Marketing for Therapists: 50+ Ideas
Marketing for therapists can be complicated, and too much information can be overwhelming.
That's why this post is not a masterclass in marketing for psychotherapists—it's a blog post filled with 50+ marketing ideas for therapists that you can try one at a time to see what you like (and what works for your private practice!).
I've broken down the larger marketing strategies (branding, social media marketing, press opportunities, advertising, content marketing, email marketing, SEO, networking/referrals, therapist directories, and websites) into bite-sized action items that you can start doing today.
I've also sorted them by beginner, intermediate, and advanced so you can select a mental health marketing strategy that's best for your phase of private practice.
And if we haven't met yet, hi—I'm Kristie Plantinga, the founder of TherapieSEO, an SEO and content marketing agency for therapists. I've worked on marketing for therapists with hundreds of private practices, and I'm here to provide some clear cut guidance and explain simple strategies that work.
Main marketing strategies for therapists
Before we get into the marketing tips, let me explain the main overarching strategies in the marketing world.
Branding
Branding is the creation and maintenance of all the assets and character associated with your brand.
There are a wide range of branding efforts, but branding work is typically things like defining your voice, creating a logo, and picking a color scheme.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is marketing that's done on social media channels like Instagram and TikTok.
Press opportunities
When you are mentioned on a news site, blog, podcast, or another public-facing media outlet, that is a press opportunity.
Advertising
Advertising is paying to have your company in front of an audience. Advertising can be anything from Google Ads to billboards.
Content marketing
Content marketing is strategically creating pieces of content for your client or customer across their buying journey.
For example, the first piece of content that potential clients could be exposed to is a blog post you wrote about "do I need therapy?" The last piece of content could be your FAQs page that explains your prices.
Email marketing for therapists
To do email marketing, you send promotional (which can be informational!) content to a list of subscribers over email.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher for keywords that you want to show up for, like "anxiety therapist."
Networking
Networking is connecting with other businesses to increase your referral sources.
Therapist directories
Therapist directories are websites that you pay to be listed on. The hope is that you are then seen by users of the site and have them inquire about your services.
Websites
Your website is your #1 digital marketing asset. It's foundational for most of the marketing for therapists ideas I'll explain here.
Let's dive in!
Beginner marketing ideas for therapists
Here are my top beginner marketing strategies for therapists.
These marketing ideas are perfect for therapists with low budgets and a basic understanding of marketing.
Choose a website platform
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Having a website for your therapy practice is a must.
Web design for therapists can be highly strategic (and complicated!), but you can keep this process as simple as you need it to be.
To get started, choose a platform to build your website on. I recommend Squarespace.
Buy your name domain
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Your domain is your website's URL name. For example, mine is therapieseo.com.
Although I recommend choosing the domain name that matches your practice name, this isn't always possible. Sometimes, you may share your practice name with another business and the domain will be gone.
Regardless of what's available, I suggest buying your personal name domain (i.e., kristieplantinga.com) if available and your business name. If the .com version isn't available, consider another extension like .co.
Suggested reading
Complete an ideal client avatar
CATEGORY: BRANDING
Honing in on your ideal client is crucial to building a sustainable private practice. You started your own business to enjoy your work and life, so you should absolutely be picky about the people you want to work with!
There are many ways to complete an ideal client avatar, or an ICA. As with many marketing strategies, you can go as complex or simple as you like. To get started, I recommend asking the following questions about your ideal clients.
How old are they?
What is their gender?
Are they a specific race, ethnicity, or religion, or do they come from a specific background?
What's their education level, job, and income level?
What motivates and inspires them?
What do they value? What are they passionate about?
What are their hobbies and interests?
What sorts of things do they discuss in therapy? In the marketing world, we call these pain points. List as many as possible (and be specific!).
You can shape all of your marketing materials around this profile of your ideal client. If it helps, you can even give this fictional ideal client a name and use them as your true north when making decisions about your marketing for therapists.
Write your homepage
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
The key to creating your professional website on your own is to break it down into smaller chunks.
Don't plan on creating your website in one day! First, start with one piece of content: your homepage. Include the following sections: banner/intro text, a message to your clients (touch on the pain points you listed in your ideal client avatar), a brief bio, FAQs, and a link to schedule a free consultation. Aim for 750 words.
