It may seem obvious to you what you want your audience to do after reading a piece of your copy. You want them to buy your product or sign up for your services. There’s a button at the top of your webpage to get in contact or make a purchase. Duh!

The thing is, readers are lazy. They need to be told what to do. You have to hold their hands a bit. 

This doesn’t mean you’re patronizing your audience. You need to guide them in the right direction, however. In order to do this, you need a call to action (CTA) to get readers to act. But you also need content that is written in a way that is a constant CTA throughout the piece. Because if you can’t hook your readers right away and keep them reading, it doesn’t matter what your final CTA is- they won’t have read it.

Why Are You Saying My Readers Are Lazy?

We all consume content on a regular basis. How often do you scroll through a piece of content only to get to the bottom and find that the author just ends the piece? What are you supposed to do next? You don’t know, so you click away and move onto something else.

Personally, when I read copy, I know it’s written well if there’s a strong CTA. I can also tell it’s good copy if that CTA is carried throughout the entire piece. If I get to the end and have no idea what the author wants me to do, I get frustrated and don’t return, no matter how good the writing is.

Remember, there’s a difference between content and copy. Content informs, copy converts. Content is written for consumption of ideas and information. Copy gets you to do something. Copy is persuasive in nature and inspires people to act.

So if I get to the end of a piece of writing that is clearly meant ot be copy and it doesn’t specifically tell me what to do, I’m going to click away. Because I don’t know what the writer wants me to do next. Because I, just like you, am a lazy audience.

But if I read a piece of copy all the way through until the end and know exactly what the author wants me to do, I’m much more likely to do it. Because readers are lazy and need to be told what to do. The copywriter needs to get readers to act!

What Can I Do To Get My Readers To Act?

Although a strong CTA at the end of a piece of good copy is important, so is the intent of the piece. When writing content for marketing purposes, even if you want to inform your audience and give them resources, the goal is to get them to do something.

If you’re a therapist, that’s probably signing up for your newsletter or booking a consultation call. If you sell therapeutic products, you want people to buy what you’re selling. 

So you need to make sure that everything you write makes your audience want to act. This way they’ll be ready to hit that button at the end that signs them up for your services or links to your products’ page.

Your writing should inspire. It should get people to want to read to the end so they can read your CTA. By the time they’ve reached the end, they should already be hooked.

Hire a copywriter who knows how to hook an audience. Specifically, hire a mental health copywriter who knows how to write about the topics that matter to you and your brand. 

Writers Can’t Be Lazy

Your readers may be lazy but your copywriter can’t be! They have to be able to anticipate what the reader wants. This way they can write copy for you that gets the reader to stick around. By the end, the reader can’t do anything but sign up for your services or opt in to your email list if your copywriter has done their job right.

It’s important that you hire a copywriter who can captivate your audience. Copywriters work super hard to write compelling and engaging copy. They do the research, they write for SEO, and they take your voice and write to your audience. Your copywriter does the work so the reader doesn’t have to.

Allie Linn Writes For a Lazy Audience

If you’ve made it this far, I’ve done my job. I’ve gotten you through the bulk of the reading so you can get to my CTA, which should be pretty clear by now. 

Oh wait, it isn’t? Is that because I assumed that you would know what I want you to do?

Again, readers are lazy. We all are. You may find my writing witty and engaging, but you’re reading this section wondering “what does she want me to do now?”

Well, it’s pretty simple. I want to get my readers to act. More importantly, I want to get your readers to act! Contact me to set up a time to talk about how I can help you get those lazy readers to act! Happy writing!

You’re working on growing your audience. You’ve set yourself up on all the social media platforms. You post content regularly. Maybe you even hired a mental health copywriter to write social media ads for you. But what about using emails to build a platform?

Social media is unpredictable. Popularity of platforms come and go. It takes a long time to build an audience just through social media. Ads will help, but they don’t last and you have to keep paying for them over and over again.

Email Lists Are Your Golden Ticket To Building A Platform

With an email list, you can build your following. Have your copywriter write opt-ins and ebook “freebies” to get people on your email list. This can be anything that you think your potential clients want. Tips on how to manage anxiety. Meditation guides. Tips on how to manage stress during a pandemic. You name it, your copywriter can make it.

You should use your freebie as the hook. The potential client only gets the freebie if they sign up for your email list. BAM! You just landed another potential client and audience member. Look at you using email to build your platform!

Then have your copywriter write some killer email sequences that automatically get sent to your audience. There’s usually a welcome email that gets sent right after the person opts in to the list. Then there are the automated emails that go out once every day for 3-5 days following the initial opt-in. That’s where you give them more info and reasons to sign up for your services. Plug your blogs and YouTube videos. Add your social media channels to the bottom of the email. Build that audience up every way you can!

Once you’ve established your email list you can continue that relationship through email newsletters. This is actually an ongoing process as you grow your audience and your business. Newsletters can go out as often or as little as you’d like. I recommend at least twice a month, but a monthly newsletter is fine if that’s all you can afford. As a mental health copywriter who works with a lot of therapists during a pandemic, I know that funds are limited. 

Work with what you’ve got. But you should be putting time, energy, and money into emails and newsletters. It’s the best way to grow your audience and build your platform.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, branding is incredibly important for any business owner. Private practices and therapy clinics are no different. You are your brand, and your brand needs a platform and an audience.

