August 5, 2025 • 27 mins
You’re showing up. You’ve got a website, an Instagram, maybe even tried networking or Google Ads—but the clients aren’t coming. What gives? In this episode, we’re digging into a quiet culprit behind ineffective marketing: your language.
If your copy feels generic, vague, or disconnected from how you actually show up in the room, it’s likely not doing the heavy lifting your marketing needs. I’ll walk you through why even solid strategies fall flat without the right words—and how realigned language can flip the switch from “no traction” to “my clients finally get me.”
Whether you’re DIY-ing your copy or considering a full revamp, this episode will help you understand what might be getting lost in translation—and what to do about it.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
1️⃣ Why “doing all the things” might not be the issue—and how to tell if language is your real marketing block
2️⃣ How common strategies like SEO, Google Ads, social media, and networking hinge on your words more than you think
3️⃣ What happens when your copy actually reflects your voice, your values, and your work—and how that changes everything
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- Join the waitlist for Confident Copy (special pricing + bonus): walkerstrategyco.com/waitlist
- The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com
- Natasha's website: goldenhour-counseling.com
Connect + Subscribe
Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.
Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com
About Marketing Therapy
Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker—marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey y'all.
Welcome back to MarketingTherapy episode 20.
I heard that if you make it to 20 podcastepisodes, you are gonna keep going.
Most people quit before 20, so buckle up.
We're, we're in this for the long haul.
Um, I'm excited about today's episode.
I wanna talk about something that Isee so many therapists overlooking in
their marketing, and it makes a lotof sense why we're gonna look at that.
(00:24):
When therapists decide they want to filltheir caseload, they're like, all right,
I'm gonna do this private practice thing.
I'm gonna commit, I'm gonna do the things.
Then their focus usually goesstraight to strategy, right?
Tactics, SEO, Google Ads, networking,Instagram, TikTok, whatever that might be.
Psychology Today.
(00:44):
None of those instincts are wrong.
Of course, we need thosetactics and strategies, right?
But what I've seen.
After working with thousands oftherapists at this point is that so
often they do the things and stilldon't get the results they want.
That's when I know that this isn't avisibility problem for that therapist.
(01:08):
It's a language problem because everythingyou're trying to do to grow your
practice ads, blog posts, networking.
Depends on what you are sayingand how you are saying it.
So that's the thing that I see way toomany therapists skipping right on past.
(01:30):
There words, and if your wordsaren't working, if they are vague,
if they're generic, if they're outof sync with how you actually show
up, then let me tell you, no tacticor strategy is gonna fix that.
So in this episode, I wanna dig intowhy the words you use matter more than
(01:50):
you probably think, and how getting themright can really start to change the
results you're seeing from your marketing.
So what do I mean when I sayeverything you're trying?
Depends on your words.
Because I really dohear this all the time.
Therapists come to me saying,Anna, I'm doing all the things.
(02:10):
I have a website.
I created an Instagram account.
I even went to a networking event.
I hated it, but I went to it last month.
I'm still not getting thekinds of clients I want.
And here's what I tell them.
It's not that you're not showing up,of course, it's not that you're not
trying, it is that your language,the words you're using to describe
(02:32):
what you do and who you help, aren'tdoing the job they need to do.
All right.
I wanna actually break thisdown strategy by strategy.
So the most common tactics orstrategies therapists think they
need in order to get clients andwhat's actually underneath them.
So, SEO, we've all heard it, the bigthree letters, search engine optimization.
(02:55):
This is how you getclients through Google.
And people often think of SEO asthis very kind of techie behind the
scenes thing, and in some ways it is.
But at the end of the day, youknow what it's about language.
Google more than ever is scanningyour website and trying to figure out
what it's about based on your words.
(03:16):
How authoritative are you?
How much expertise do youhave in this specialty?
Are you trustworthy?
Do you know enough toactually be rankable?
Not just the headlines you're using, notjust the little places you plug in a quote
unquote keyword, but the actual phrasesyou are using to talk about your work.
What's interesting with the onsetof ai, and you may have heard of
(03:37):
clinicians getting clients throughchat, GBT and things like that,
chat, GBT is even more so lookingat how you talk on your website.
So if how you talk is vague or fullof feel good generalities like.
I create a safe space or a laundry listof specialties or things that you treat.
(04:00):
Google has no idea what to dowith that, and neither does any
AI model, and more importantly,neither does your ideal client.
So even SEO is about words,
Google ads.
Maybe I'll just run out andspend some money on Google ads.
Great.
Same thing.
(04:21):
When it comes to Google Ads, youare literally paying money to put
a small block of copy in front ofpotential clients and then invite
them to read more copy on your websitein order to decide if you're the
therapist that they're looking for.
So if the words in that ad and the wordson that website don't resonate, if they
don't grab attention or create connectionor really speak to the specific need that
(04:46):
has led that person to type in that query.
Into Google in the firstplace, then you're literally
throwing money into the void.
You're flushing it down the toiletads don't work if you don't have the
words right, Instagram, social media.
Okay.
Powerful strategy when done, right?