Write your about page
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Next up, write a 250-500 word page about you—your story, your credentials, and why you work with who you do. Make the content about you, but remember that everything you write should relate back to your client.
Sign up for an EHR/EMR platform
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Make it easy for prospective clients to get in touch with you. In lieu of a contact page, link to your EHR/EMR platform (like SimplePractice). Finding a therapist can be a very frustrating experience, so remove one barrier to finding care by making it easy for clients to get in touch with you.
Host a get together
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Instead of a generic networking event, host an intimate get together with other mental health professionals at your home or office. Provide snacks and drinks, and invite other professionals with whom you can form strategic business relationships with that are beneficial on both sides.
But keep in mind that the goal of networking is to build relationships, not get something from the other person. I'm a specialist in digital marketing (not networking), but I know that building a strong relationship is the foundation to any business partnership.
Do some basic keyword research
CATEGORY: SEO
Keyword research is the first step in search engine optimization.
Doing keyword research to find search terms that your clients use can be complicated, but to keep things simple, I recommend installing the Surfer SEO chrome extension, typing "psychotherapist in [city name here]," and then adding the suggested keywords onto your homepage.
Take semi-professional headshots
CATEGORY: BRANDING
You can get a lot done with an iPhone! Although professional headshots are worth every cent, as a small business owner, this can be a great way to save some money as you get things off the ground.
Grab a friend, watch a few YouTube videos on ideal camera settings for professional photography like the one below, and try it out!
After you have a few photos to work with, you can upload them to Canva to crop and edit more.
Browse design websites
CATEGORY: BRANDING
I love land-book.com. It's my go-to site for web design inspiration.
Browse through designs to get a sense of what you're drawn to, and keep track of the websites. When you want to make your website, you'll already have a color palette to draw from!
If you want to keep tracks of the exact colors that a website uses, install a free browser extension like Eye Dropper. Eye Dropper let's you hover over colors on a website and get the exact HEX code for that color. You can paste that HEX code into Canva, your website, and many other design tools!
Claim your social media handles
CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA
Even if you don't plan on doing social media marketing, I still recommend claiming your handles on the major social media platforms. That way, if you ever do start using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, you have the account name to match your business.
Just like your domain name, other private practices may have the same name as you. If you need to, get creative when spelling handles (as long as they're easy to spell; use underlines if you need to).
Ask an established practice owner out to a coffee date
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Take an established practice owner (who has a practice that you aspire to) on a coffee date either virtually or in-person.
Not only will you receive great advice that can save you headaches in the long run, but the other practice owner could start referring potential clients to you. It's a win-win!
Write a blog post
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Depending on your goals for your private practice, blogging on your therapy website can be a great marketing strategy.
Blogging can be highly strategic, but sometimes, it's a good thing just to get started :)
Head to https://answerthepublic.com/, type in an overarching topic like "sleep" or "anxiety," and pick a topic from the results that you think potential clients would appreciate.
Before writing, I recommend putting together a quick outline of what you'd like to talk about.
Suggested reading
Follow inspiring Instagram accounts
CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA
You don't have to post anything to be involved in social media marketing!
Instead, follow accounts of other therapists or business coaches with a great social media presence. Many accounts give a ton of free advice on a daily basis, so you can learn from them and observe what types of things to post for your own potential clients.
I recommend following these Instagram accounts to get started.
Find a mentor
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Getting a mentor or business coach is one of the quickest ways to make progress in your private practice.
Not only do you get proven marketing strategies and business advice from another individual who's been where you are now, you get to avoid common mistakes and mindset blocks that could slow your private practice growth.
Listen to podcasts
CATEGORY: CONTENT MARKETING
If you've ever dreamed of having your own mental health podcast one day, start listening to other podcasts! Get inspired by their content and guests, so you can start planning episodes and working towards having a podcast of your own.
You can also listen to private practice podcasts for tons of advice on marketing for therapists.
I recommend following these private practice podcasts to get started.
Sign up for therapy directories
CATEGORY: DIRECTORIES
Directories are certainly the easiest way to get in front of ideal clients.
You have a TON of options, but they range in quality and cost.
Suggested reading
Optimize your directory profile
CATEGORY: DIRECTORIES
Not all directory profiles are created equally!