Who’s Your Audience?

Performers know how to build their audiences. Or at least, their producers do. Be the producer of your own business.

Know who your target audience is. Who is your ideal client? Market to them. Remember, if you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.

Take a Broadway show, for instance. There are shows like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child who speak to a very specific audience of Harry Potter fans. Is someone who prefers classic musicals going to pay $400 to see two plays about some wizards they care nothing about? Of course not!

A classic musical, like The Music Man, is going to attract a different audience. Middle-aged women who remember the original and grew up watching the movie are going to pay Broadway priced tickets to go see that. Your average 30-year-old, unless they know musicals or care about the actors in it, will probably be seeing Hamilton down the street.

So, are you Harry Potter? The revival of The Music Man? Or Hamilton?

Know which one you are and market to your audience!

Actually Building Your Platform With Emails

Once you know what you are and who’s going to come to you, then you can market yourself to your appropriate audience. If you know your target demographic is women in their late twenties to late thirties, you wouldn’t send emails about the top ten stressors for men.

Instead, you’re targeting their pain points. What does a millennial woman struggle with? What are her desires? How does she want the world to perceive her? What does she need help with the most?

Answering these questions separates the good branders from the bad ones. You want to be a therapist who knows how to brand yourself. In order to do that, you need to know who your ideal client is. That’s your target audience. 

And that’s why you hire a mental health copywriter who knows how to write emails and opt-ins that do that for you. Your email list is your audience, and your emails are your stage. 

Use Those Emails to Build Your Platform!

Now that you know that your platform is your stage, get on up there and sing to your audience! You’ve identified your ideal client and your target audience. Now it’s time to hire a mental health copywriter who can write those lyrics for you.

I’ll stop with the theater analogies, but seriously. It’s time to bring your branding to your email marketing campaign so you can build your platform. Social media is great, and you should do that too, but if you had to pick one thing, one way to reach people, it should be through email.
Your next step is to hire a mental health copywriter who knows how to write to your target audience. Contact me to set up a call to figure out what your pain points are and how we can work together to create copywriting magic for you. Happy platform-building!

Building an audience is important for everyone who’s engaging in online content marketing. You need to know who you’re talking to. In order to do that you need to have people to talk to.

Forget about building an audience for a sec. As a mental health and wellness professional, you might not be aware that you even have an audience. 

As I’ve talked about before, building your brand, no matter what area of the field you’re in, is essential. And when you build a brand, you build an audience.

How Do You Know Who Your Audience Is? 

The first place to start is with your ideal client. It’s extremely important to know who you work with and how you can help them. Without knowing your ideal client, you’re speaking to everyone. And if you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one!

Once you’ve identified your ideal client, you’ve recognized who your target audience is. And that’s important because those are the people you want to write to.

Say you’re writing blogs, but you don’t know who’s reading them. Why don’t you know?
Is it because you haven’t figured out who’s visiting your site? Do you not know who’s buying your products or signing up for your services?

Of course you do! If you’re doing your marketing right, you’re tracking where customers are coming from when they get to your landing page. You know the demographic of your customers based on how they found you and what they’re buying.

If your landing page has a survey, even better! Now you know more about your customers and can see who exactly is buying your products.

For my therapists out there, you may not be selling products, but you’re selling services. And you know based on who is signing up for discovery calls and what clients you’re landing who your demographic is. 

Pay attention to where your clients and customers are coming from, how they’re finding you, and whether or not they’re your ideal client. If they are, you’ve found your audience!

There are many ways to build an audience, regardless of whether you’re selling products within the mental health niche or if you’re a mental health professional or therapist. Here are three ways to build an audience in the mental health and wellness profession.

1. Organic Traffic

Organic traffic using SEO-optimized website copy is one way to do it. You hire a mental health copywriter to write a killer website for you and within a few months, you see the return on investment. People are signing up for your email list. Clients are calling you for consultations and discovery calls. People are finding you. And all through the magical powers of Google.

2. Blogs

If you’re relying on organic traffic, your website should include blogs. Blogs are a great way to build an audience and speak directly to them. When someone lands on a website and sticks around, they’re probably going to click on your blog because they’re curious about what you have to say.

This is when you speak to your audience. If you’re a family therapist, give them tips and tricks to manage conflict with their spouse during the holidays. Art therapists, write a blog educating your audience about the difference between art therapy and using art materials in a therapy session. Trauma therapists can talk about trauma-informed care and ways not to re-traumatize clients in their sessions. The possibilities are endless!

For my companies in the mental health field who sell products, you can also have a blog. In fact, you should have one. And your blog should speak to potential customers. If you sell weighted blankets, write about how to get the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had by using your product. If you’re a company that sells essential oils, write about the mental health benefits of a particular oil.

Whatever your business, blogs allow you to speak directly to your audience. The more you and your mental health copywriter write about the things that are relevant and important to you and your business, the more you build an audience. And the bigger the audience, the more people are buying what you’re welling, whether it’s mental health-related products or therapy sessions.

3. Opt-Ins and Email Lists

There are other ways besides website copy and blogs to build your audience. Email lists and opt-ins are great ways to make a connection with a new potential customer or client. Through regular newsletters and emails, you can maintain a relationship with the client/customer.