(05:06):
Absolutely.
Great tactic.
It is easy to assume.
Social media is mostly visual, right?
Especially Instagram, but even TikTok.
Things like that.
And design matters, no doubt about it, butit's your caption, your story, your voice
that's ultimately building connection.
I've seen therapists with beautifullybranded Instagrams, I'm talking stunning
(05:30):
aesthetically, who are still notgetting inquiries because their content
isn't really saying anything real.
No one's reading it andthinking, oh, this is for me.
And again, that comes back to language.
What about networking?
Networking is, as I consider it, anabsolute non-negotiable when it comes
(05:51):
to getting clients, particularlyfull fee clients in this market.
And that can feel like it's all dependenton how professional you are or who you
know, or how well connected you are.
And again, all those things influence it,but even in face-to-face conversations,
one-on-one coffee chats with othertherapists, it's the same problem.
What do you say when someoneasks you what you do?
(06:15):
If your answer sounds like everyoneelse's, oh, I work with women with anxiety
or adults with relationship issues.
People don't mean to,but they tune you out.
They don't remember you, and if they don'tremember you, they can't refer to you.
Not because you're not skilled, notbecause you're an introvert, not
because they don't like you, but becauseyou haven't said anything distinct.
(06:40):
Even those referrals rely on your work.
And that surprises a lot of people.
A lot of times they'll think ofreferrals as kind of automatic.
I'm good at what I do, I share it.
I get clients.
The only way that system works is ifpeople understand what you do, and
it's your job to communicate that.
(07:02):
If your referral partners can't clearlyarticulate who you help and why you're the
go-to for that population or the personthey're thinking of sending your way.
Then they're not gonna be able tosend the right people your way, or
they'll send clients your way thatare totally misaligned and not the
right fit, which is just a drainingexperience for everyone involved.
(07:23):
Right?
Even networking is about your words.
So that's the pattern that I see.
Therapists show up, they try quoteunquote, all the things, the number of
times I've heard that, all the things.
And then when it doesn't work, they blame.
The tactic.
Well, Instagram doesn't work.
SEO isn't for me.
(07:44):
It's too hard to rank on Google, I guess.
No one's using psych today these days.
But the truth is, if your words aren'tworking, your strategies won't either.
Whether you're writing an email orposting on social or updating your
website, introducing yourself ata lunch and learn whatever you're
doing, your results are only asstrong as the language you're using.
(08:09):
So this is where I wanna pauseand say something directly to you.
If you are sitting here listeningand have been putting in effort
to your marketing, good on you.
That is huge.
Not every therapist does that.
Some therapists expect thisto happen on autopilot.
But if you have been puttingin effort, congratulations.
Seriously, that's wonderful.
If you've shown up and postedand written and reached out.
(08:32):
Then you have started to build animportant muscle in your marketing.
But if you are still not gettingthe traction you want, then it's
probably not a strategy problem.
It's probably a language problem.
It's because the way you'redescribing your work isn't landing.
It's not connecting.
(08:54):
It's not clear or distinct or memorableenough for the right people to say,
this is what I've been looking for.
And that's where everything else can startto unravel because the words you use don't
just describe what you do, although ofcourse they do serve that purpose, but
they signal who you are as a therapist.
(09:17):
Language tells people who you workwith, whether or not you are for
them, whether or not you are safe.
And especially in private paywork, whether or not you are worth
the fee you charge, this isn'tactually about your worth, right?
You're worth the fee that you charge nomatter how good or bad your words are.
(09:39):
But people are assigningworth based on your words.
Clients are constantly scanning for clues.
Do I belong here?
Does this therapist get me?
Can I picture myself actually openingup to this person and sharing the
things I've never said out loud?
And here's what a lot oftherapists forget your marketing.
(10:04):
It's the first session.
It's when clients are alreadystarting to make meaning.
They're on your website, your PTprofile, your social media, and
they're reading between the lines.
Just like they do in the therapy room,they're making decisions based on what
you're saying and how you're saying it.
(10:25):
So if your language is vague or feels likeit could belong to any other therapist in
your city, any of the other 10 plus tabsthey have open on their browser right now.
You're not just losing people,you are losing the right people,
the ones you actually want to workwith and want to work with you.
(10:47):
I had a conversation about thisrecently with a group practice team.
Uh, they were trying to decide whetherto invest in copy design or both with
our done for you service, and I told themwe'd love to support you in both areas,
but if you are deciding on one or theother, copy is king, and design is queen.
Design matters when it comes toyour website, probably more than
(11:09):
ever, but I will always standby this, that it is your words.
That ultimately determine whetheror not someone reaches out to you.
And one of the clinicians on thecall actually pushed back on that
a little bit, which I appreciated.
He said that he would'veargued the opposite.
And I get it because beautiful designbuilds trust, it matters, it does
(11:31):
provide signals to people aboutthe experience they can expect.
But you can have the most visuallystunning website in the whole wide world.
But if the copy doesn't speakto the client's experience.
If it doesn't help them see that youunderstand them and how you'll help
them with the problems they're facing.
