SOVE7GN
Accountant marketing: short-form video for CPA firms and tax advisors
Updated 25 October 2026 · Written by Reyansh Juneja and Naman Dhiman, the co-founders of SOVE7GN, who run the campaigns and review the clips
Accountant marketing that works on short-form is the partner on camera answering the tax questions clients already ask, cut from webinars and recorded Q&As into short clips that post every day, heaviest from January to April. Two rule sets shape every clip: Treasury's Circular 230, which bans false or misleading statements by anyone who practices before the IRS, and the AICPA's advertising rule, which adds a ban on creating false expectations of favorable results.
Short answer: Record one 45 to 60 minute session a month, such as a client webinar or a Q&A on the questions your team hears most, and cut it into clips by question. Post 2 a day on Instagram, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn, timed to the tax calendar. Never promise a refund amount, an audit outcome or influence with the IRS, never discuss a client without their specific consent, and keep a dated copy of everything you post.
Why does short-form video work for CPA firms?
Because the same questions come up every year, and a two-minute answer to each one is the most useful thing a prospect can see before calling you. "Do I need to make estimated payments?", "Should my business be an S corp?" and "What happens if I file late?" are clips, not blog posts. They show that the partner knows the answer and explains it plainly, which is what a client is buying.
You probably record the material already. One hour of long video usually gives us 12 to 20 clips. A one-hour client webinar, cut by question, is about 6 to 10 days of posting at 2 clips a day (12 to 20 clips, 2 a day).
What do Circular 230 and the AICPA rules say about advertising?
| Rule | What it says | What it means for a clip | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circular 230, 10.30(a)(1) | No false, fraudulent or coercive statement or claim, and no misleading or deceptive statement, in any public communication. Enrolled agents may not use the term "certified" or imply they are IRS employees. | No refund or outcome promises. An enrolled agent says "enrolled to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service", not "IRS certified". | 31 CFR 10.30 |
| Circular 230, 10.30(b) | Fee schedules may be published, including fixed fees and fee ranges, and published rates must be honored for at least 30 days. | A clip that quotes "$X for a return" is a fee publication. Honor it. | 31 CFR 10.30 |
| Circular 230, 10.30(c) | Copies of direct mail and e-commerce communications must be kept for at least 36 months; radio and TV broadcasts must be recorded and retained. | Save every clip as posted, with its caption and date, for at least 36 months. | 31 CFR 10.30 |
| AICPA 1.600.001 | A member in public practice may not seek clients through false, misleading or deceptive advertising. | The base rule for CPAs who are AICPA members. | AICPA Code |
| AICPA 1.600.010 | Promotional efforts are false or misleading if they create false or unjustified expectations of favorable results, imply the ability to influence a court or regulatory agency, or quote fees likely to rise substantially without saying so. Members "must not do through others" what they cannot do themselves. | Your agency's clips are your clips. A hook we write that overpromises is your problem. | AICPA Code |
| AICPA 1.700.001 | No disclosure of confidential client information without the client's specific consent. | No client stories, numbers or names unless the client agreed to that specific use. | AICPA Code |
Circular 230 covers everyone who practices before the IRS, including attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents (31 CFR 10.3). Your state board of accountancy may add its own advertising rules; check them. General information, not legal or tax advice. Checked October 2026.
What should a CPA never say in a clip?
| Line | Problem | Say this instead |
|---|---|---|
| "We guarantee you a bigger refund." | False or unjustified expectation of a favorable result | "Here are three deductions people in your situation often miss." |
| "We know people at the IRS." | Implies the ability to influence a regulatory agency | "Here is how the audit process actually works." |
| "We'll make your audit go away." | Outcome promise | "What to do in the first week after an audit letter." |
| "Returns from $300" when most cost far more | Fee likely to rise substantially, not disclosed | Quote the real range, and honor it for 30 days |
| "My client saved $40,000 last year." | Confidential information, and an implied typical result | Explain the strategy without a client or a number, or get specific written consent |
The dollar figures in that table are examples, not real cases. The fixes are not weaker clips. "Three deductions people in your situation often miss" holds attention better than a guarantee nobody believes.
The tax-year clip map
| When | What clients are thinking about | Clip ideas |
|---|---|---|
| January | W-2s, 1099s, the January estimated payment | "What to gather before you call your accountant" |
| February and March | Business returns due in March, S corp questions | "S corp or LLC: the question to ask first" |
| Early April | The individual deadline, extensions | "An extension gives you time to file, not time to pay" (IRS) |
| June and September | Estimated payments | "Why your estimated payment was wrong, and how to fix it" |
| October | Extended returns | "Filing on extension: what is still due" |
| November and December | Year-end planning | "Four moves to make before December 31" |
The full January to April calendar with exact 2027 dates from the IRS is on tax season social media posts.
Should a CPA firm post on LinkedIn or Instagram?
Both, with different clips. LinkedIn reaches business owners and finance leads, who want planning and entity clips. Reels and Shorts reach individuals looking for plain answers on deadlines and deductions. One webinar feeds both. That is our view, not a measured result.
Which plan fits a CPA firm?
| Plan | Price | What you get | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $2,000 a month | 2 clips a day on your accounts | A firm with one partner on camera |
| Growth | $4,000 a month | 4 clips a day | Firms posting for the firm and a partner's personal account |
| Full service | $5,000 to $6,000 a month | Scripting, 2 calls a week, analytics, 3-month minimum | Firms that want the questions and scripts planned |
| CPM clipping | Pool from $5,500 plus a 15% management fee | 500+ clippers post on their own accounts across 7 platforms | A launch, such as a new advisory service |
Every 3-month plan at Entry or above carries the 1,000,000-view guarantee: if we fall short, we keep posting at our own cost (terms). We go live within 48 hours, after you approve 2 example clips. For how we cut long sessions, see how to repurpose long-form video; the other niches we serve are on our page for founder-led businesses. To plan your first month of clips, book a 30-minute call.
Questions people ask
Can CPA firms advertise?
Yes. Circular 230 and the AICPA code both allow advertising and solicitation. What they forbid is advertising that is false, misleading or deceptive, including promises of favorable results and claims of influence with the IRS or a court.
What are the Circular 230 advertising rules?
Section 10.30 bans false, fraudulent, coercive, misleading or deceptive statements in public communications, bars enrolled agents from calling themselves "certified", lets practitioners publish fee schedules that must be honored for at least 30 days, and requires copies of direct mail and e-commerce communications to be kept for at least 36 months.
Who does Circular 230 apply to?
People who practice before the IRS, which includes attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents, along with enrolled actuaries, enrolled retirement plan agents and registered tax return preparers within their limited practice.
What does an accountant marketing agency do?
Most run websites, search ads and email newsletters. We do one part: turn the webinars and Q&As your partners record into short clips, checked against the rules on this page, and post them daily on your accounts.
Want a straight answer for your videos?
Book a 30-minute call. Send us a link first and we'll tell you which plan fits and how many clips we can make.
Book a call See plans and pricing- Tax season social media postsJanuary to April clip calendar tied to 2027 IRS dates, with clip ideas and cautions.
- Clipping for founder-led businessesSeven niches, one process: daily clips for founder-led businesses.
- How to repurpose long-form videoOne long video into a week of clips, step by step.