Email opt-ins are fantastic for building your audience. If someone clicks on your company’s ad they’ll be brought to a landing page, which is where the sale happens. It’s also where you collect their email. For therapists, you might have a pop-up window to collect emails and an opt-in, which is a free offer for something that they can use after they give you their email.

Building and Keeping Your Audience

In order to maintain the audience you’ve worked so hard to build, you need to do a couple of things. The first is to keep your blogs consistent and relevant. You want to post regularly and be predictable. If your audience knows you usually post a new blog every Friday, then you need to work with your mental health copywriter to make sure your blogs drop every Friday.

You also need to keep up with your email list. You should have two types of emails. The first is the automated sequence. This is what happens when someone initially signs up for your email list. They’ll receive automated emails when they first sign up and then for the next however many days you decide after that initial email.

That’s what every new member of your list gets. But for all the existing members, you need to keep them on the hook by sending regular newsletters. At the very least they need to be monthly.

Taking The Step To Build An Audience

By the way, these are all things a mental health copywriter can create for you. You should hire a mental health copywriter who understands your business and knows how to convert an ad or an opt-in into a sale or service sign-up.

I’ve been writing in the mental health and wellness niche for a while, and I know your pain points. I know what you struggle with and I know how to help you fix it. I write copy that converts visitors into customers and people on the fence into clients. I build your audience with you and keep them coming back for more.

To learn more about how I can help you build an audience (and keep it), send me an email at allielinnwrites@gmail.com. Or you can fill out the contact page to get started on your amazing SEO journey with a copywriter who understands a thing or two about how it all works!

Happy audience-building!

Social media can be daunting for anyone. But as a mental health professional, you may not feel like you have anything to post. Or you feel like you don’t know what to say.

The first thing to identify is who your audience is. Are you speaking to other mental health professionals? What about potential and current clients? What messages are you sending to the people who read your posts?

What Social Media Platforms Should You Be Using?

There are many social media platforms to choose from, and that can seem overwhelming. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn- it can feel like a lot! 

One question I get a lot is “do I need to be on all platforms?”

The short answer is: “no.”

The important thing to do is find the platform that works best for you. Your posts are going to look very different on Twitter than they will on LinkedIn. You need to decide where you should direct your time and energy.

I’m going to break down for you what platforms you can be using and how you should be using them. Since writing social media posts is writing copy, which is all about regularly updating your content, you need to, as always, be consistent with your posts.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the most professional social media platform that exists. It was built originally as a Facebook for professionals. But over time, LinkedIn has taken on a life of its own, and many people post things the way they post on Facebook. 

LinkedIn is great for networking. You can find lots of other mental health professionals on LinkedIn and connect with them. Often there are a lot of therapists posting a lot of great material that can be helpful and informative. People share articles they’ve written or books that they have coming out. Others post videos they’ve made speaking to their target audience. As with all social media, the possibilities are endless.

Mostly mental health professionals use LinkedIn to connect with other mental health professionals. But occasionally you might find yourself reaching out to someone like me. Many mental health professionals have contacted me after viewing my profile. They want to know more about me and what I offer. Or I asked to connect with them and they got curious and sent me a message. Maybe they saw a post I wrote and were interested in my services.

LinkedIn can be used for lots of different reasons, but your posts on LinkedIn should reflect a more professional tone than on other platforms.

Instagram

Instagram has become really popular. There are so many ways you can interact with people on Instagram.

You can post pictures, graphics, or short videos on your feed, which people can interact with as they scroll. When you take this route, you want to make sure your posts are valuable and also interesting. They need to be eye-catching. 

When you make an interesting post, other people can share it and repost it. They can also post it to their story and tag you in it so you become more visible to a wider audience.

Stories are also useful tools. You can do the same thing others can and put a post on your story to boost others’ visibility. The more you engage with other people on Instagram, the more followers you’ll get. The more connected to the community you’ll be.

As I mentioned before, it’s super important to know who your audience is on Instagram. Are you targeting other mental health professionals? Do you want to impart wisdom to people who don’t know anything about therapy or the work you do? Maybe you want to connect with clients or prospective clients.

Whoever your audience is, you need to be intentional about your posts. You should also be consistent.

Twitter

Twitter is, in my opinion, the social media platform that is the most difficult to manage. This is because of how often you need to post and repost in order to stay relevant.

I don’t usually suggest that my clients use Twitter because they simply don’t have time.

There’s also a lot of noise to get lost in on Twitter. I personally don’t use it because of how time-consuming it is. I find it overwhelming.

A lot of times people post a tweet on an Instagram story that has gone viral but rarely do most of us get that kind of attention.

Facebook

Facebook is becoming a little outdated. It’s another great place to network, though. Join groups of like-minded people, such as other mental health professionals in your niche. There are plenty of groups just for therapists in private practice, for example. You can’t join unless you have your own practice.

Facebook can be a useful tool and a good way to connect with other therapists.

But the thing about Facebook is that people write stream-of-consciousness posts that don’t mean anything to anyone but them. And then people get into big discussions on Facebook about whatever that person decided to rant about. It’s like long-form Twitter, with pictures.

Personally, I’m on Facebook only to check on the groups I’m in. I’m in a bunch of copywriter groups and a few creative arts therapy groups since I’m a dance/movement therapist. Otherwise, I stay away.

