In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any therapist looking to grow their practice.
But with so much noise and competing advice out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when it comes to marketing.
The good news? You don’t need to become a marketing guru to make an impact.
One of the most effective and ethical ways to attract clients and establish your credibility is through blogging.
Blogging allows you to share your knowledge, connect with potential clients, and build trust—all while staying true to your values as a therapist.
Whether you’re new to blogging or looking to refine your strategy, this guide will show you how to create content that not only resonates with your audience but also drives growth for your practice.
Ready to see how blogging can be a game-changer for your therapy practice? Let’s dive in.
Links to follow:
'Attract Therapy Clients by Blogging (Even if Writing Isn’t Your Thing)' is run with Onlinevents and is an hour a day over 17th, 18th and 19th September.
This event is on a Pay What You Want basis, making price not a barrier to growth.
For more details and to book go to janetravis.co.uk/blogforclients
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For all my free and paid resources go to janetravis.co.uk/starthere
If you're a counsellor or a therapist in private practice and all the different marketing advice makes your head spin, then this is for you because today I'm sharing with you a stress-free way of marketing. It's something that's been used by savvy business owners for years. Not only that, it has a snowball effect, so the more that you do it, the more rewards that you get. And what's more, it's completely ethical for therapists so you can market your practice with confidence and without feeling awkward or icky. And I should also mention that it's free. So what exactly is it? And why should you care? And let's get into it. Welcome to the Grow Your Private Practice show where I inspire counsellors and therapists to attract more clients more easily using the power of content marketing. And I'm your host, Jane Travis, and I'm thrilled to have you here. Now, if I had a pound for every therapist who's told me that they feel awkward or uncomfortable, or just plain icky when it comes to selling their services to attract more clients, well, I might not be rich yet, but I'd probably be driving a bit better car because I think there's an expectation that to attract clients you have to sell yourself, which conjures up a scene in my mind that I have a dodgy double glazing salesman from the 1980s, using that old style, heavy-handed sales techniques where manipulation was the order of the day, where persuasion and don't take no sales strategies were really common. And you know, I don't know if you do remember that, but I do. I'm very old and I can remember once having someone in my house trying to sell me something that he would not go. So yeah, I think sometimes if we're a little bit worried about selling, we fear that we're going to be a little bit like that. So here's the good news, you don't have to sell yourself, you don't have to persuade anybody, you don't have to manipulate, that sort of thing just doesn't work. You know, it doesn't work for most businesses and it most definitely does not work for councillors. What I talk about is not selling, it's marketing and they're two very different beasts. Marketing is a lot more about helping people to find the right therapist for them. It's ethical, it's honest and it means that you can be congruent, you know, you can be true to yourself. So let's just take a look at content marketing because this is what we're talking about, it's called content marketing. Now it's a busy and noisy world out there with the abundance of gurus telling us to do this or to do that. There's always another proven way to reach six figures in six weeks being advertised and I'm sure that I'm not the only one that can find it all just a little bit overwhelming and a little bit confusing. So content marketing is a proven technique. It's not some new flash in the pan way to attract clients. In fact, the first recognised efforts for using content in advertising was way back in 1895. An American tractor and farm equipment manufacturer launched a printed magazine that was published every quarter and it shared lots of information that was helpful to the reader and the reader was somebody that was interested in tractors and farm equipment. So content marketing was born. Fast forward to now and content marketing is just everywhere. So what exactly is content marketing? Well, content marketing is, and I'm quoting here, it is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and ultimately to drive profitable customer action. So that means that you just put stuff out there that's interesting, informative to the sorts of to your clients, you know, the people that you want to work with. So content is blogs, podcasts, or it's videos like YouTube. So you're sharing thoughts, you're sharing ideas, you're sharing tips and stories, and you know, anything that's going to be helpful for the person consuming the content. So it's all about providing value. Now, it's not simply a way of promoting yourself or advertising. It's about actually communicating, connecting, educating sometimes even entertaining and entertaining your audience. So it's a great way of connecting with possible clients and all just from freely freely sharing helpful things. Now, I actually have a free guide called how to how to attract clients by helping not selling. And what I'll do is I'll add the details of that to the show notes so you can go and grab hold of that if you want to. So this podcast that you're listening to right now is content. And it's something that hopefully you'll find helpful and interesting. And it's hopefully going