They won't book a consult.
(11:52):
They will not book a consultbecause your website is beautiful.
They'll book a consult becauseyour copy connected with them.
They'll click away, not because you'renot good at what you do, not because
you can't serve them well, but becauseyour language didn't do its job.
But I've seen the reverse happen too.
(12:13):
A therapist we worked with had beenmarketing herself in a way that
was kind of soft and supportive.
Um, that was the tone we were using.
That was the feel of whatwe'd created for her.
But when we talked more about howshe was actually beginning to show
up in session and she'd reallyexperienced kind of an evolution as
a clinician, it was clear that herstyle these days was far more direct.
(12:35):
Practical, no.
BS telling it like it is, andher clients love her for that.
She had for so long been soundingquite gentle in her copy, but the
reality was it didn't reflect whatpeople could actually expect from her.
Her clients didn't need more handholding.
(12:56):
Her clients are responding tothat direct result, focused
style, and so we made some really.
Strategic changes to her copy to reflectwhat she was actually doing in the room.
We didn't make her moreintense than she was.
We just kind of stopped hiding it.
Right, and almost immediately she startedhearing this is exactly the type of
(13:16):
therapist I've been looking for, or I'veworked with other therapists before,
but no one described it quite like this.
That's the type of experience I want.
That's what happens when yourlanguage matches your work.
There's not that disconnect anymore.
You're not doing the over-explaining.
You're not trying to land theplane on a console, right?
(13:37):
Because clients are already alignedfrom the start, so it's a small shift.
Sometimes it can feel like my wordslike how could they really matter that
much, but it can change everything.
Usually the words aren't workingbecause they're just a little bit off.
Not usually because they're vastly wrong,but because they're too soft or too broad.
(13:58):
Too focused on the therapist insteadof the client too afraid to say
what actually makes you different.
But when you get the words right, itcan be like flipping a switch because
suddenly the same strategy you'vebeen using, those tactics that you
have been building the muscle aroundyou website, your networking, your
directory profiles, your social media,it starts working because now your words
(14:23):
are actually doing the heavy lifting.
They should be.
They're showing people who you are,how you help, if you're the right fit,
why it matters, how to take action.
That's the power of language.
What happens if you're sitting here rightnow and your words don't match your work?
It's where I see a lot of reallyskilled therapists get stuck.
(14:45):
I mean, really skilled.
All the trainings, all thebackground still get stuck here.
They're doing powerful and nuanced,transformational work in the room, but
the way they show up in their marketing isgeneric and safe, boring, overly buttoned
up, and what that creates, whetherthey realize it or not, is friction.
(15:08):
Clients come in expecting onething based on the website and
get something totally different inthe consult or the intake session.
The therapists find themselvesover explaining or trying to course
correct doing that, landing theplane in real time or worse, clients
don't reach out at all because thelanguage didn't give them a reason to.
(15:32):
So sometimes clinicians don't realizeit's happening, but sometimes they
do know that there's a mismatch.
They can kind of feel it.
I'll hear things like, my websitedoesn't really sound like me.
Or I feel like I have toexplain what I really do once
I'm on the phone with people.
Sometimes this comes becausethey've tried to reverse engineer
what they've seen other people do.
(15:53):
Filled in templates, borrowed phrases,dropped a prompt or two into chat.
GBT tried to quote, unquote, soundlike a therapist, and in the process
they've lost the actual voice of theirwork and that has real consequences.
More of that friction in consults,more wrong fit inquiries, less
confidence in how they show up.
(16:16):
And this one's important, a lack ofconnection with their own marketing.
'cause when your website doesn'tsound like you, when your Psyched
Today profile could belong toliterally any other therapist in
your zip code, it's really hard tofeel good about sending people there.
Am I right?
And I get it.
And I think what's actuallyhappening here, this disconnect
(16:40):
is often rooted in fear.
Fear of being too specific or sayingthe wrong thing of standing out, of
being visible, of excluding people.
A very common one that I hear, Ihear this, especially when we start
working on writing the about page inConfident Copy, we have a specific
framework for each of the pages onthe website and the about page when
(17:01):
you come up against having to write.
What it is that you do, why youdo it well, why clients trust you.
There's some serious momentsof self-exploration and
discovery required, right?
When a therapist has to get reallyhonest about why they're good at what
they do and what makes them differentand what they wanna be known for.
(17:23):
'cause a lot of the time theyhaven't done that before.
It's hard to put that into words.
It's often quite uncomfortable.
And so it's no wonder that the copycan end up vague or watered down
'cause that fear is showing up.
Right?
And now with the rise of AI and fillin the blank templates, it's easier
than ever to default to languagethat looks polished, but doesn't
(17:48):
actually say anything meaningful.
And I love ai.
I think it's a powerful tool in many ways,but it is the huge culprit of this issue.
It looks good, but it doesn't say much
Safe copy will not make you stand out.
In fact, it might make you forgettablebecause your clients right now are
(18:09):
wading through a sea of sameness.
They're waiting throughcountless websites.