If your profile copy is generic or not client-centered, you won't receive inquiries from the directories. New clients want to know about you, but they more want to know how you can help them. Try a few different versions to see which ones lead to more clients.
Want us to write your directory profile for you? Get a copy of our Investment Guide for more information.
Share your directory profile
CATEGORY: DIRECTORIES
A little feedback never hurt anybody! After you optimize your directory profile (or pay someone to write it for you), send it to a trusted peer to get their take. Minor improvements can make a big different.
Sign up for an email marketing platform
CATEGORY: CONTENT MARKETING
An email list is a major asset in your business. You can have a list of referrals, clients, and customers for courses, coaching, or digital products!
Email marketing for therapists can get complicated, but to get started, I recommend signing up for an email marketing platform like ConvertKit or Flodesk. Make a basic "sign up for my newsletter!" form, and take care of the rest when you're more established.
DM other therapists on Instagram
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Make friends online! DM other therapists that you respect on Instagram and set up video chats with them. Slowly and authentically building your network leads to the best results.
Send gifts
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Anytime someone refers a client to you, send a gift. This can be an Amazon gift card, hand written note, thoughtful present (I like to use Goody), or some kind of gift basket.
Reward your referral network for sending people you way! They'll be sure to refer a potential client your way again soon.
Note that sending actual cash to your referral sources is ethically gray territory. That’s why I recommend gifting!
Get listed on Google Business
CATEGORY: SEO
Your Google Business profile is one of the most valuable assets in your business and is crucial to any local marketing efforts.
Google Business is free, and it's one of the few places on search engines that therapist directories can't show up—only local businesses can be on Google Business.
You'll need an office or mailing address to create a listing on Google Business, but it's 100% worth it.
Want to learn all you need to know to start getting clients on Google Business? Take my course Google My Business Bootcamp.
Add a category to your Google Business listing
CATEGORY: SEO
Woohoo! Now that your Google Business is set up, you can start some basic optimizations to start gaining traction.
Add a primary category to your Google Business listing. This is one of the top ranking factors for the Google Business algorithm.
Add insurance to your Google Business listing
CATEGORY: SEO
If you are in network for insurance companies, add all the insurance panels you work directly with to your Google Business. You'll come up for way more searches that way!
Make a logo on Canva
CATEGORY: BRANDING
Logos don't have to be fancy! Create a logo in Canva.
Add a graphic element or two, customize the colors, and add your practice name.
Is it perfect? Probably not. Does it work at this phase of your private practice? You bet :)
Join Facebook groups
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Many therapists find referral sources through private practice Facebook groups. Join a few to learn something new, make some friends, and potentially get some new clients.
Try a few of the Facebook groups below.
Intermediate marketing ideas for therapists
At this point in your private practice, you have a few clients, a basic website set up, and the foundations in place. Now you want to grow your practice, expand your reach, increase your income, and establish yourself in your virtual and local community.
Try a few of these marketing strategies to take your private practice to the next level.
DIY or outsource search engine optimization
CATEGORY: SEO
SEO for therapists (https://www.therapieseo.com/services/seo-for-therapists) is our speciality. It's the equivalent of always ranking on page one of Psychology Today, and it future proofs your private practice for years to come.
You can choose to DIY your SEO with SEO coaching (https://www.therapieseo.com/services/optimize-your-practice), or you can hire a company like ours to handle it for you (request an Investment Guide to learn more).
Plan out your content
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
Helpful content on your website helps convert prospective clients. It also can bring in clients from Google if your content is optimized for keywords.
By planning out the pieces of website content you want to create based on keyword research, you set a strategic agenda in place. This removes any guesswork and helps you remove additional planning that takes up precious time and mental energy.
Invest in branding
CATEGORY: BRANDING
If you're ready to level up your marketing for therapists to something more professional, consider investing in branding.
You can pay a graphic/website design agency to pick out colors and fonts for you, and they can create a logo for your as well. Once your brand guidelines are set, you can implement the style everywhere so your brand is cohesive across all of your marketing materials.
Invest in professional photography
CATEGORY: BRANDING
In my opinion, professional photography is one of the best investments that you can make into your therapy business.
Not only does it take your website to the next level, it:
Provides marketing materials for years,
Helps creates a seamless brand experience, and
Makes you seem professional (i.e. trustworthy).
Find a local photographer by a Google or through hashtags on Instagram.
