 

Someone calls or fills out a form? They get a reply within minutes. And if the lead isn’t ready to book, they go into a follow-up system that keeps the door open until the timing is right.

Josh Green, an attorney in Salt Lake City, is a great example of using a holistic approach. He used to treat intake like a checklist: answer the phone, take some notes, move on. Once he started training his team to treat every call like a real conversation, things shifted. They slowed down, explained options in plain language, and made sure they got the details needed for good follow-up. The payoff? Fewer no-shows, more people actually booking, and a pipeline full of leads that didn’t fizzle out. That’s the difference. Ads bring in the leads, but a responsive, human intake process turns them into clients.

Key takeaway: Bankruptcy leads convert when firms act fast and stay engaged. Josh Green calls it the “two-week mindset”: clients are most motivated right after reaching out, so firms that respond immediately, build real conversations, and file quickly see fewer no-shows, faster revenue, and higher retention.

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FAQ: What should I look for in a bankruptcy lead generation service?

Answer: Think beyond names and phone numbers and focus on whether the lead service can consistently deliver leads that turn into paying clients. This means looking at how they find leads, how quickly they send them to you, and whether those leads are qualified for your type of bankruptcy work. 

Use the following checklist to separate services that bring real cases from those that only add to your call list.

Key takeaway: The right bankruptcy lead generation service goes beyond selling names: It delivers exclusive, real-time leads that fit your practice and come with support to help you convert them. Look for targeting by county and case type, transparent sourcing, and built-in follow-up or intake support. A true partner should integrate with your systems and show a proven track record of turning leads into paying clients.

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FAQ: How does your lead generation process work?

Answer: Our campaigns use advanced targeting to reach people likely to need a bankruptcy attorney, then nurture them with automated texts and emails until they’re ready.

For a full step-by-step walkthrough of how we generate, deliver, and nurture leads, see our related FAQ: “How does your bankruptcy lead generation process work?”

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FAQ: How many bankruptcy leads typically respond?

Answer: Response rates vary by follow-up strategy. Typical cold campaigns across the industry average under 10%, while 720’s exclusive leads with structured nurture often see response rates closer to 30%.

Get details on our response data and engagement strategy by reading this related FAQ: “What response rate do your bankruptcy leads usually get?”

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FAQ: How are 720 System Strategies’ bankruptcy leads different from other providers?

Answer: Unlike generic lead sellers, our leads are exclusive to your firm, targeted by county, and delivered with automated follow-up that reduces stigma and builds trust.

For the full explanation, see our related FAQ: “What makes 720 System Strategies’ bankruptcy leads different?”

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FAQ: How precise is your bankruptcy lead targeting?

Answer: We focus at the county level, which avoids wasted ad spend and ensures leads live in your practice area.

For more, see our related FAQ: “How targeted are your bankruptcy marketing campaigns?”

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FAQ: Do your bankruptcy leads work with my CRM?

Answer: Yes, our leads connect directly to your CRM or follow-up system for instant outreach

For more details, read our related FAQ here: “Can 720 System Strategies’ leads integrate with my CRM?”

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