Where someone slaps something into chatGBT or threw together a fill in the
blank template or reverse engineered whatthey think worked on another website,
and it all starts to feel the same.
The only way we break out of that is ifyour words reflect you, what you bring
(18:34):
to the table, what you do differently.
Otherwise you just blend in.
Let me give you an example of this.
Earlier this year, weworked with a therapist.
Who honestly is one of the mostmagnetic personalities of, of any
of the clients that we've served.
And we've served many.
She's really bold, she's expressive.
She swears in session her clientsget results from their work together.
(18:58):
And of course, the clients that loveher, love that about her, right?
Her website, when shechose to work with us, was.
Flat and generic and outdated, andso stripped down and sanitized that I
honestly wouldn't have recognized her.
The person I met on our first callversus what I saw on the website,
(19:21):
completely different, wildly different.
It read like any other therapistsite and not in a good way.
So we threw it out.
With all due respect, started Fresh.
Wrote a site that actually sounded likeher, that brought that personality forth.
We used the language her clients werealready using to describe their experience
to her with neurodivergence and trauma.
(19:44):
We made sure people knew exactly whoshe best worked with and why that work
mattered, what they could expect from it.
Within a month, she had four newclients, one of them being her first
private pay client ever, and everysingle one of them mentioned her
website to her on the console call.
Yeah.
Not because we invented something newor manufactured something, but because
(20:07):
we finally brought her to life in hermarketing, that's what happens when
your words finally reflect who you are.
You get to stop over explaining.
You stop attracting the wrong people,and you start hearing, I felt like
you were talking directly to me.
It's when marketing canstart to feel easier.
(20:29):
And aligned and natural anda whole lot more effective.
When your copy sounds like you, whenit clearly communicates what you do
and who you help, and how you helpthem, when it reflects the real version
of your expertise authentically, notjust some polished or professional
one, everything's gonna get easier.
(20:53):
I hear things like consult calls, feelingmore natural, 'cause clients kind of
already have a sense of what you're like.
Not having to sell them or overexplain'cause they're already on board.
Referrals getting strongerbecause your colleagues finally
understand who to send your way.
You are memorable.
But above all, the best thing Ihear when these changes are made is
(21:14):
the confidence that comes with it.
And I know confidence isn't necessarilywhat you set out to find, right?
You want clients, I get it.
You want a full caseload, you wannastop second guessing your entire
marketing strategy every day the week.
But I've seen again and again thatconfidence is the thing that makes
all of those things possible.
It comes first.
(21:34):
It precedes the clients and thecaseload confidence in your voice, in
your expertise, in your ability to saywhat makes you good at what you do.
That confidence shows up everywhere.
Because you actually want tosend people to your website.
You're proud of it.
You don't hesitate to say what you charge.
'cause the copy already set thatexpectation and communicated your value.
(21:58):
You know how to spot your rightfit clients and also how to
say no when it's not aligned.
Even networking feels more enjoyablebecause you finally have the words to
describe your work in a way that reallyclicks and resonates with people.
And of course those internalshifts lead to external results.
It's when you start hearing thingslike, I read your website and it
(22:19):
spoke to me, or your profile jumpedoff the page, and I just feel like
you get me, or I know someone I needto refer to you because now your copy
isn't just saying I'm a therapist,it's saying I'm the therapist for you.
I think there's also something that comesthat people don't always expect from
(22:39):
this, and that is the mental bandwidth,the relief, the fact that you don't have
to tweak your website every two weeks.
You're not agonizingover Instagram captions.
Not trying to convince peopleyou're worth your rate.
'cause the right people already seeit ' cause you're proud of this now.
(23:00):
This isn't just a marketing win, butit's a, it's a practice wide win.
Practice changing, career shiftingwhen we finally get the words right.
So again, this episode is for you.
If you have been showing up, posting,tweaking, trying, but still not getting
the results you want, it might not be yourvisibility, it probably isn't your fees.
(23:26):
It might not even be the strategy.
It might just be that your words aren'tdoing their job, because marketing
doesn't have to be about doing more.
It can be about doing better, clearer,more specific, more aligned, more you.
When your copy finally reflects thatmore aligned, more you more clear.
(23:52):
Everything starts to work better.
The consults feeling smoother, theright people reaching out, feeling
proud of how you're showing up.
That's what's possible here.
This is exactly what we do inside ofConfident Copy, where we help you write
a website and a Psych Today profilealong with a clear marketing roadmap
that doesn't just sound professionalbut actually works, communicates your
(24:18):
expertise, attracts and converts.
The kinds of clients you love workingwith, bringing your marketing into
alignment with the incredible workyou're already doing in the room.
So if this episode brought up thatlittle voice in your head, the one that
says, maybe it's time to revisit how I'mtalking about what I do, you're not wrong.
(24:42):
And when you get this part right,everything else can change.
Now, if you're listening to thisin real time, we are reopening
the Doors to Confident Copy nextmonth at a reduced price and with
some really great extra bonuses.
There's a little bit moreinformation as the episode ends here.
But head to walkerstrategy code.com/waitlist
to qualify for an extra discount and anextra bonus you won't find anywhere else.
