Episode #704: Instagram Strategy

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast Ep. 704: Instagram Strategy

Host: Allison Puryear
Guest: Chris
Date: November 12, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on developing an effective and authentic Instagram strategy for therapists—specifically those in private practice who want to reach ambitious professionals struggling with workplace anxiety and performance issues. Allison guides Chris, a therapist, through clarifying his niche and translating that clarity into Instagram content that resonates with his ideal client. The conversation is rich with practical advice, personal anecdotes, and actionable steps for therapists wanting to leverage Instagram without losing authenticity or succumbing to marketing overwhelm.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Niche Clarity and Messaging

Chris’s Challenge:

• Struggles with wording his niche during networking: “performance anxiety, but not the bedroom kind—the boardroom kind.”
• Concerns about being clear and specific enough, both in “real world” conversations and on Instagram.

Allison’s Reframe (04:29):

• "I want to challenge that because in my mind I'm never going to forget who you work with if you say it just like that.”
• The memorable phrasing helps people instantly understand who Chris helps.

Insight:

• It’s okay to use relatable language ("boardroom not bedroom")—it sticks.
• The authenticity in self-doubt often actually opens up dialogue (“tell me more” moments).

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2. Defining Content Pillars on Instagram (06:36–09:26)

• Chris wonders if having multiple “pillars” dilutes his focus—should he pick just one topic?
• Allison: Talk about “performance anxiety for professionals” as the umbrella. Related topics (panic, anxiety) naturally fit underneath.
• Chris personalizes his niche: recounts a formative panic attack during a job interview; Allison confirms this personal story adds resonance and relatability to his content.

Quote (09:01, Allison):
"You kind of hit the nail on the head when you said, I didn’t know it was a panic attack because your people might not either."

Actionable Takeaway:

• Let real experiences shape content; they likely mirror audience experiences and can clarify symptoms for prospects.

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3. Ideal Client Description & Bio Strategy (09:26–10:59)

• Chris wonders if he should specify certain job titles (lawyer, engineer), or if broader descriptors are sufficient.
• Allison: Keep it broad but give occasional, specific examples to add color.
• Update Instagram bio to mirror networking pitch: e.g., “Performance anxiety therapist for the boardroom (not the bedroom).”

Memorable Moment (10:59, Chris):
“My bio feels a little bit boring right now and I think that will spice it up in a good way.”

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4. Instagram Content Style & Authenticity (11:18–15:35)

• Chris dislikes following trends he finds inauthentic (“I hate trends. I think my people hate trends.” 11:18).
• His strengths: empathy, insight shifts/mindset reframes, hopeful/optimistic messages—problem-solution-success framework.
• Doesn't want to rely on endless carousels; wants storytelling and a mix of B-roll, talking head, and personal content (trips, life moments).

Allison’s Strategy (13:03):

• Blend educational and entertaining content; experiment to see what resonates most.
• Use carousels for storytelling to prevent them from feeling “boring.”

Quotes:

• Allison (13:08): “It depends on how it’s delivered... Is it education, entertaining, or how are you grabbing their attention and keeping it?”
• Chris (14:47): “At this point, carousels are being pushed... but I don’t want that to be my one bag of tricks.”

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5. Overcoming Instagram Overwhelm & Scheduling (15:59–19:09)

• Chris feels overwhelmed by the ever-changing platform and conflicting marketing advice (be specific vs. be relatable).
• Allison advises:
  • Batch content creation and scheduling—plan posts BEFORE opening the app.
  • Don’t chase the algorithm; create what feels aligned.
  • Don’t use Instagram for inspiration if it leads to distraction.
  • “Offer good solid entertainment and education.” (18:17)

Quote (18:17, Allison):
"I would know what you’re going to post before you open up the app... Don’t get ideas from social if it sucks you down a rabbit hole because it’s all gonna say different stuff anyway."

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6. Instagram Ads Strategy (20:14–22:56)

• Chris wants to run Instagram ads after building a consistent presence.
• Ad format: carousel with Chris’s face, specialties, and a call to action.
• Allison suggests making ad copy punchy with memorable niche phrasing:
  • “I work with professionals with performance anxiety—the boardroom kind, not the bedroom kind.”

Analyzing Past Ad Performance:

• Previous leads weren't ideal (seeking insurance, not professionals, etc.).
• New ad copy should attract self-paying professionals squarely in his target audience.

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• 04:29, Allison: “I want to challenge that because in my mind I'm never going to forget who you work with if you say it just like that.”
• 09:01, Allison: “Your people might not know it’s panic…if you frame it as performance anxiety, that’s language they understand.”
• 10:59, Chris: “My bio feels a little bit boring right now and I think that will spice it up in a good way.”
• 11:18, Chris: “I hate trends. I think my people hate trends. I can't stand hearing the same audio more than twice.”
• 13:08, Allison: “It depends on how it's delivered... Is it education? Is it entertaining?”
• 14:47, Chris: “Carousels are being pushed... but I don’t want that to be my only trick.”
• 18:17, Allison: “I would know what you’re going to post before you open up the app... Don’t get ideas from social if it sucks you down a rabbit hole.”
• 21:26, Allison: “Have it punchy...I work with professionals with performance anxiety—the boardroom kind, not the bedroom kind. That's going to get a lot more interest.”