to have a positive impact on you and help you grow your private practice. So that's what it's all about. I also turn this podcast into a blog. So anybody that prefers to read rather than listen, then they can go and read, you know, there's different ways that people like to consume, isn't there? So content, like I say, can come in different forms. So you can do whatever it is that feels best for you. So it could be written. So writing blogs, it could be audio. So that would be having a podcast, or it could be video. And that would be, you know, having a YouTube channel. Now, when I started writing blogs, it was quite a while ago. Now, it was sometime before 2010. I saw that it was perfect for me. Now I'm a shy introvert. And for me, I loved the creativity that it brought. I could use story. I could use pictures. I could share other people's resources to help my readers, things like recommending books. These days, maybe recommending podcasts, something like that. And I soon started to see the positive effects. So sometimes clients would come to me. This is when I was still a counselor. Sometimes my clients would come to me and mention something that I talked about in a blog, in a therapy session, which was interesting. And I started to receive invitations to talk on the radio, had that a few times. And I was also asked to contribute to a book, which was amazing. It was just amazing. And that's one of the things that content creation can so often lead to, you know, writing a book, which I did, you know, blogging made me see that, yes, I did have enough knowledge to write a book. And in 2019, I published The Grow Your Private Practice book, which is really cool. So if you don't think you've got anything interesting or exciting to say, I can absolutely promise you that you have that I love that I can share tips and ideas to help people and also enjoy my creativity. I absolutely love it. But when it comes to marketing, of course, what we're really wanting to do, we want to attract more clients. And we want to attract more clients that are going to come to us and get what they need from counseling and that you're going to get paid properly. Okay. And with content marketing, it actually has a snowball effect, because creating content is the gift that keeps on giving. So for example, I recently, I recently paused this podcast. In fact, this is the first time I've done a podcast for a little while. But when I go and have a look at my analytics, I can see that I still have thousands of downloads, despite not releasing any new podcast episodes. So they're still there. They're still being consumed. It's still helping people, which is fantastic. And when you produce blogs, they highlight your knowledge. You don't need to be an expert. You don't certainly don't need to say you're an expert. And most of the time you don't even need to do any research. People sometimes think, I've got to do some research to write it. No, you've already got more than enough knowledge already in your head to write very effective blogs. It's just a little practice. That's all that's needed. Because every blog post that you write is going to add to your website SEO. Every blog post that you write tells Google about what you do, who you serve, and when to show your stuff in a search result. Every blog post that you write increases your chances of being seen and standing out. And every blog post increases the chances of your ideal clients seeing you and choosing you because of what they've seen you're right. And every blog post you write increases your confidence in your skills, which is so important to remember when you're just starting out. And when I started writing blogs back in the day, there were barely any therapists that wrote blogs. And I can remember seeing a blog post by an American therapist. And though I wish I could find it, I've had a look, I couldn't find it. But it was really interesting because they were talking about how we're devaluing ourselves. Because if you do a Google search for something to do with, I don't know, something counselors, whether it could be mental health or wellness or self-care, if you do a search for something like that, something that we might work with or we've got trailing in, you will probably see something written by a coach, or you might see something from another wellness professional. But do you know what? It's very rarely that you'll come across something that's been written by a therapist. And I just think that's what is missing out on a really big opportunity. If we're not using our voices, then we're not letting people see how therapy can help. And if you're not using your voice, then it means that your potential clients aren't getting the chance to, I'm doing a little air quote here, not going to get the chance to meet you and see that and kind of connect with you and see that you understand them, that you're not scary, that you're helpful, you can even be funny, all of those things. And I think that's a big thing, isn't it? Letting people know that going to therapy isn't scary. Letting people know that therapists aren't scary. I still think people think we're going to sit there and judge them. We don't, of course. And I know that this is changing, but you know, people are still worried about going to therapy. We need to do everything in our power to take away that block to make it so that it's easy for people to come to therapy. Because the truth is therapists have a huge amount of knowledge and experience that can really help other people. And if you don't think so, well, that's just your imposter syndrome lying to you again. So as I said, content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and connect with a clearly defined audience and ultimately to send people to your website and ultimately become your clients. And it's all done without