Abundant Practice Podcast - Episode #659: Making Meh Marketing Better

Release Date: June 18, 2025
Host: Allison Puryear
Description: In this episode, Allison Puryear delves into effective marketing strategies tailored for therapists seeking to elevate their private practices. Through a detailed conversation with Shanna, a therapist navigating marketing challenges, the episode offers actionable insights to refine niche selection and enhance marketing efforts.

1. Introduction

Allison begins the episode by welcoming listeners and briefly discussing her passion for helping therapists build sustainable, joy-filled private practices. She emphasizes the availability of free resources and paid support through Abundance Practice Building.

2. Shanna’s Practice Overview

Timestamp: [03:03]

Shanna introduces herself as a therapist with nearly a year, specifically ten months, in private practice. She shares her background, including previous agency work with victims of crime, roles in schools as a high school counselor for alternative students, and managing a program for homeless students. This diverse experience has shaped her current practice focus.

Shanna:
"I really like to work with people and get them back into things that make them successful, part of their communities, doing what they need to do."
[03:07]

She handles a caseload of approximately 18 to 22 clients weekly, though she aspires to reduce this number. Her clients predominantly include adults experiencing work burnout and educators seeking renewed enthusiasm, as well as children dealing with anxiety and issues like school avoidance.

3. Identifying Marketing and Niche Challenges

Timestamp: [05:02]

Shanna expresses frustration with her current niche definition, feeling it's too vague:
"I work with people who are having problems that are getting in the way of school and work, which I know is not super formed."
[05:02]

Her marketing efforts currently involve general mental health quotes, which she believes are ineffective:
"I'd end up... posting stuff about like mental health quotes in general... just wasting your time, really."
[05:56]

Despite a full caseload driven by strong networking and local connections, Shanna feels her marketing lacks direction and impact.

4. Refining the Niche

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on refining Shanna’s niche to enhance her marketing effectiveness.

Timestamp: [06:24]

The coach advises that a strong, specific niche is crucial:
"The niche is going to be the very first piece to that. Because when you say like, you know, something's interfering with work or school, I'm like, well, yeah, that's the diagnostic criteria for literally everything in the DSM."
[06:24]

Shanna contemplates focusing on anxiety-related issues, both in children and adults, and how these impact their functionality.

5. Developing Targeted Marketing Strategies

Timestamp: [08:23]

The conversation shifts to actionable strategies for targeting her refined niche. The coach suggests creating specialized content that addresses the specific experiences and challenges faced by her diverse client groups.

Coach:
"You can talk about how like your kids with anxiety or your kids who are getting into trouble, so they can see their kids in it."
[08:23]

Shanna considers framing her niche around "terrified of school: anxiety and avoidance," which she has experimented with during recent trainings. The aim is to make her niche both specific and relatable to potential clients.

6. Enhancing Online Presence Through Social Media

Timestamp: [20:12]

Shanna acknowledges her limited engagement with social media, particularly video content:
"I don't like myself in videos."
[20:48]

The coach introduces the concept of "faceless reels," where content is valuable and engaging without featuring the therapist directly on camera. This approach can help Shanna maintain a presence on social media while overcoming discomfort with being on video.

Coach:
"Put a trending sound behind it. Write some really like, helpful, truly niched content on top of the photo and let it go for, like, a few seconds."
[23:10]

This strategy aims to increase Shanna’s visibility and attract a broader audience beyond her immediate network.

7. Building Confidence and Establishing Expertise

Timestamp: [17:47]

Shanna expresses a desire to be seen as an expert, particularly in working with parents and children dealing with anxiety:
"I like helping parents with kids. I feel a lot less capable maybe of being an expert in like the adult world."
[18:25]

The coach emphasizes the importance of positioning herself as an expert in her chosen niche, suggesting that specialization can enhance her reputation and attract the right clients.

Coach:
"If you want to get off insurance, you do have to pick a more specific niche. Like you would need to choose one of the three we've talked about and go hard on it."
[17:52]

Shanna considers further training in OCD to bolster her expertise, particularly for children, as a means to solidify her niche.

8. Actionable Steps and Conclusion

Timestamp: [26:56]

Before wrapping up, the coach provides Shanna with practical steps to implement her refined marketing strategy:

1. Create Specialized Content: Develop posts that reflect common themes and language used in therapy sessions.

2. Utilize Empathy: Address the emotional experiences of parents dealing with anxious children or problematic teenagers.

3. Leverage Comments: Use the comments section to delve deeper into topics introduced in reels, fostering engagement and providing additional value.

Shanna:
"I can play around with it a little bit. I think this will help to like really clear it up and get very specific."
[27:33]

The episode concludes with Allison encouraging listeners to utilize the provided strategies to overcome marketing ruts and build a more focused and effective private practice.

Notable Quotes

• Shanna on Niche Clarity:
  "I work with people who are having problems that are having in the way of school and work, which I know is not super formed."
  [05:02]

• Coach on Niche Importance:
  "The niche is going to be the very first piece to that. Because when you say like, you know, something's interfering with work or school, I'm like, well, yeah, that's the diagnostic criteria for literally everything in the DSM."
  [06:24]

• Shanna on Expertise:
  "I like helping parents with kids. I feel a lot less capable maybe of being an expert in like the adult world."
  [18:25]

• Coach on Faceless Reels:
  "Write some really really helpful, truly niched content on top of the photo and let it go for, like, a few seconds."
  [23:45]

Conclusion

In Episode #659, Allison Puryear effectively guides Shanna through the intricacies of defining a specific niche and leveraging targeted marketing strategies to overcome common challenges faced by therapists in private practice. By focusing on anxiety across different age groups and utilizing innovative social media techniques, Shanna can enhance her visibility and establish herself as an expert in her field. This episode serves as a valuable resource for therapists seeking to refine their marketing approaches and build a more impactful private practice.

Resources Mentioned:

• Abundance Practice Building: www.abundancepracticebuilding.com
• Free Private Practice Checklist and Worksheets: Available on the website
• Therapy Notes Promotion: Use promo code "Abundant" for two months free at therapynotes.com
• PowBox Email Compliance: Use code "abundant" for $250 off the first year at powbox.com