Blogging in Private Practice: How to Write Blog Posts that Connect & Engage Your Potential Clients

Blogging.

I know. Half of you reading this just had a wave of anxiety rush over you. The other half are likely about to hit BACK.

BUT. Before you do: It doesn’t HAVE to be this big, scary, daunting thing. And we know you want to learn about it. After all, just a few weeks ago nearly 2/3 of our newsletter subscribers responded saying that Blogging was something you wanted to learn more about.

So, buckle up. And let’s have some fun! Because really, blogging should be fun!

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Hold up just ONE second. Blogging is ONLY possible if you know your ideal client. Click here to take our Ideal Client quiz to help you write to your ideal client.

If you already know your ideal client, then please, continue on :).

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Why Therapists Should be Blogging

As a therapist that’s interested in blogging, you’ve probably devoured dozens of blogs written by other experts. Have you noticed how trust and a digital relationship has been formed between them and you? Without one-to-one effort on their part?

After all, you’re reading this blog post. Hopefully you feel the trust between us already.

And that’s one of the benefits of blogging in your private practice. It’s an effective means to build trust with your audience. To get your potential clients to know, like, and trust you before they’ve even spoken with you.

Essentially, blogging has the ability to connect you to your ideal client while building your brand and cultivating loyalty and relationships, but its benefits run far deeper.

And what about when a blog post you write is shared in a local Facebook group? Word of mouth matters, right? It’s one of the most important referral sources for every private practice. Effective blogging will increase the ‘word of mouth’ referrals you get as great blog posts get shared in social media.

Add in the cyber star dust they sprinkle on your search engine optimization, and there is a potential pot of therapy gold waiting at the end of the blogging rainbow.

Convinced? Great! You should be.

Our article Blogging For Your Private Practice… It Really is That Important, Here’s How You Can Start will get you started with the technical how to (note: it’s not very technical when you have us help you).

But do you know what the biggest question we get asked about blogging is? How to find topics your clients are interested in… and then how to actually “do” the therapy content creation?

Oh, and shortcuts. Everyone wants a good shortcut to make blogging easier, so we’ve included simple secret how to’s in this article too.

Let’s get started…

PSST. Are you more of a VISUAL learner? Then click here to see our Blogging Infographic

How Therapists Can Find Blogging Topics

1) What’s In The News?

Everyone loves a topical issue, just ask a news journalist. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. When you hear about a newsworthy topic you can add value to, this is your blog writing cue.

2) Ask Quora

Quora.com is an informative site full of questions, answers and honest needs. This cyber address can act as the perfect private practice content creation source for an impactful post.

Want to know what people want?

Type in a condition or treatment you specialize in. For example: depression. Hit search and a list of questions will be returned. By looking just below the results you can see the number of answers, providing an indication of how popular this question is.

But it gets better.

Click on the question and take a little time to scroll through the answers. The views of each answer are listed. 21.7k views: that’s a good topic to write about. Quora members also have the option to ‘upvote’ an answer they like and ‘downvote’ one they don’t. 540 upvotes: this is definitely a possible therapy content creation option.

It still gets better.

Now you’ve decided on a topic, take some time to read through the responses. This quick step can help you identify subheads for your blog post. Using depression and Quora and less than two minutes, let’s plot out a blog article for your site.

Headline: What is depression, what does it feel like and what can help lessen its signs and symptoms?

Introduction

Subheads:

How does depression feel?

What are the symptoms and what do they mean?

1. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
2. Loss of interest in daily activities
3. Appetite or weight changes
4. Sleep changes
5. Anger or irritability
6. Loss of energy
7. Concentration problems

What can help depression?

Conclusion.

Phew! Quora can make private practice blogging a cinch. But there are other great options…

3) Google News

Google News is another easy source to inspire your private practice content creation. When you visit this information mega-site’s homepage, either hit the ‘Health’ button or scroll down until you see the health section. Scan the headlines. Is there a topic that you could write about? Yes, great, get started.

No? As with our Quora search, type the therapy or condition you are interested into the search box. Using our depression example, let’s take a look at the current results.

