Below, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions we get from therapists about improving their marketing strategy and growing their practice.
If you’d like to submit a question of your own, please post a comment using the form at the bottom of this page.
Note: we focus on tackling commonly asked questions here. If you have something more specialized or complex you need help with, book a consulting call with Tom.
Question: I don’t have much time at all. What is the one thing I can do to get more clients?
If we had to name one thing, it would be optimizing your Google My Business listing, assuming you provide in-person counseling.
We’ve explained how to do this in our guide to getting more clients as a therapist. It does not take a lot of time, especially if you have an existing profile.
In saying this though, if your Google My Business profile is already well-optimized, there are likely other quick wins you can take advantage of instead, such as improving your website’s title and header SEO (this is explained in the above guide as well).
Question: how do I decide on a target audience?
Context: in our resources explaining how to get more clients as a therapist, we heavily emphasize the importance of having a focused target audience of patients, rather than stating that you help “anyone going through stress, anxiety, or depression” for example.
Choosing the right niche or niches to focus on is a deeply personal decision, and we recommend thinking about it carefully.
Many therapists are attracted in a certain direction based on their personal life experience, such as being Christian, or a member of the LGBT community.
Others find that their methods are particularly effective with a certain group of people, and naturally begin picking up word-of-mouth referrals within this community over time, leading them to specialize in this area.
If you are unsure, especially as a new therapist, focus on helping people with the issues you feel best-equipped to assist with, whether this be trauma, anxiety, grief, or any other similar category of issue.
Question: I’ve seen a therapist get a lot of followers using TikTok/Instagram Reels. Should I be on those platforms?
Short answer: maybe, but probably not.
To do well with short-form video, you have to have the right personality for the screen, and the drive to want to do it, otherwise the output won’t be up to scratch. You will also have to spend time learning how to optimize for the algorithm of each specific platform.
However, if you have the time available, and would enjoy making short-form content, this can be worth experimenting with.
Just ensure to speak about what you know best (your client audience and their concerns), and try not to make videos that look too much like a short university lecture.
At a basic level, you could discuss things such as issues your clients commonly present with, or common misunderstandings that your audience experiences.
Question: how do I ensure I show up on LLMs and in AI search?
In broad terms, to show up more often on tools such as ChatGPT, you just need to do the same things you do to rank higher on Google, a process that is commonly referred to as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
In short, this essentially involves making sure that your website clearly explains who you are and what you do, and getting mentions or links from authoritative sources elsewhere on the web.
We’ve discussed this topic more in our guide to AI search optimization for therapists.