How to Deal With the Overwhelm of Social Media

Whatever platform you decide to use, social media can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to decide which ones you want to use and how. 

Maybe you use Facebook solely to connect with people in groups. You might focus mostly on Instagram. If you’re up for the challenge of constant posts, Twitter might be for you. And if you want to use social media for networking, LinkedIn is the way to go.

However you decide to use social media, you must be consistent. The people who are most successful in reaching broader audiences engage with others by liking, commenting, reposting and sharing.

For information on how I can write the best copy I can for your business, schedule a free consultation call. We’ll go over your goals, pain points, and figure out how we could work together. 

Happy social media-ing!

Society places a great deal of importance on productivity. Why must we always be doing something? And why isn’t it ok to have a day (or more) where we do nothing? Where is the line between laziness and needing a break?

I recently got back from a mini-vacation at the beach. I didn’t do any work other than check my email once a day. After our three day trip, I threw myself back into work and had the most productive day I’ve had in two weeks.

That was last Thursday. But then Friday came and I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt depressed and low, lethargic and underwhelmed. I use a time-tracking app when I’m working so I can see how much time I spend on each task. I wasn’t surprised to learn that I did two hours of work that day.

And I felt terrible about it. The thing is, everything that needed to get done I took care of. I made my deadlines no problem. But that’s because I was so productive the day before and the weekend before vacation. See, there I go, using that word “productive” again.

It got me thinking. Why is it ok to “do nothing” on vacation, but it’s not ok to take time during your regular work hours for yourself? Why must we always be doing something?

I’m not saying that you should watch Netflix or take a nap when you don’t feel like working. I am saying that we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to be productive every minute of the day.

It’s impossible! No one can be expected to maintain that level of productivity all day every day.

What Is Productivity?

Some people have a harder time than others being productive. But what exactly does it mean to be productive?

Productivity can take lots of forms. It can be the work that you do, the emails you respond to, the cleaning you get done, the continuing education you do to better your craft, reading, listening to podcasts that further your work, etc.

What if productivity included self-care? If we can learn to make taking care of ourselves a priority and view it as something we accomplished, then we can flip the script about productivity.

Take Time For YOU

As a therapist, I hope that you build time into your busy days for yourself. Half an hour for a walk, some time to eat lunch, and a few minutes here and there to sit and take a few breaths.

You spend so much of your brainpower on listening and actively engaging with people who have come to you for help. You need to take breaks.

But what about days off? How often do you take a mental health day? What does your mental health day look like?

For some people, it’s doing something fun. Some people choose to relax and do nothing. Others do something in between. Maybe you clean the house or get your car inspected for part of the day and then spend the rest of the day reading and relaxing.

Whatever works for you, you should do it. If you’re not taking care of yourself there’s no way you can take care of others!

Don’t Should Yourself

I don’t know about you but when I have a day when I am less productive, like last Friday, I judge myself harshly. I call myself lazy, I tell myself I’m bad, that I should be doing more.

“Should” is a dangerous word. It makes us feel like whatever we’re doing isn’t enough, that we need to be doing more. But what should you really be doing? My first instinct is to say there’s no right or wrong answer to this question because it’s different for everybody. But then I realize that there is no answer at all. The word should can’t exist in our vocabulary if we’re going to keep ourselves mentally healthy.

“The other problem is that we tend to judge others based on their productivity level. In some cases, this is necessary, like when it comes to working at a regular 9-5, but you run your own business, like me. And with that comes the freedom to make your own schedule, your own rules, and decide when you’re going to do things and when you’re not.

As Long As The Work Gets Done

I’ve been working on my mindset lately, and I’m trying to make a shift. I want to cut the word “should” from my vocabulary (easier said than done). There’s a fine line between doing what you need to do to fulfill obligations and doing things because you think you should be doing them.

One thing I’ve been doing is making a list at the end of the day of all the things I did that day. It’s a reverse to-do list. This way I can look back at my day and realize that I was busier than I thought I was and that everything I did mattered. Some days I even include “getting out of bed” and “taking a shower” when things feel really hard. On those days, putting on real clothes and making a meal are huge accomplishments.

And then there are other days where my evening list is long. I often stare at it and think “did I really do all that today? Was I that productive?”
And I feel better about myself on days like that.

The Bottom Line When It Comes to Being Productive

The bottom line is that as long as the work gets done, it doesn’t matter what you do with the rest of your day. You need to be taking care of yourself, especially for my therapists who spend all day tending to others’ emotional needs.

When you’re that busy, you don’t have time to do everything you think you should be doing. So why not ask for a little help?

What if you outsource your copywriting so that you don’t have to think about it. You should hire a mental health copywriter who understands your day, your week and your needs.

Let me lighten your load and take the work off your plate so you can find productivity in self-care and managing your work-life balance. Schedule a call today to talk about how we can work together so you can focus on the stuff you have to do and not the stuff that’s weighing you down.

The field of therapy is a competitive one. In order to stand out from the competition, you have to get creative with your marketing. You have to be willing to try new things. For one thing, you need to outsource your website and copywriting to people who will make you stand out.

It’s not because you aren’t capable of marketing yourself. It’s because you don’t have time. You also probably don’t have a marketing background or SEO knowledge.