(25:07):
I wanna see you get your wordsright, because I want to see your
strategies and the work you'reputting in actually turn into results.
I want you hearing from people thatthey read your website and it spoke
to them that they're already readyto work with you, that they're
excited to refer people to you.
That is possible, and thatstarts with your words.
(25:27):
I hope this one was helpful for youtoday, has got your gears turning again.
Head to walker strategy co.com/waitlist
If you're interested injoining us in Confident copy.
But if nothing else, pleaseknow I'm cheering for you.
You can do this and I'llsee you in the next episode.
Hey y'all.
Welcome back to MarketingTherapy episode 20.
I heard that if you make it to 20 podcastepisodes, you are gonna keep going.
Most people quit before 20, so buckle up.
We're, we're in this for the long haul.
Um, I'm excited about today's episode.
I wanna talk about something that Isee so many therapists overlooking in
their marketing, and it makes a lotof sense why we're gonna look at that.
(00:24):
When therapists decide they want to filltheir caseload, they're like, all right,
I'm gonna do this private practice thing.
I'm gonna commit, I'm gonna do the things.
Then their focus usually goesstraight to strategy, right?
Tactics, SEO, Google Ads, networking,Instagram, TikTok, whatever that might be.
Psychology Today.
(00:44):
None of those instincts are wrong.
Of course, we need thosetactics and strategies, right?
But what I've seen.
After working with thousands oftherapists at this point is that so
often they do the things and stilldon't get the results they want.
That's when I know that this isn't avisibility problem for that therapist.
(01:08):
It's a language problem because everythingyou're trying to do to grow your
practice ads, blog posts, networking.
Depends on what you are sayingand how you are saying it.
So that's the thing that I see way toomany therapists skipping right on past.
(01:30):
There words, and if your wordsaren't working, if they are vague,
if they're generic, if they're outof sync with how you actually show
up, then let me tell you, no tacticor strategy is gonna fix that.
So in this episode, I wanna dig intowhy the words you use matter more than
(01:50):
you probably think, and how getting themright can really start to change the
results you're seeing from your marketing.
So what do I mean when I sayeverything you're trying?
Depends on your words.
Because I really dohear this all the time.
Therapists come to me saying,Anna, I'm doing all the things.
(02:10):
I have a website.
I created an Instagram account.
I even went to a networking event.
I hated it, but I went to it last month.
I'm still not getting thekinds of clients I want.
And here's what I tell them.
It's not that you're not showing up,of course, it's not that you're not
trying, it is that your language,the words you're using to describe
(02:32):
what you do and who you help, aren'tdoing the job they need to do.
All right.
I wanna actually break thisdown strategy by strategy.
So the most common tactics orstrategies therapists think they
need in order to get clients andwhat's actually underneath them.
So, SEO, we've all heard it, the bigthree letters, search engine optimization.
(02:55):
This is how you getclients through Google.
And people often think of SEO asthis very kind of techie behind the
scenes thing, and in some ways it is.
But at the end of the day, youknow what it's about language.
Google more than ever is scanningyour website and trying to figure out
what it's about based on your words.
(03:16):
How authoritative are you?
How much expertise do youhave in this specialty?
Are you trustworthy?
Do you know enough toactually be rankable?
Not just the headlines you're using, notjust the little places you plug in a quote
unquote keyword, but the actual phrasesyou are using to talk about your work.
What's interesting with the onsetof ai, and you may have heard of
(03:37):
clinicians getting clients throughchat, GBT and things like that,
chat, GBT is even more so lookingat how you talk on your website.
So if how you talk is vague or fullof feel good generalities like.
I create a safe space or a laundry listof specialties or things that you treat.
(04:00):
Google has no idea what to dowith that, and neither does any
AI model, and more importantly,neither does your ideal client.
So even SEO is about words,
Google ads.
Maybe I'll just run out andspend some money on Google ads.
Great.
Same thing.
(04:21):
When it comes to Google Ads, youare literally paying money to put
a small block of copy in front ofpotential clients and then invite
them to read more copy on your websitein order to decide if you're the
therapist that they're looking for.
So if the words in that ad and the wordson that website don't resonate, if they
don't grab attention or create connectionor really speak to the specific need that
(04:46):
has led that person to type in that query.
Into Google in the firstplace, then you're literally
throwing money into the void.
You're flushing it down the toiletads don't work if you don't have the
words right, Instagram, social media.
Okay.
Powerful strategy when done, right?
(05:06):
Absolutely.
Great tactic.
It is easy to assume.
Social media is mostly visual, right?
Especially Instagram, but even TikTok.
Things like that.
And design matters, no doubt about it, butit's your caption, your story, your voice
that's ultimately building connection.
I've seen therapists with beautifullybranded Instagrams, I'm talking stunning
(05:30):
aesthetically, who are still notgetting inquiries because their content
isn't really saying anything real.
No one's reading it andthinking, oh, this is for me.
And again, that comes back to language.
What about networking?