Pitch yourself to podcasts
CATEGORY: PRESS OPPORTUNITIES
Being a guest on a podcast is great exposure to potential clients, plus, it's a great press opportunity.
Any speaking or podcast opportunity you land can be added to a logo wall on your website, which is a banner of logos that show where you've presented or been quoted. It looks great to potential clients!
More often than not, podcast hosts will link to your website from the places where they host their podcast (think Amazon, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.). These links are valuable for search engine optimization—they show Google that other people trust your expertise. In return, Google will trust you more and rank you higher for keywords.
Write an ebook
CATEGORY: CONTENT MARKETING
Ebooks are great marketing materials. They're an opportunity to educate potential clients on mental health issues, and they can be used as a lead magnet.
Lead magnets are free resources that you give prospective clients in exchange for their email address. You can attach your lead magnet to a form in your email marketing platform to start proactively growing your email list.
Hire a virtual assistant
CATEGORY: ALL
Getting help with your marketing for therapists is a big and important step. You'll need assistance as you grow your online presence, because there are a lot of things to do and keep track of!
Hiring a virtual assistant is an affordable way to share the load. Note that virtual assistants are rarely marketing strategists, so you need to be confident in delegating tasks to them. No employee or contractor can read your mind!
Write a welcome email marketing sequence
CATEGORY: EMAIL MARKETING
When people sign up for your newsletter or download your lead magnet, it's best practice to send a short series of emails to welcome the subscriber to your world. This is called a welcome sequence.
A welcome sequence doesn't have to be anything fancy. I recommend sending three to five emails over a period of five to 14 days. Introduce yourself, explain who you help, share some helpful mental health resources, and invite them to take the next step with you. That next step could be scheduling a consultation, subscribing to your podcast, purchasing your course, or something else entirely.
Welcome sequences build rapport with subscribers. Engaged subscribers are far more likely to convert down the line!
Attend a conference
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Conferences aren't just a fun business write off! They're also a great way to meet likeminded therapists to grow your network and learn a thing or two.
Write for another website
CATEGORY: SEO
This is called guest blogging.
You create content, post it on another site, and then you get to link back to your site. These are called backlinks, and they're super important for SEO.
Backlinks are like Google's form of social proof—the more high quality websites that link to you, the more Google will trust your site!
Suggested reading
Try a Google Ads campaign
CATEGORY: ADVERTISING
Google Ads are a form of advertising that takes place on Google (and other websites depending on the type of campaign that you set up).
You can create a campaign on the Google Ads platform to show up for certain keywords that you want to rank for (like "hyponotherapist near me"), and then you get charged when someone clicks on your ad. This type of advertising is called pay-per-click, which is often abbreviated as PPC.
Note that I don't recommend running a Google Ads campaign on you're own. It's a highly complicated form of marketing, and Google sets up the dashboard in a way that makes it easy to blow your advertising budget quickly (without getting quality leads).
Write service/specialty pages
CATEGORY: WEBSITE & SEO
After you have your homepage, about page, and contact page set up, start building out pages specific to each of your services or specialties. For example, you might offer EMDR, couples therapy, anxiety therapy for individuals, and burnout therapy for individuals.
Create informational pages for each of these niches. If you're feeling up for the challenge, you can also optimize the pages for keywords. That will help you show up on Google for those specialties!
Sign up for HARO
CATEGORY: PRESS OPPORTUNITIES
HARO, or Help a Report Out, is a free service that connects journalists with potential sources for their articles.
You sign up for the service and get a list of queries from journalists asking for quotes on all sorts of topics. You answer their query by email, and potentially get listed in highly authoritative publications like Fortune and New York Times.
It's great for SEO, and you can put logos from these publications on your website in a logo wall to boost your credibility.
Optimize your Google Business listing
CATEGORY: SEO
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a Google Business profile is likely the most undervalued asset in your business.
Spend the time to optimize your listing for ranking on Google Maps and conversions!
Optimize your social media profiles
CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA
Update your social media bios to explain who you help, and then decide on what step you want your followers to take on your bio.
In some cases, this might be a link-in-bio situation (think Link Tree, although platforms like Squarespace offer excellent native solutions) or maybe a link to your latest offer or your EMR/EHR scheduling link.
Advanced
If you're feeling established in your practice, it might by time to try some of these more advanced marketing strategies for therapists.