Some of my therapists out there do, and that’s great. You still don’t have time. The fact that you have the knowledge means you can easily communicate what you want to your copywriter. Effective communication between you and your copywriter is key in successful marketing. Read more about figuring out what the write about with your copywriter here.

Branding is Key to Standing Out From the Competition

It may seem unnecessary for a therapy practice to create a brand, but that’s how you market yourself and stand out from the competition. In order to brand yourself, you need to know who your ideal client is first and foremost. Get very clear on who you work with and what you offer. You can’t reach anyone if you’re trying to reach everyone. Instead, you’re talking to no one.

When creating a brand, it’s important to come up with a name for your practice. You want that name to reflect who you are and what you do. It doesn’t have to be a clever company label, it could just be your name. Whatever you choose, stick with it and put it all over your website. Mention it in your Psychology Today profile. Associate it with yourself on LinkedIn. Create social media channels with your practice’s name.

The next thing you want to do is create a web presence. Make a website and choose your colors carefully. What colors do you want to be associated with you and your brand? What do you want people to feel when they see your website for the first time?

Aside from pleasing colors and pictures, you have to make sure you have compelling website copy. You can have the prettiest website in the world but if it doesn’t say anything of substance, what’s the point?

You can also create a logo to go with your brand name and use it on your website, social media, and business cards. Which is the next step in branding: creating business cards. Again, choose your colors carefully and have a nicely designed logo and pleasing aesthetic to your cards.

Perhaps the most important thing when it comes to branding your therapy practice is being consistent across all platforms. You want your message to be the same on all your social media channels, your website, your YouTube videos, and anything else you use.

Consistency for Therapy Practice Branding 

This is where hiring the right copywriter comes in to play. If you want to market yourself and stay on brand, hire a copywriter who understands you and your brand completely. Work together to create your message and then spread it far and wide. 

Once you’ve made a killer website, keep spreading the love with blogs, LinkedIn posts and articles, and posts across all social media channels.

Advertise your social media on your website (you can put the links to all your socials at the bottom of your page).

I know many of you in private practice don’t have the budget to pay for a copywriter to write all of your social media and your blog posts and your newsletters. However, there are ways to get the most out of your copywriter for the budget you do have.

Prioritize what you simply don’t have time for and what you’re willing to offload onto a professional. Let’s say it’s website copy, blogs and newsletters. Then you can pay a one-time fee for a social media consultation with your copywriter and get a strategy in place. You get to decide since it’s your money. But my recommendation is to spend the money that you can bear to part with on as much marketing as you can because the payoff is tremendous.

No, I can’t give you a guarantee. But I can tell you that SEO works. I know that writing consistent blogs and having a well-optimized website will rank you higher in Google. If your copywriter can write enough for you to get you on the first page of Google, you’ll find yourself with more clients. It’s just like in Field of Dreams- “if you build it, they will come.”

Stand Out From the Competition

If you don’t have a website, you’re at a deficit. Maybe you have enough clients coming in form referrals, and if you do that’s great. But I’m willing to bet that you’re looking for more, and the answer is to create a website.

Once you’ve created your brand, you need to know how to use it. Copywriters are marketers at heart and make your brand a priority. We want to get you to page one of Google. We want to see your client load grow to the point where you’re at max capacity.

In order to get you there, you need to be willing to work with someone else. It’s ok that you can’t do it all yourself. Nowhere in getting your advanced degree to become a therapist did you learn Branding or Marketing 101. You’re not expected to be able to do it all.

In order to get ahead of your competition, you first need to know who your competition is. I’ve talked to plenty of therapists who don’t think they have competition. And that’s just not true.

Do some Google searches of what else is out there and you’ll find out just how much competition you have. That’s when you and your copywriter put your heads together and figure out how to stand out.

Beat the Competition 

Now that you know what you need to do, it’s time to act! I’m a therapist, so I understand your struggles, your pain points, and your needs. I know how to write for therapists because I already speak the language.
Schedule a call with me to discuss how we can get you to stand out in the crowd and beat the competition. I look forward to talking with you soon. Happy marketing!

Mental health copywriters are different than many other types of copywriters out there. We’re not out to sell products the way copywriters who write for companies are. We write for therapists to help you provide resources to your clients. More importantly, we write to promote you and bring in new clients.

How Is Selling Different From Promoting?

I hear you, they sound the same. And in some cases they are. Or at least, they’re similar. Copywriters are marketers at heart. We write with your clients and Google in mind. Copywriters for therapists aren’t trying to sell you, we’re trying to grow your business by making you more visible.

One way we do that is through compelling website copy that grabs your audience’s attention. And let’s get something straight- we want to know who your audience is. We want you to be very specific about who you’re talking to. We can help you get there, but if you don’t know who you’re talking to, if you’re trying to reach everyone, then you’re actually talking to no one.

Another way we promote your services is through newsletters and email sequences. When someone opts into your email list, they’re signing up to receive communication. Email sequences are a great way to hook your audience. Newsletters are a great way to build a relationship with your audience. Both are awesome ways to get people interacting with you and your site. The ultimate goal: signing up for your services.

Copywriting for Therapists

Copywriting for therapists is different than writing for, say, real estate. Mental health copywriters aren’t writing rental descriptions or product descriptions. Instead, we’re writing resources for your clients. One way we do that is through blogs. 

