6 Steps to a Compelling Blog for Your Therapist Website
Have you wondered if you should blog? Good, you should :).
A strong online presence will help position you as an expert in your field. Your well-written posts will add value to people’s (potential clients’) lives, and your knowledge will build rapport and trust with them. The process of writing regularly can grow your client base in a way that might leave you stunned in happy disbelief.
If you are ready to take the plunge but not quite sure how then you are in the right place. This post will teach you the critical steps to penning compelling blog posts for your private practice website.
Wait! You Don’t Have A Therapist Website Yet?
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How Do You Write the Perfect Post?
Firstly, know that there is no such thing as “the perfect post.” This is not the aim. The aim is to be yourself; to share professional information that makes a positive difference in the lives of your clients… And so will for your readers. Provide tips and insights. Connect. Write as you would speak. Establish yourself as the authority.
Avoid the notion of flawlessness as it will act as a tool for procrastination.
That said, these six tips will help you write in a way that builds rapport, trust, and (over time) your practice.
1. Write With Your Ideal Client in Mind
Who do you treat? Or, more importantly, who do you wish to serve?
What are they interested in? What do they struggle with? How old are they? Where do they work? What do they do in their spare time? How can you help make their lives better?
Writing a blog post is not about connecting with everyone. It’s about connecting with that ideal client.
Think about it like painting your practice. You can cover your walls in beige. And if you love beige, great! But when people come to visit, will they notice the re-coat? Will it spark conversation? Will they tell their loved ones about your incredible place? Does this shade light you up and encourage you to give your best every day?
Now, what if you’re an emerald and ruby red kind of person? What if you paint your walls in scarlet and splash your architraves with green? Now you will make an impression! You will instantly create a bond with those who adore bold colors. By, in effect, speaking their language, you will lower their boundaries and craft a sense of ease and understanding.
Will you alienate people who can only tolerate beige? It’s possible, but that’s part of the point. You want to create your tribe!
Let’s bring this back to practice so you can see how this is relevant.
Say you specialize in eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia nervosa. The balance is skewed to the younger population and girls more than boys. They will speak and act in a somewhat uniform way, have concerns relevant to their stage of life, and need to be met where they are. When you do this, you build ease and trust.
Now, say you specialize in depression in the elderly. Again, there will be commonalities in the way this demographic speaks and acts, in part due to their lived experience and their stage of life.
If you speak to those with eating disorders in the same way you speak to the elderly with depression, can you see how it might sound like a different language? How might you miss the mark when it comes to connection and rapport?
To write for your ideal client, write with them in mind. Consider the words and phrases they do. Are there common acronyms? Include these. What are the similarities in the challenges they experience? Talk about them.
Your role in writing is the same as with therapy: Speak in a comforting, non-judgmental manner and communicate in a confident yet appropriate way.
In essence: Provide the right hue for your perfect clients.
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2. Brevity Is Not Advantageous
It can be tempting to just “get a blog post done.” But when you do, you waste your time. See, as we’ve said, blogging is about connecting, building rapport, and delivering value. It’s about making a difference. It’s about proving to your reader that you are the best therapist to help them heal. All of this takes time and commitment.
Imagine you meet with a client…
In the first scenario, you have a two-minute conversation (like a brief blog). In the second, you have an hour consultation (akin to a great blog). Which will allow you the required time? Which will enable you to impart specific wisdom for the relevant condition? Which will help you to make a difference? The obvious answer is the latter.
When writing, you need time to explain and educate, to connect, and establish credibility. You must allow yourself to share enough words to make an impact.
A good blog post has between 400-1200 words or more. And when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) — to getting listed highly by the search engines — research has shown that articles ranked on the first page rankings contain an average of 1,447 words; high-quality, reader-friendly, and useful words.
3. Make Your Articles Scannable
A significant number of people will not read your articles in-full. They will scan and extract the information they need or quickly skim before they dedicate time to digest it fully. Heck, you might even be doing the same thing right now!
Remember, too, that many people will search on their mobile. Reading — especially from a smaller device — is much easier when text is broken up with things like:
- Sub-headlines
- Numbers
- Images
- Bullet lists
- Bold
- Italics
Make the process easy for your reader, or they are likely to bounce away, never to return.
4. Your Headlines Need to Hook a Reader!
Next time you’re in a store, look at the covers of their magazines and newspapers and ask yourself… What grabs you?
That’s right: it’s the headline!
There’s a reason why media spends so much time crafting headlines that hook; they arouse curiosity, draw attention and encourage someone to choose one title over the others.
Creating a headline that immediately catches attention entices the click because the reader wants to learn more.
But how do you craft a great headline?
Our video and tips at How to Create a Headline for Your Therapist Website will guide you in creating headlines that make an impact.
5. Post Frequently and Consistently
Have you wondered how often you should post?
The search engines love – and we mean love – to find new high-quality content. This means posting regularly is crucial for a good ranking.
We recommend posting at least twice per month. Weekly is better.
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Sign up for a free 14-day trial of our social media & blogging automation tool, Social Genie!
6. Don’t Remain a Secret: Promote Your Blog
You’ve gone to the trouble of writing a high-quality blog post. Great! People need to hear what you have to say.
It’s time to get the word out, not hide your light under a bushel!
- Share your post on your social media pages
- Link to it in your email newsletter
- Add a teaser and link in your email signature
- If it’s newsworthy and extensive, consider writing a press release to direct people to it
- If it’s topical, share it with your local media
- Ask others if they’ll disseminate it to their tribe
Get creative: How else can you promote your blog?
It’s Time for You to Shine (and Blog)
Your skills and expertise as a therapist are very much needed, especially in our current stressed-filled world. People are struggling, and you have the power to help. In turn, sharing your knowledge and building new digital relationships can supercharge your practice growth.
Print this out as your guide to great blog posts. Keep it near your computer. Use the steps and, if you do, you will be a master blogger, making an increased impact in no time!
Want the beautiful therapist website you deserve? Then you’re in the perfect place.
Brighter Vision is the ultimate marketing package for therapists, centered around the best therapist website you’ve ever had. Fill out the form below to learn more about our team of professionals who can’t wait to help your practice grow like never before 🙂