What do therapists in private practice and copywriters have in common?
We both work in a vacuum, with the exception of working with our clients. Having your own private practice is an amazing achievement. You worked your butt off to get licensed, start a business, find clients, and manage it all yourself. Like copywriters, you are your own boss. You also don’t have any coworkers.
Similarly, copywriters work in their own little bubbles. We sit at our desks all day writing, in my case, for you. We don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I talk to my clients every so often, usually once a month for retainer clients and then discovery calls and one-off projects as they come up. It’s a very lonely job.
I know you can relate. So how do you find your squad? Who do you talk to about your work? How are you networking with other therapists?
Finding a Community Within the Mental Health Profession
One of the first places to start is to make sure you’re in supervision. Your supervisor is your first lifeline to being able to talk about your work.
There’s also group supervision, which I, as a former therapist, highly recommend. In group supervision, I learned so much from my peers. It’s a safe space to talk about the challenges and wins that come up in your practice. I 100% recommend finding a group to join.
Both types of supervision cost money. But there are lots of ways to network with mental health professionals that are free.
Social media is fantastic for this. Make a LinkedIn profile. Get an Instagram handle. Join Facebook groups specifically for therapists. Network your buns off with other therapists!
Facebook groups are particularly helpful ways to network with other mental health professionals. You get to ask the group questions and engage in conversations with therapists from all over the world. There are lots of different types of Facebook groups for therapists, so go out and find some to network with other mental health professionals.
The key to social media networking is engagement. You need to comment on people’s posts, send direct messages, and follow other like-minded therapists. Many of them will follow you back and you can share each other’s posts. Online networking with therapists, boom!
Finding a Community Within the World of Copywriting
Networking with copywriters isn’t any different than networking with mental health professionals. Personally, I’m on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. I’m part of a few copywriting-specific Facebook group. In these groups, I ask questions and comment on other people’s posts. By doing this, I’ve made connections with other copywriters.
I got to a point where I was tired of working alone, so I reached out to some of the people in these groups. There are five copywriters that I talk to on a regular basis. We do FaceTime and Zoom calls and send texts and Facebook messages. When I’m having a hard time with a piece I’m writing or just need another set of eyes on it, I’ll send it to one of my copywriter gals.
Through the Facebook groups, in particular, I found my copywriting squad. Networking for copywriters is just as important as networking for mental health professionals.
The thing is, I didn’t wait for people to come to me. I reached out to each of my copywriting gals individually. Each one of them brings something different to the table. Most of my copywriting friends write in different niches than I do, so it’s nice to get perspectives from people who are outside the world of mental health. I have one friend who writes in the mental health niche and we meet occasionally to talk about the challenges and rewards of what we do.
It’s an invaluable resource to have these copywriting buddies in my corner. I made a point to network with other copywriters from the beginning of my career because I knew it would be important for my work. The same goes for you.
How I Network With Mental Health Professionals
As a copywriter who writes for mental health professionals, it’s incredibly important that I network. Developing a relationship with a potential client is crucial. Yes, I send out cold emails, and sometimes that works, but it’s harder to develop a relationship in an email.
I use social media to cultivate relationships. I connect with therapists on LinkedIn. I comment on their posts and send them messages asking about their work. Maybe you’ve heard from me. If not, send me a message, and let’s connect!
Instagram is a great place to network with mental health professionals because you can comment on posts and also send direct messages in a less formal way than on LinkedIn.
I’m also part of several Facebook groups for therapists. Since I am also a therapist, I can join these groups and make connections with other therapists. Being a mental health professional myself makes it a lot easier to network with other mental health professionals.
However, to my fellow copywriters, you don’t need to be in the profession of the people you write for to connect. And remember, it’s just as important to network with other copywriters than it is to network with potential clients.
Networking With Mental Health Professionals AND Copywriters
Your takeaway from this blog is two-fold. First, I want you to get out there and find your squad of mental health professionals that support you. Second, I want you to network with copywriters. Find us on social media (we’re probably already finding you) and connect.
If you’re ready to connect with me and take your marketing to the next level, contact me and set up a 30-minute call. Happy networking!