With everyone doing everything online these days, especially since COVID-19, it’s important that you have a strong online presence. Copywriting for therapists is my favorite type of copy to write because it’s not just sales and marketing. It’s making personal connections.

I’m a therapist as well, and I love being able to write for therapists. It’s a way for me to stay connected to the field of mental health. You don’t have to hire a copywriter who is also a mental health professional, but it certainly helps.

I get you. I know the lingo. I know what types of research to do and where to look for reputable articles. And I have five years of clinical experience to add to my skillset.

Notice what I just did there. I promoted myself without trying to sell myself to you. I didn’t ask you to sign up for my email list or email me to set up a call to see if we’re a good fit. I’ll do that later, but I’ll do that when I write for you too. 

The key is to talk about yourself in a way that shows that you know what you’re doing throughout the piece. Let’s say you’re a music therapist and I’m writing a blog for you about how music therapy looks now in the age of COVID-19. I’m going to mention throughout the blog the name of your service and what you do at your business during this time as a music therapist.

How Are Mental Health Copywriters Different and Why Should I Hire One?

Copywriters for therapists, particularly ones who are therapists themselves, are experts in the field of mental health. We do the research, we listen to you, and we figure out your pain points. 

All copywriters do that, but copywriters who write for therapists are a special breed. We’re not concerned with sales, although we want you to succeed. We care about engagement and landing you more clients.

We do this by making you more visible in a Google search through search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is incredibly important for every copywriter. Copywriters who write for therapists use SEO to help you get your website to the first page of Google. We do that by writing website copy and blogs that use keywords and all kinds of little tricks that get Google to recognize you.

Personally, I’ve moved quite a few clients from the depths of Google, beyond page five, all the way to page one within months. It does take a little time, but mental health copywriters are patient. Just like you are with your clients.

Mental Health Copywriters Care About You

I’m not saying other copywriters don’t care about their clients, but I’m genuinely invested in what my writing can do to help you. And by helping you, I’m helping your clients! Because I’m also a therapist, I care just as much about your clients as you do. I understand how special a therapeutic relationship is and I do everything I can through my writing to maintain and strengthen that relationship.

I also know what it’s like to search for a therapist. I want you to stand out from everyone else and be the person I need to see. When I’m looking for a therapist I’m looking for someone that I can connect with, feel safe with and trust. I want someone who has a great website that draws me in and makes me feel understood.

A lot of therapists put words on a page without thinking about what it looks like or how it sounds. It’s fine to list your accomplishments on your “about me” page, but I want to know what it is about you that can help me.

When it comes down to it, I care about how you present yourself and I care whether or not you’re attracting the right clients. I just care about you and your practice, period. And it shows.

Learn More About This Mental Health Copywriter

I love writing for therapists, and I’d love to write for you. If you value your time, you should hire a copywriter to take the writing off your plate. If you value your clients, you should hire a copywriter who cares about them and understands their pain points. If you value your copywriter, you should hire someone you can have a good working relationship with.
In essence, you should hire me. To find out if we’d be a good fit, schedule a Zoom call and let’s talk about your goals and dreams for your business and copywriting needs. Happy writing!

Hint: Hire a Copywriter for Therapists

You’ve done the research and decided to outsource your writing to a copywriter. You picked one who specializes in copywriting for therapists. The two of you agreed on writing regular blog posts. But you’re worried that your copywriter isn’t going to get it right.

One surefire way for your copywriter to get it wrong is for you not to know what you want her to write about. It’s very difficult for a copywriter to write something that you feel captures your voice if you aren’t clear about what you want to say.

What Makes Something Worth Reading?

The first thing you want to ask yourself is: what do my clients and potential clients need to hear from me? Do you want them to learn something new? Are you looking to provide resources for them?

Thinking about your audience is a key factor in deciding what to write about. You’re used to using empathy and psychology with your clients. Now it’s time to use it on your audience. What are their pain points? What’s going to make them click on your blog post and stick around to read it?

You also want to make sure you’re choosing topics that are relevant to your audience. If no one cares about what you have to say, then, of course, no one’s going to read it. And if you don’t have readers, you’re losing out on potential clients. This is where a copywriter for therapists is key.

Why Should I Write Blogs Anyway?

Blogs are a great way to connect with people. They show insight into the type of therapy you do. A good blog is a tool and a resource for people who may not know about the topic and why it’s important to them.

They are also a marketing tool. Well-written, SEO-optimized blogs draw more people to your website. They get people to hang out on your site and see what else you have to say. Blogs are a great way to sell your services by letting people know what you do as a therapist. And of course, they always have a call to action to get people to book that first appointment! That’s what a copywriter for therapists does.

That’s Great, But How Do I Know What to Write About?

Once you’ve thought about what your audience needs to know, then you can think about what you can give them through the written word. Work with your copywriter who writes for therapists. Bounce ideas off one another. It’s ok to be unsure of what topics you want to share, but chances are you have a better idea of what you want to say than you think. Saying it out loud with your writer helps get the ideas flowing.

Another thing to consider is what you’re most passionate about. If you’re an art therapist and you want to help people understand the difference between art therapy and using art in therapy, then talk to your copywriter about how those things are different and why you want to share this information.