Networking is, as I consider it, anabsolute non-negotiable when it comes
(05:51):
to getting clients, particularlyfull fee clients in this market.
And that can feel like it's all dependenton how professional you are or who you
know, or how well connected you are.
And again, all those things influence it,but even in face-to-face conversations,
one-on-one coffee chats with othertherapists, it's the same problem.
What do you say when someoneasks you what you do?
(06:15):
If your answer sounds like everyoneelse's, oh, I work with women with anxiety
or adults with relationship issues.
People don't mean to,but they tune you out.
They don't remember you, and if they don'tremember you, they can't refer to you.
Not because you're not skilled, notbecause you're an introvert, not
because they don't like you, but becauseyou haven't said anything distinct.
(06:40):
Even those referrals rely on your work.
And that surprises a lot of people.
A lot of times they'll think ofreferrals as kind of automatic.
I'm good at what I do, I share it.
I get clients.
The only way that system works is ifpeople understand what you do, and
it's your job to communicate that.
(07:02):
If your referral partners can't clearlyarticulate who you help and why you're the
go-to for that population or the personthey're thinking of sending your way.
Then they're not gonna be able tosend the right people your way, or
they'll send clients your way thatare totally misaligned and not the
right fit, which is just a drainingexperience for everyone involved.
(07:23):
Right?
Even networking is about your words.
So that's the pattern that I see.
Therapists show up, they try quoteunquote, all the things, the number of
times I've heard that, all the things.
And then when it doesn't work, they blame.
The tactic.
Well, Instagram doesn't work.
SEO isn't for me.
(07:44):
It's too hard to rank on Google, I guess.
No one's using psych today these days.
But the truth is, if your words aren'tworking, your strategies won't either.
Whether you're writing an email orposting on social or updating your
website, introducing yourself ata lunch and learn whatever you're
doing, your results are only asstrong as the language you're using.
(08:09):
So this is where I wanna pauseand say something directly to you.
If you are sitting here listeningand have been putting in effort
to your marketing, good on you.
That is huge.
Not every therapist does that.
Some therapists expect thisto happen on autopilot.
But if you have been puttingin effort, congratulations.
Seriously, that's wonderful.
If you've shown up and postedand written and reached out.
(08:32):
Then you have started to build animportant muscle in your marketing.
But if you are still not gettingthe traction you want, then it's
probably not a strategy problem.
It's probably a language problem.
It's because the way you'redescribing your work isn't landing.
It's not connecting.
(08:54):
It's not clear or distinct or memorableenough for the right people to say,
this is what I've been looking for.
And that's where everything else can startto unravel because the words you use don't
just describe what you do, although ofcourse they do serve that purpose, but
they signal who you are as a therapist.
(09:17):
Language tells people who you workwith, whether or not you are for
them, whether or not you are safe.
And especially in private paywork, whether or not you are worth
the fee you charge, this isn'tactually about your worth, right?
You're worth the fee that you charge nomatter how good or bad your words are.
(09:39):
But people are assigningworth based on your words.
Clients are constantly scanning for clues.
Do I belong here?
Does this therapist get me?
Can I picture myself actually openingup to this person and sharing the
things I've never said out loud?
And here's what a lot oftherapists forget your marketing.
(10:04):
It's the first session.
It's when clients are alreadystarting to make meaning.
They're on your website, your PTprofile, your social media, and
they're reading between the lines.
Just like they do in the therapy room,they're making decisions based on what
you're saying and how you're saying it.
(10:25):
So if your language is vague or feels likeit could belong to any other therapist in
your city, any of the other 10 plus tabsthey have open on their browser right now.
You're not just losing people,you are losing the right people,
the ones you actually want to workwith and want to work with you.
(10:47):
I had a conversation about thisrecently with a group practice team.
Uh, they were trying to decide whetherto invest in copy design or both with
our done for you service, and I told themwe'd love to support you in both areas,
but if you are deciding on one or theother, copy is king, and design is queen.
Design matters when it comes toyour website, probably more than
(11:09):
ever, but I will always standby this, that it is your words.
That ultimately determine whetheror not someone reaches out to you.
And one of the clinicians on thecall actually pushed back on that
a little bit, which I appreciated.
He said that he would'veargued the opposite.
And I get it because beautiful designbuilds trust, it matters, it does
(11:31):
provide signals to people aboutthe experience they can expect.
But you can have the most visuallystunning website in the whole wide world.
But if the copy doesn't speakto the client's experience.
If it doesn't help them see that youunderstand them and how you'll help
them with the problems they're facing.
They won't book a consult.
(11:52):
They will not book a consultbecause your website is beautiful.
They'll book a consult becauseyour copy connected with them.
They'll click away, not because you'renot good at what you do, not because
you can't serve them well, but becauseyour language didn't do its job.
But I've seen the reverse happen too.
(12:13):
A therapist we worked with had beenmarketing herself in a way that
was kind of soft and supportive.
Um, that was the tone we were using.
That was the feel of whatwe'd created for her.
But when we talked more about howshe was actually beginning to show
up in session and she'd reallyexperienced kind of an evolution as
a clinician, it was clear that herstyle these days was far more direct.