any need for any icky sales techniques that are going to make you feel awkward. Blogging is a fantastic way to grow your practice ethically. So if you're interested in learning more about the power of blogging, this is for you. Now I'm teaming up with the people at online events to bring you a mini series called attract therapy clients by blogging, even if writing isn't your thing. Over three days, so that's the 17th, 18th, and 19th of September. In just one hour a day, I'll show you how to attract clients by blogging in a way that feels ethical, comfortable, and true to who you are. On day one, we'll be spending an hour exploring the power of blogging and how it can kickstart your therapeutic relationship and make you stand out. On day two, we'll use that hour to tackle your writing fears and help you to find your unique voice, because if you can talk, you can write. And on day three, I'll spend an hour with you helping you to unleash your creativity and come up with endless blog posts with ideas targeted to your ideal clients. Attract therapy clients by blogging, even if writing isn't your thing, is available on a pay what you want basis. So if you're looking for an affordable way to learn more, go and check it out. Take a look at janetravis.co.uk/blog4clients. I hope to see you there. So why should therapists and counsellors care about content marketing? Let's just break it down a little bit, because first off, it really helps to build trust and credibility. You know, when you share this content, people will see you as an authority in your field. Now, it might make you feel a little bit uncomfortable and squirmy about that, because so often as therapists, we're told that the client is the expert. And in the therapeutic relationship, then of course, yes, they are. But we aren't in the therapy room, and people need to know that you are knowledgeable and informed counsellor. And you know about what you do, or why would they want to spend their hard-earned cash coming to you? It's not cheap having therapy. So, you know, it's a considered purchase. So, we need to let people know that we know what we're talking about, that we can definitely help them. It also helps with visibility. Now, visibility is one of those things I know, without a shadow of doubt, that a lot of counsellors really, really have fears around. This idea of being visible just makes them shake, you know. But the more content that you have out there, the more likely people are to find you when they're searching somebody for help. And that means they're more likely to visit your website and be impressed that you're sharing such helpful content. And when you remember the importance of the therapeutic alliance, it kind of makes sense. Content marketing allows you to start forming that important connection with your audience on a deeper level, which can improve the quality of the therapy that they receive. We all know that having a good fit with our therapist is really, really important. So, what sort of thing can you write about? Well, to be honest, I could talk for days, weeks, years about this. There's so many different things. So, here are a few ideas for you. So, you could write a how-to blog. So, this is how to do something. So, it could be something like unleash your inner strength, strategies to boost self-esteem and confidence. How to blogs and how to content is the most popular, and it's a really good place to start. You could write a listicle, which is one of those blogs that's like, you know, seven surprisingly effective ways to get a good night's sleep. You could also write about business process posts. So, something like 10 tips to get the most from a therapy. Something else you can do is ask a guest to come and write a post. So, you make sure that the guest has something to talk about that's going to appeal to your audience. And it also means that you'll get in front of that person's audience. So, it's really nice to be able to do a collaboration like that. You could write something about myth-busting. So, something like why your therapist won't tell you what to do and what they do instead. Because that's sometimes a thing, isn't it? They think we're going to tell them what to do. Another great one, and this is quite an easy one, is a review post. So, you could say something like, "Here are my 10 favorite books on dealing with anxiety," or, "It could be my 10 favorite podcasts," or, "My 10 favorite tools," or something like that. Or, "You could have a collaborative post." So, you could do therapist interviews. So, you could get together. I mean, this is something that we can definitely do in the in the grow your private practice membership, where we sort of get together and we talk about how they felt the first time they went to therapy. And something like that's a really great idea. You know, it's nice to get different views from different people. And it's also interesting to the person that's consuming that content. So, yeah, there's loads and loads and loads of different things that you can write about. Absolutely loads. And, you know, I love helping people come up with different ideas. So, let's have a look at practical tips for getting started. So, if that sounds like it's quite interesting for you, here are some things that are going to help you to get started. So, I'd say the first and most important thing to do is to actually understand your audience. So, who are they? What are they struggling with? What do they want to be, do, or have as a result of therapy? So, imagine that client that comes to you. Imagine that sort of client that you really get on well with. You know, the sort of client that you think, well, if I wasn't having therapy, if I wasn't that person's counselor, we'd probably be friends. You know, that sort of, that sort of relationship, it's always amazing when that doesn't