One of the big problems private practice therapists have is they don't know how to get more clients. And getting more clients, make no mistake, is the name of the game. You can be the greatest therapist in the world, but if no one is calling your phone, it doesn't matter.
To better understand how to get clients, I've been studying Alex Hormozi. He's a businessman who's taken three businesses from 0 to 20 million and now buys companies and takes them from 3 million to 20 million (or something like that). In his spare time, he makes videos on how to run better businesses. In this post, I'll outline what I've learned from him about how content can get you clients.
Let's dive in
1/2 How private practice therapists can get more clients: Make content
Making content such as podcasts, videos, blog posts, online courses, websites, etc. is a powerful way to get clients for a few different reasons.
First, content helps people to find you. The internet is always pushing content to users. So if you make content, there's a chance some algorithm will push it to other potential clients.
Second, content helps you to be seen as an expert. When you post online—I'm not sure why, but people tend to think you know what you're talking about. If you write a few blog posts on mindfulness, the people who read that will think you're a mindfulness guru.
Third, content helps people to trust you. Whenever someone wants to buy something from you they are a little bit afraid of getting scammed.
There's a little voice in their head saying, "what if I'm about to get tricked out of my hard earned money?"
The way out of this is to give first. If you give first, and people think it's awesome, then they know what you have to offer is quality. This means that the next time you have something to offer them, they are more likely to trust you.
The thing is, you've got to be clear about which type of content you're making. Are you making short-term content or long-term content?
2/4 Short term content and private practice therapists
Short-term content is any content that disappears a week after it's posted. When most private practice therapists hear this, they automatically think "social media." I think social media is a losing game for counselors.
First, the social media algorithm is internet-wide.
Social media spreads information across the entire internet, but most therapists are bound by state lines. What's the point of having your content being seen in California if your license is only valid in Delaware?
Second, social media is time-intensive.
It often takes more time to create content than you'd think. For instance, a 1-minute YouTube short can take 5 hours to create.
Also, social media likes frequency. To do social media well, you need to be posting at least 7-10 times per day. Add to this the fact that social media wants content 7 days a week – we're talking about creating a TON OF CONTENT! For many creators, it eventually becomes exhausting to keep feeding the beast.
Third, the social algorithm wants the sensational.
Let's be real, your post on mindfulness probably can't compete with one of the Kardashians posing about meditation. The social media algorithm privileges anger, fear, and sex. Good content creators manage to combine all three while also saying something of substance. That takes a lot of skill.
Finally, the conversion rates on social media tend to be really low.
Last year, I gave a training on Multicultural Orientation in therapy. I had several Twitter users with combined followings of over 30,000 post my training. I got zero hits. It's not just me. Other people like Cal Newport and Yu Kai Chou also say the same. The shorter the platform, the lower the conversion rates are.
Don't get me wrong, if you go in hard on social media, you can get clients, but it just takes a lot of work. If you're in solo private practice, you are seeing clients, running billing, doing some case management, and probably a handful of other things to keep your business running.
Do you really have time to worry about creating new content so you can post 7 times a day?
So what's the alternative?
3/4 Long term local content for private practice therapists
When I coach people, I recommend they start creating long-term content. Long-term content is any content that will still be around in a week.
Typically, people think of long-term content as anything like a blog, a newsletter, a podcast, or some sort of Search Engine Optimized content (like a webpage with SEO terms on it).
One of the best ways to use long-term content is local SEO content that drives people in your area to your services. The beauty of this is it's also long-lasting content. If you post an Instagram reel, if you're lucky, the algorithm will keep it around for a week. However, when you do local SEO content, someone searches for your keywords and your content pops right up. That piece of content can bring you clients for years.
The trouble with SEO and other long-term content is it's not quick. Google ranks your content higher based, in part, on how long you've been around. This means that a really good piece of content might not be seen on Google for at least a month and sometimes up to six months.
I think this is why private practice therapists like social media content. Social media seems like a faster way to build an audience. However, that's mostly because of the sensational nature of social media. If you're lucky (and a bit of a sensationalist), you might have 1 tweet go viral, but that doesn't mean your next tweet will go viral or that your followers will actually become clients.
This includes real life content
While we typically think about this short-term vs. long-term framework in terms of digital content, the same thing applies to real-life content.
For instance, a great way some therapists get an audience is through speaking and giving classes. But, if that's all you do, then that's essentially short-term content because once you give the speech, it's just gone. It's not stored anyplace.
My best advice is to record your speeches and classes. Recording turns your speeches into long-term content.
4/4 As a private practice therapists making content is all about giving.
That's content in a nutshell.
Content is a great way to create authority and trust online; just make sure you're playing the local, long-term content game and not the short-term content game.
Overall, content creation is about building trust with your audience, and you do that by giving first.
The big idea is that if you give first, and people see that your service is good and that you act in a trustworthy way, they will want to do business with you.
So, in the spirit of giving, I'm offering free 30-minute consultation sessions. My business partner and I have been running a solo practice consulting business where we help clinicians build practices that leave them happy and fulfilled professionally.
We're looking to build our clientele, so I'm giving away free 30-minute consultations.
This isn't a sales call. And it's absolutely free.
We'll talk, and I'll literally give you a roadmap for taking your practice to the next level. Whether you want more fulfillment in work, struggle to get clients, or have some other practice-related question, I'm happy to answer your questions.
Candidly, I'm doing this to build my audience. I'm hoping you'll be so impressed that you'll tell your friends so they too can take their practice to the next level.
So if you're interested in how we take practices from 0-100k in six months, sign up below.
Best,
Jordan (the Counselor),
-Fin-
P.S. These free consultations are limited. I've already booked 8 slots and only have 4 slots left. Additionally, registration closes 36 hours before each slot, and my remaining slots are Wednesday slots. So, if you want free consultation before registration closes, or someone else takes your spot, sign up soon.
If you liked this post, consider reading this next. I think you'll like it ;) It's about how to make 100k as a counselor.
Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work he enjoys working with couples. He also runs a blog on deliberate practice for therapists and counselors at Jordanthecounselor.com