(12:35):
Practical, no.
BS telling it like it is, andher clients love her for that.
She had for so long been soundingquite gentle in her copy, but the
reality was it didn't reflect whatpeople could actually expect from her.
Her clients didn't need more handholding.
(12:56):
Her clients are responding tothat direct result, focused
style, and so we made some really.
Strategic changes to her copy to reflectwhat she was actually doing in the room.
We didn't make her moreintense than she was.
We just kind of stopped hiding it.
Right, and almost immediately she startedhearing this is exactly the type of
(13:16):
therapist I've been looking for, or I'veworked with other therapists before,
but no one described it quite like this.
That's the type of experience I want.
That's what happens when yourlanguage matches your work.
There's not that disconnect anymore.
You're not doing the over-explaining.
You're not trying to land theplane on a console, right?
(13:37):
Because clients are already alignedfrom the start, so it's a small shift.
Sometimes it can feel like my wordslike how could they really matter that
much, but it can change everything.
Usually the words aren't workingbecause they're just a little bit off.
Not usually because they're vastly wrong,but because they're too soft or too broad.
(13:58):
Too focused on the therapist insteadof the client too afraid to say
what actually makes you different.
But when you get the words right, itcan be like flipping a switch because
suddenly the same strategy you'vebeen using, those tactics that you
have been building the muscle aroundyou website, your networking, your
directory profiles, your social media,it starts working because now your words
(14:23):
are actually doing the heavy lifting.
They should be.
They're showing people who you are,how you help, if you're the right fit,
why it matters, how to take action.
That's the power of language.
What happens if you're sitting here rightnow and your words don't match your work?
It's where I see a lot of reallyskilled therapists get stuck.
(14:45):
I mean, really skilled.
All the trainings, all thebackground still get stuck here.
They're doing powerful and nuanced,transformational work in the room, but
the way they show up in their marketing isgeneric and safe, boring, overly buttoned
up, and what that creates, whetherthey realize it or not, is friction.
(15:08):
Clients come in expecting onething based on the website and
get something totally different inthe consult or the intake session.
The therapists find themselvesover explaining or trying to course
correct doing that, landing theplane in real time or worse, clients
don't reach out at all because thelanguage didn't give them a reason to.
(15:32):
So sometimes clinicians don't realizeit's happening, but sometimes they
do know that there's a mismatch.
They can kind of feel it.
I'll hear things like, my websitedoesn't really sound like me.
Or I feel like I have toexplain what I really do once
I'm on the phone with people.
Sometimes this comes becausethey've tried to reverse engineer
what they've seen other people do.
(15:53):
Filled in templates, borrowed phrases,dropped a prompt or two into chat.
GBT tried to quote, unquote, soundlike a therapist, and in the process
they've lost the actual voice of theirwork and that has real consequences.
More of that friction in consults,more wrong fit inquiries, less
confidence in how they show up.
(16:16):
And this one's important, a lack ofconnection with their own marketing.
'cause when your website doesn'tsound like you, when your Psyched
Today profile could belong toliterally any other therapist in
your zip code, it's really hard tofeel good about sending people there.
Am I right?
And I get it.
And I think what's actuallyhappening here, this disconnect
(16:40):
is often rooted in fear.
Fear of being too specific or sayingthe wrong thing of standing out, of
being visible, of excluding people.
A very common one that I hear, Ihear this, especially when we start
working on writing the about page inConfident Copy, we have a specific
framework for each of the pages onthe website and the about page when
(17:01):
you come up against having to write.
What it is that you do, why youdo it well, why clients trust you.
There's some serious momentsof self-exploration and
discovery required, right?
When a therapist has to get reallyhonest about why they're good at what
they do and what makes them differentand what they wanna be known for.
(17:23):
'cause a lot of the time theyhaven't done that before.
It's hard to put that into words.
It's often quite uncomfortable.
And so it's no wonder that the copycan end up vague or watered down
'cause that fear is showing up.
Right?
And now with the rise of AI and fillin the blank templates, it's easier
than ever to default to languagethat looks polished, but doesn't
(17:48):
actually say anything meaningful.
And I love ai.
I think it's a powerful tool in many ways,but it is the huge culprit of this issue.
It looks good, but it doesn't say much
Safe copy will not make you stand out.
In fact, it might make you forgettablebecause your clients right now are
(18:09):
wading through a sea of sameness.
They're waiting throughcountless websites.
Where someone slaps something into chatGBT or threw together a fill in the
blank template or reverse engineered whatthey think worked on another website,
and it all starts to feel the same.
The only way we break out of that is ifyour words reflect you, what you bring
(18:34):
to the table, what you do differently.
Otherwise you just blend in.
Let me give you an example of this.
Earlier this year, weworked with a therapist.
Who honestly is one of the mostmagnetic personalities of, of any
of the clients that we've served.
And we've served many.
She's really bold, she's expressive.
She swears in session her clientsget results from their work together.
(18:58):
And of course, the clients that loveher, love that about her, right?
Her website, when shechose to work with us, was.