These marketing strategies help you open up revenue-generating activities beyond on therapy, like coaching or products.
Make a coaching website
CATEGORY: WEBSITE
You've already filled your therapy practice, so why not start a new business venture? Mental health professionals make great coaches.
For legal reasons, some therapists separate their coaching and therapy sites. But other therapists add coaching to their existing websites.
I'm no lawyer, so I would discuss the best legal approach for your coaching website with yours!
Sell a course
CATEGORY: CONTENT MARKETING
Do you feel yourself explaining the same thing over and over again in session? Make an online course!
You can monetize this to the masses, but buckle up: it takes a lot of work to market a course. Selling an online course is often marketed as "passive" income, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
So before making a course, don't plan on getting sales from random site visitors. You have to establish your credibility and build a relationship with customers before they'll buy anything from you, even if it's less than $100.
If you want to generate additional income from your course, I've seen therapists require potential clients take their course before working with them to lay clinical groundwork.
Hire a marketing agency
CATEGORY: ALL
Outsource some or all of your marketing efforts to professionals.
This can free up your time to focus on the work that only you can do. In most cases, this is the most valuable use of your time in terms of revenue and leaving your legacy. So if you have the resources, take this idea into consideration!
Invest in email marketing
CATEGORY: EMAIL MARKETING
Take advantage of this extremely effective marketing channel by hiring experts to help you craft email sequences and setting up the backend of your email marketing platform.
Email marketing is essential if you want to sell products (digital or otherwise).
Speak at a conference
CATEGORY: PRESS OPPORTUNITIES
You've been an attendee... so what about being a speaker?
Pitch yourself as a speaker, or develop enough of a reputation as a subject matter expert to get your presence requested.
Coach other therapists
CATEGORY: NETWORKING
Are you proud of what you've built? Do you want to help other therapists experience similar success?
Consider coaching other therapists on how to build their practices. You can make some extra money and share your success with others.
Donate your profits
CATEGORY: PRESS OPPORTUNITIES
Donating a percentage of your profits is a good thing to do generally, but sharing it on your website is good for your brand.
Choose a cause that you're passionate about, and you'll attract clients with similar values.
Create an online community
CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA
Create a free or paid membership community!
Use a Facebook group or platform like Mighty Networks to offer exclusive content or access to you.
Community building is an excellent way to grow and nurture your audience. Remember that no company on earth can buy an audience—it's earned over time—and that's why it's so valuable.
Try Facebook or Instagram ads
CATEGORY: ADVERTISING
In my opinion, Facebook and Instagram advertising is best for non-therapy services. So if you have a product or course you want to sell, try these platforms' audience targeting. They're almost scarily targeted 😬 but highly effective.
If you choose to invest in Facebook and/or Instagram ads, make sure you have an effective email marketing strategy. It's highly unlikely that someone will buy something from you if they see your once (or even multiple times!).
Focus on establishing a relationship first with a free lead magnet, and then sell your offer later on.
Start a podcast
CATEGORY: CONTENT MARKETING
Give our current mental health crisis, everyone wants to hear from therapists! Add your voice to the mix by starting a podcast.
You can use the podcast for attracting new customers or clients, nurturing existing ones, or getting sponsors to make a little extra (or a lot!) cash on the side.
Invest in TikTok or Youtube
CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA
The internet is becoming more and more geared to video content. Consider future-proofing your online presence by investing in TikTok or YouTube.
For YouTube, you'll likely need to hire some production help (unless you're willing to learn yourself!). TikToks are much lower maintenance, but you'll need to pay closer attention to trending tracks and challenges. YouTube is about planning, and TikTok is about reacting.
Write a book
CATEGORY: PRESS OPPORTUNITIES
Writing a book won't necessarily generate a lot of revenue, but it can generate a lot of press!
Writing a book is a great way to open the door for speaking opportunities with more visibility, like Ted Talks or popular podcasts. It's a big undertaking, so I recommend working with a publishing expert on a marketing strategy and writing schedule so you get it done.
Which marketing strategy will you try?
I hope this list sparked a few ideas and a little inspiration for marketing your private practice.
Marketing can be a thorn in your side, but if you can find a strategy that you like and are committed to mastering, you'll very likely reap the rewards.
Happy marketing!