First… Could you write a blog post about depression and genetics?

Second… Most therapists could create a lengthy post about mindfulness and major depression.

Third… We are, for better or worse, a celebrity driven society. Crafting your posts to include celebrity news can help you connect with more potential clients and help more people.

Fourth… If you specialize in treating younger women with depression, this is be an important private practice blogging topic.

Still searching for ideas to help your blog hit a home run? The answer could be waiting in your practice.

4) Your Consultation Books

Often the source of inspired therapy content creation walks through your practice doors every day in the form of the clients you help. Take note of common questions they ask and advice you provide. This is a sound foundation for a critical post.

5) The # Tips…

Tips, steps and strategies are excellent ways to share advice and add value. They also aid in private practice content creation.

How?

Grab a piece of paper and a pen… (oh, you’re right! The latest laptop will do!)

List down the conditions you treat and the therapies you use. Quick smart. Brainstorm these from your head onto paper. Don’t think. Keep going… half a page will do.

Done? Take a look at your results. Which ideas would make for illuminating private practice blogging? Now, try adding a number in front. For example:

• The 3 Secrets To Planning A Stress Free Wedding
• The 5 Tips For A Secure, Loving Relationship With Your Stepson
• The 7 Steps For Quickly Improving Mood Swings
• The 9 Strategies To Sail Through Your Job Move Unscathed
• The 11 Tricks To Prosperous Self Love

Often once the topic has been decided, the thoughts and advice come thick and fast. You’ve discussed these topics in practice again and again. However, if you get stuck return to our number 2. Quora will provide you with the insights you need.

6) Stories tell and stories sell

Since the time we were children to the time we pass over, stories will capture our attention  and even move our minds and alter our actions. We humans are made like that. We often use anecdotes and narratives to explain difficult concepts or connect.

For example, when talking about the effects of one’s habits in therapy, it is far easier to discuss neuroplasticity like the boy who continually crosses the same path in the field than to discuss brain derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal interplay and plasticity.

With a critical point of blogging being the connection with, and addition of value to, our readers lives, stories can transform by enabling a potential client to see a positive way forward, and then take it. This might be therapy with you.

7) Ask

You have a hot spot of therapy content creation ideas right in your practice as mentioned in tip 4: Your clients.

Ask them what their biggest fears and dreams are and what they’d most like help with. This can be through direct conversation, or if you’re worried about being so frank or a lack of honesty in the reply (as getting to the nitty gritty is great for blog posts) place a sign, slips of paper, a pen, and a box where people can enter their intimate thoughts.

Private practice blogging doesn’t have to be long winded or unachievable. With the topic and components decided the writing can commence. Remember, you do not need a finely crafted piece of literary work. As the saying goes, done is better than perfect.

… And if you’ll allow me an eighth tip?

We know therapists are busy because you tell us! With the aim of reducing your workload and making marketing as easy as possible, I’d love to share a further tip.

A helpful blog post can form the basis of one edition of your private practice newsletter, another essential piece of the therapy success puzzle. We’ve written this blog post to guide you through the 8 Simple Steps To Starting Your Private Practice Newsletter Today.

With tips like this you’ll be on the road to a thriving, profitable private practice (you’re going to love the other ones too!)

Don’t Want to Blog BUT Want the BENEFITS of Blogging?

Then you need to click here and learn more about the Brighter Vision Growth Platform.

Private Practice Blogging Infographic!!

Everyone loves a good infographic, right? Here’s a great one we whipped up to show you the 7 steps to successful private practice blogging:

About Perry Rosenbloom

Perry Rosenbloom is the Founder of Brighter Vision, the worldwide leader in custom therapist website design. His connection to therapy and therapists runs deep: His mother-in-law owns a private practice in Jacksonville, FL, his father-in-law is in recovery and just received his 30 year chip, his Uncle (who he never met) died at a very young age due to drug use, and the heroin epidemic has hit his hometown very hard. With so many connections to therapy and therapists, he is immensely proud to be able to help support them in their work and enable them to be successful business owners.