Flat and generic and outdated, andso stripped down and sanitized that I
honestly wouldn't have recognized her.
The person I met on our first callversus what I saw on the website,
(19:21):
completely different, wildly different.
It read like any other therapistsite and not in a good way.
So we threw it out.
With all due respect, started Fresh.
Wrote a site that actually sounded likeher, that brought that personality forth.
We used the language her clients werealready using to describe their experience
to her with neurodivergence and trauma.
(19:44):
We made sure people knew exactly whoshe best worked with and why that work
mattered, what they could expect from it.
Within a month, she had four newclients, one of them being her first
private pay client ever, and everysingle one of them mentioned her
website to her on the console call.
Yeah.
Not because we invented something newor manufactured something, but because
(20:07):
we finally brought her to life in hermarketing, that's what happens when
your words finally reflect who you are.
You get to stop over explaining.
You stop attracting the wrong people,and you start hearing, I felt like
you were talking directly to me.
It's when marketing canstart to feel easier.
(20:29):
And aligned and natural anda whole lot more effective.
When your copy sounds like you, whenit clearly communicates what you do
and who you help, and how you helpthem, when it reflects the real version
of your expertise authentically, notjust some polished or professional
one, everything's gonna get easier.
(20:53):
I hear things like consult calls, feelingmore natural, 'cause clients kind of
already have a sense of what you're like.
Not having to sell them or overexplain'cause they're already on board.
Referrals getting strongerbecause your colleagues finally
understand who to send your way.
You are memorable.
But above all, the best thing Ihear when these changes are made is
(21:14):
the confidence that comes with it.
And I know confidence isn't necessarilywhat you set out to find, right?
You want clients, I get it.
You want a full caseload, you wannastop second guessing your entire
marketing strategy every day the week.
But I've seen again and again thatconfidence is the thing that makes
all of those things possible.
It comes first.
(21:34):
It precedes the clients and thecaseload confidence in your voice, in
your expertise, in your ability to saywhat makes you good at what you do.
That confidence shows up everywhere.
Because you actually want tosend people to your website.
You're proud of it.
You don't hesitate to say what you charge.
'cause the copy already set thatexpectation and communicated your value.
(21:58):
You know how to spot your rightfit clients and also how to
say no when it's not aligned.
Even networking feels more enjoyablebecause you finally have the words to
describe your work in a way that reallyclicks and resonates with people.
And of course those internalshifts lead to external results.
It's when you start hearing thingslike, I read your website and it
(22:19):
spoke to me, or your profile jumpedoff the page, and I just feel like
you get me, or I know someone I needto refer to you because now your copy
isn't just saying I'm a therapist,it's saying I'm the therapist for you.
I think there's also something that comesthat people don't always expect from
(22:39):
this, and that is the mental bandwidth,the relief, the fact that you don't have
to tweak your website every two weeks.
You're not agonizingover Instagram captions.
Not trying to convince peopleyou're worth your rate.
'cause the right people already seeit ' cause you're proud of this now.
(23:00):
This isn't just a marketing win, butit's a, it's a practice wide win.
Practice changing, career shiftingwhen we finally get the words right.
So again, this episode is for you.
If you have been showing up, posting,tweaking, trying, but still not getting
the results you want, it might not be yourvisibility, it probably isn't your fees.
(23:26):
It might not even be the strategy.
It might just be that your words aren'tdoing their job, because marketing
doesn't have to be about doing more.
It can be about doing better, clearer,more specific, more aligned, more you.
When your copy finally reflects thatmore aligned, more you more clear.
(23:52):
Everything starts to work better.
The consults feeling smoother, theright people reaching out, feeling
proud of how you're showing up.
That's what's possible here.
This is exactly what we do inside ofConfident Copy, where we help you write
a website and a Psych Today profilealong with a clear marketing roadmap
that doesn't just sound professionalbut actually works, communicates your
(24:18):
expertise, attracts and converts.
The kinds of clients you love workingwith, bringing your marketing into
alignment with the incredible workyou're already doing in the room.
So if this episode brought up thatlittle voice in your head, the one that
says, maybe it's time to revisit how I'mtalking about what I do, you're not wrong.
(24:42):
And when you get this part right,everything else can change.
Now, if you're listening to thisin real time, we are reopening
the Doors to Confident Copy nextmonth at a reduced price and with
some really great extra bonuses.
There's a little bit moreinformation as the episode ends here.
But head to walkerstrategy code.com/waitlist
to qualify for an extra discount and anextra bonus you won't find anywhere else.
(25:07):
I wanna see you get your wordsright, because I want to see your
strategies and the work you'reputting in actually turn into results.
I want you hearing from people thatthey read your website and it spoke
to them that they're already readyto work with you, that they're
excited to refer people to you.
That is possible, and thatstarts with your words.
(25:27):
I hope this one was helpful for youtoday, has got your gears turning again.
Head to walker strategy co.com/waitlist
If you're interested injoining us in Confident copy.
But if nothing else, pleaseknow I'm cheering for you.
You can do this and I'llsee you in the next episode.
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