Something I do when I’m trying to come up with blog ideas is to poke around on the internet and see what other people in the copywriting field are saying. I don’t steal their ideas, but I do expand on them. You might try reading what other therapists in your field are writing about and decide to write your own version of that. It’s not plagiarism, it’s inspiration. Copywriters for therapists do it all the time.

What If My Copywriter and I Don’t Agree on a Topic?

This can happen, but the most important thing is that you’re happy with what you’re producing. Ultimately, you’re paying your copywriter for the words, so it damn well better be what you want. 

Copywriters for therapists offer suggestions based on their training and experience. However, at the end of the day, it’s your call. A good copywriter knows when to back off and listen to her client.

I’ve had clients change my work a lot to better reflect their voice, and that’s perfectly fine.

Some people prefer to do things themselves, even if they think they want to outsource. So it’s up to you to decide whether hiring a copywriter is the right move for you.

I’ve also had clients think they want one thing, read what I’ve written, and decide that they like my version better than the version they had in their head. Those are the happy clients, and that’s what I want for you.

How Do I Know I’m Writing About the Right Topics?

There is no “right” or “wrong” topic. There are topics that make more sense for you and your voice. But don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Try new things. Have your copywriter research topics that you’re not too familiar with and let them come back to you with new information and fresh eyes.

You’ll know if a topic doesn’t feel right. Likewise, you’ll also know when you’ve picked the right thing to write about. The key is spending a little bit of time thinking about things you want to say.

Do a small amount of research (not too much, your copywriter will take care of that for you). But doing some research will help you see what’s out there. You will see where the holes are in the field that you can fill with your writing.

Hire a Copywriter for Therapists

Now it’s time to hire a copywriter for therapists and get writing. Luckily, I know just the copywriter for you! Book an appointment with me to discuss your copywriting needs. 

I write specifically for therapists, and I’m also a therapist, so I’m very qualified to write about whatever topics in the mental health field you decide to cover. So check out the rest of my website, book a discovery call, and let’s get writing!

You could have the most beautifully designed website on the internet. However, if you don’t capture the attention of your audience right away, they’ll peace out!

How do you get readers to stick around your website? What is bounce rate? Why does it matter how long someone hangs out on your site?

When writing website copy, the goal is to keep people on your website and wanting to read more. The website copy should be engaging and compelling. Your homepage should really hook your audience. You need to get them to want to read the rest of your website.

What are the most important elements of a website?

Aside from an awesome homepage, you want to find the right balance. There needs to be enough information that people want to sign up for your services or opt into your newsletter. But you don’t want too much information that they get overwhelmed and leave.

There are a few pages that are important for therapists to have on their websites. These include an “About Me” page, a “Services” page, a “Contact” page, and a blog.

You want to make sure people know who you are. This is why the “About Me” page is so important. You want people to feel connected to you.

A “Services” page can also include rates and information about insurance. That could also be a separate page. But you want to explain the services you offer. This is especially important if you offer services that maybe not everyone is familiar with.

A “Contact” page is a pretty obvious page to include. Make sure you include your location and the preferred way to contact you. It’s also not a bad idea to have a button somewhere that links to a calendar to book an appointment with you.

A blog is also a very important page to have. Blogs offer resources to your clients as well as boost your SEO. SEO is search engine optimization and is how you rank in a Google search. Providing relevant content in your blog is a great way for clients and potential clients to understand more about what you offer. It’s also a great way for you to connect directly to your audience and share your values and thoughts.

Another great page to have is a “Frequently Asked Questions” page. This is also an opportunity to boost your SEO by using keywords that will draw people to your site in a Google search. And it’s another way to directly connect with your audience.

You can add other pages if you’d like. These pages should showcase you. So if you have written books or articles or have a podcast or a YouTube channel that you’d like people to check out, you may have a separate page for “Resources.”

What is bounce rate?

Bounce rate refers to the length of time that someone stays on your website before they leave. Specifically, bounce rate calculates how long someone sticks around on your website without doing anything before they leave. 

Bounce rate takes into account whether someone clicked on anything, signed up for anything, or if they just came to the site, looked at it, and left. If someone visited even just one page, they’re not counted in your bounce rate.

So the trick is writing compelling content on your homepage that makes them want to stick around and check out more pages. Ideally, you want them to like what they see so much that they feel they just have to work with you. They go ahead and book a consultation or first session! THAT’s what we’re going for.

How do I get people to stick around?

Aside from having a website that looks professional, you need professionally written words. Hiring a copywriter who specializes in writing for mental health professionals is a good place to start.

A mental health copywriter who understands you and what you do is the ideal person to write your website copy that will keep people on your site. The first thing I do when I’m working on a therapist’s website copy is to make sure that the content on the homepage captures your eye with strong formatting.

The next thing I do is make sure that the content itself is worth reading. It should also be SEO-optimized by using keywords that show up in Google searches. Those keywords should reflect you, what you do, and how you want people to find you. 

If you’re a trauma therapist in New York City who does EMDR, for example, you want to make sure that “trauma therapist,” “New York City” and “EMDR” show up a couple of times in your website copy on that home page. You’ll use them on your other pages as well, but they need to be front and center because people are searching for “EMDR trauma therapists in New York City” when looking for your services. 

Once you’ve hooked someone with your homepage content, you want to give them opportunities to look around your website further. Having buttons that take you to other pages such as “learn more” or “read more” buttons are a great way to get people to stay and explore.