happens, doesn't it? So, so how to think about them? Think about what they said when they first came to you, how were they feeling, what was going on? And if you think about the very last session that they have and everything has gone really, really well, what's different for them? You know, what are they doing differently? And have a think about what kind of content would be valuable to them? And then you choose your platform. You can either blog, you can podcast, or you can create videos. And again, that's totally up to you. Now, I'm obviously, I'm podcasting now. I did blogging for quite a long time. But for me, YouTube's a no-no. I really can't be bothered putting my makeup on. That's not for me at all. That's not for me at all. So, it's important to choose what works best for you. There's no absolute right or wrong here. It literally is what's best for you. Because if you hate being on camera, starting a YouTube channel is not going to be a good choice. Every recording is going to make you feel like stressed. And you know, you'll just stop doing it. You'll not want to do it anymore. Now, I find that blogging is often a really great choice for therapists, especially if you're an introvert or if you're worried about being visible. Because obviously you're writing it and you're putting it out there. You're not having to go and be visible in a way that's you just getting your face out there all over the place, if you know what I mean. And consistency really is key in building trust and staying at the top of mind. So, I produce a podcast every week. And if you have a YouTube channel, you need to produce at least one episode a week, possibly more. But if you're starting with writing a blog, one a month is a great way to get started. If you can manage more, yes, write more. But I would say, look, don't put yourself on unnecessary pressure. One a month is fine. And like I say, if you find you really enjoy it, you can always up it. So here are a couple of blogs that you can write right now to get started. So here's one is therapy just for people with mental health issues. That's one that you could write. How about what happens in a first session with you? This is a great blog for any counselor to write about because it's going to be different for everybody. So you can go through the whole process, you know, think about things like how are they going to feel? Are they going to feel nervous? Where are they going to park? How are they going to get there? Are there any is there anything they need to know? Is it brightly lit? You know, if they're going to be there in the evening, they'll want to feel safe. They might need to know about are there any steps? Is there a loo? You know, all of those things. So you can things, a lot of the things that are on your FAQ page on your website. So yeah, what happens in a first therapy session with you is a great choice. Something else could be something like five ways to get the most out of your therapy. And you can just sit and do a brainstorm about, you know, what do they need to do to have the most get the most out of therapy? So these sorts of blogs are going to help to answer questions that are going to alleviate the fears that your client may have before reaching out to you. So if you imagine somebody searching for a therapist and they either Google or they go onto a direct tree and they find you and they see that you've taken the time to write a blog and it's addressing something that they're feeling awkward about and it's making them feel more comfortable, then they're going to be a lot more likely to choose you, aren't they? So these sorts of things are going to help you to answer questions and alleviate fears that your client may have before they even reach out to you, which is, you know, which is a good thing. So have a think about what other things do clients often ask about or worry about before coming to therapy? What do they say in that first call? What do they say in that first session? I highly recommend that you keep a note of them and then you can use them for inspiration. So today we've dived into the world of content marketing and why it's such a game change of therapists in private practice. We've looked at how content marketing isn't about selling, but it's about helping people to find the right therapist by sharing valuable, relevant and consistent content from building trust and credibility to building visibility in a way that feels right for you. And this is going to deepen those connections with potential clients. They're going to feel understood. They're going to see your warmth. They're going to see the passion that you have for what you do, and it's going to make people more likely to go to you. So I really hope that you can see how content marketing offers a stress-free, ethical way for you to grow your practice. Whether you prefer to write blogs, to record podcasts, or to create videos, content marketing is something that allows you to showcase your knowledge and attract clients in a way that feels authentic and aligned with your values. And remember that every piece of content you create is a step towards building your confidence, standing out online and ultimately helping more people. So look, if you're ready to learn more, or you need some extra support, check out my free and paid resources at jametraverse.co.uk/start. And I'll put back those details in the show notes as well. And you could also consider joining the Grow Your Private Practice membership for even more help and guidance. So that's it for today, it's been lovely talking to you. Thank you very much for listening, and I can't wait to see how content marketing transforms your practice. Bye! Thank you so much for joining me this week, and if you're ready to take action to grow your practice, check out growyourprivatepractice.co.uk. Bye for now!