The more ways to get someone to interact with your site, the better, so you want to give them opportunities to click around. Make your site easy to navigate. You want your website to make sense to the reader and have it flow nicely, even if you choose to have everything on separate pages. 

If you have a blog or a podcast page, you’re more likely to get people to stick around enough to at least click on the page and see if what you have to offer is worth their time. Here’s where a good copywriter comes into play. 

If you’ve hired the right person to write blogs for your therapy practice, then you’ve got content that’s worth reading and worth sticking around for. You want to make sure your blog posts have a few lines as a preview so that your audience is reading a catchy title and a captivating first line or two.

Taking the next step

Once you’ve decided what your message is, it’s time to hire the right mental health copywriter. To learn more about how we could work together, sign up for a free consultation call here. Happy writing!

What’s the first thing you do when you’re looking for an answer? 

GOOGLE IT!

In order to show up in a Google search, you need to do a few things, and they all have to do with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

There are endless ways to increase your SEO. Some of these ways are super technical and hard to understand. But some are easy. With the right copywriter, you can turn your website copy into a well-oiled SEO machine!

I’m breaking down seven of the easier ways to add SEO into your website copy, but just remember that there are many other ways.

1. Keywords

Keywords are probably the number one way to boost your SEO. Keywords are the words that people look for in a Google search. If you’re a trauma therapist in Philadelphia, for example, you probably want people to find you by searching “trauma therapist Philadelphia.”

Your copywriter puts those words into action in your copy, whether that’s website copy or blogs. I might write a headline that says “3 Things You Should Know About Working With a Trauma Therapist.” Right away “trauma therapist” is in the title, so it should get Google’s attention.

I’ll use that phrase throughout the copy, adding in “Philadelphia” where it makes sense.

Sometimes a keyword is just one word, like “trauma.” Other times we use what are called longtail keywords. These are short phrases that people will Google, like “who’s the best trauma therapist in Philadelphia?” In this instance, you want to use the long phrase “best trauma therapist in Philadelphia” within the text a couple of times for Google to rank it as a keyword.

2. Headlines and Subheaders

A great place to use your keywords is in your headlines and subheaders. In the example above, I used the keywords “trauma therapist” right in the headline. You don’t want to use the same keywords in each subheader, so you need to mix it up. 

But headers and subheaders are excellent for using keywords because those are the areas of a piece of copy, like a blog, that people pay the most attention to. When you’re skimming an article you’re looking at the headings and subheadings to see if the section is worth your time.

That’s why you want to use keywords in those headers and subheaders, to grab peoples’ attention. Keywords should highlight what the piece is about within those headers and subheaders.

3. Alt Text

Alt text is the text that you use to describe an image in a piece of copy. Alt text is a great place to add a keyword as you describe the image. 

Google crawls pages not just for the written text that you see and read, but also for the hidden text in things like alt text.

Alt text is actually really important for SEO and is often overlooked. It’s another opportunity to use keywords in your copy, it’s just copy that nobody but Google sees.

4. Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the 155-160 characters that come after your title in a Google search. They describe the website page and are another opportunity to use keywords. Many times people don’t write a meta description to their pages and that can really hurt their SEO. You want to make sure you’re writing meta descriptions with keywords in them.

As I talk about all these places to use keywords, it’s very important not to “keyword stuff.” Google will be able to recognize if you’re packing in the keywords and not view your writing as credible.

5. Links

Linking to pages, both internally and externally, is a great way to boost your SEO. 

An internal link is one that links to another page within your site. An external link is one that links to another website. You always want to make sure that you’re linking to credible sites, especially when citing sources.

Then there are things called backlinks, which really boost your SEO. Backlinks are links from an outside website that link to your page or blog post. It’s good to both backlink to another person’s site and to have other sites backlink to yours. Google sees this as established credibility.

6. Length

Google doesn’t recognize blogs or pages that are under 1000 words, so you want to make sure your website copy is long enough for Google to read but not so long that it loses readers.

What you don’t want to do is write fluff just for the sake of getting to 1000 words. Your copy should be substantive. If you’re writing about a relevant topic worth reading about, it should be very easy for your copywriter to get to over 1000 words. I’ve never had a problem writing a long enough blog for my clients.

Sometimes website copy is harder to write 1000 words on a page, and Google really only looks for 800-1000, so it’s a little more lenient than a blog post.

7. Consistent Blogs

Having a blog is a great way to boost your SEO. If you write consistently you’ll see results in a few months. In just 2-3 months I went from page 5 to page 1 of Google when you search “mental health copywriter” by writing website copy that uses keywords. 

But mainly it’s because I write a blog each week. I post it every Monday so it’s consistent and I  make sure to write about relevant topics to my clients that they need to read.

Boost Your SEO

Since you don’t have the time to learn and worry about SEO, hire a copywriter who knows what she’s doing. One thing about SEO that I dive into here is that it can take some time for Google to recognize your site, so you have to be patient.

Copywriters know how to write compelling, relevant copy that people want to read in a way that helps Google rank you higher in a search. And let’s face it, everyone is finding everything these days in Google searches.

When you work with me, I use SEO in these ways (and more!) to boost your Google ranking and help you get found. If you’re ready to take the leap, schedule a call with me to discuss how we can up your SEO game and get you on page one of Google!