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Action Items & Practical Steps

1. Clarify Your Niche Everywhere: Use memorable, specific language in networking, Instagram profile, and ads (“performance anxiety—the boardroom kind, not the bedroom kind”).
2. Content Pillars: Problem (empathy), mini-solutions (insights), and outcome (hope)—communicate these through stories, carousels, and relatable scenarios.
3. Content Types:
   • B-roll for emotional storytelling
   • Talking head videos for direct advice or encouragement
   • Carousels for education or life/photo dumps
   • Remix relevant leader/business content as needed
4. Batch and Schedule: Plan posts ahead; batch write and record; use tools to schedule for sustainability.
5. Refine Ads: Test specific, memorable messaging and tweak based on audience responses; aim for private-pay professionals.
6. Maintain Authenticity: Skip inauthentic, trendy content—do what feels aligned and resonates with your ideal clients.

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Final Thoughts

Allison and Chris’s conversation is a masterclass in practical, therapist-centered Instagram strategy—centered on clarity, authenticity, and audience resonance. The takeaways stress building a sustainable process, using memorable and precise language, and prioritizing connection over following fleeting trends. Whether therapist or small business owner, listeners will walk away with a toolkit for making Instagram a valuable, doable part of their marketing that honors who they (and their clients) truly are.

Transcript

[Chris]

Foreign.

[Alison]

Hi, welcome to the Abundant Practice Podcast. I'm Alison from Abundance Practice Building. I have a nearly diagnosable obsession with helping therapists build sustainable, joy filled private practices. Just like I've done for tens of thousands of therapists across the world. I'm excited to help you too. If you want to fill your practice with ideal clients, we have loads of free resources and paid support. Go to abundance practice building.com Links all right, onto the show. So I've talked about therapy notes on here for years. I could talk about the features and the benefits in my sleep. But there are a couple things I want you to know about therapy notes that doesn't typically make it into an ad script. First is that they actually care if.

[Podcast Host]

You like their platform.

[Alison]

They don't only make themselves available on the phone to troubleshoot so you don't pull your hair out when you get stuck. They also take member suggestions and implement those that there's client demand for. Like Therapy Search, an included listing service that helps clients find you internal and external secure messaging. Clinical outcome measures to keep an eye on how your clients are progressing. A super smooth, super bill process. Real time eligibility to check on your client's insurance. In my conversations with the employees there at all levels, they all really believe in their product and they want you to love it too. Second, they are proudly independently owned. Why should you care about that? Because as soon as venture capital becomes involved, the focus shifts from making customers happy to making investors happy. Prices go way up. Innovation plateaus. Making more money with as little output as possible becomes the number one focus. With over 100,000 therapists using their platform, they've been able to stay incredibly successful. And they don't have to sacrifice your experience to stay there. You can try two months [e-mail] with the coupon code Abundant.

[Chris]

Hello.

[Podcast Host]

How you doing, Chris?

[Chris]

Hi, Alison. So good to see your face.

[Podcast Host]

You too.

[Chris]

How are you?

[Podcast Host]

I'm good, yeah. Having some crispy weather down here. I bet y' all are too.

[Chris]

Yeah. Get in. Fall hot in the sun, but cool air. Yay. Thank you for this time. When's your hard stop?

[Podcast Host]

12:30.

[Chris]

12:30 is your hard stop and go right till 2029.

[Podcast Host]

Let's do it.

[Chris]

This conversation is either going to be niche clarifying or marketing my niche. I'm hoping it's not marketing my niche, but we'll see. So since we last talked, so much has happened. I have a fuller website. I'm focused on those ambitious professionals who are struggling with anxiety at work, specifically panic disorder or performance Anxiety and helping them overcome that so they can feel more confident at work and thrive at work. You know kind of stuff at you. I know a lot of information is not really. That's. That's where I feel like niche clarity might end up coming in because I'm throwing. I find myself throwing too many words when I'm networking. So I have a. Let's talk marketing strategies. I have website chat. The networking doing it have part of a. I don't know if you remember Eric Axel from the Abundance group as well. But you know, friends hanging out. Have a group of therapists we hang out with and have a group chat with and then he both are in a. An invite only private pay full fee networking group. Awesome. Or city professionals. And so networking. So we got. I'm doing Google Ads. Taught myself some important stuff with that. Running those low effort seeing kind of like with just a small dosing of some keywords. Just sort of seeing what goes and slowly building it. I have Psychology Today and Instagram is where I need help. Okay. And I feel like the two are tied because when I go to network and I say performance anxiety, I have too much. I have to say about it that it doesn't. You're in specific. I end up saying not the bedroom type. The board. Right. That right there means I'm not in my mind. That right there means I'm not being clear enough.

[Podcast Host]

I want to challenge that. I want to challenge that because in my mind I'm never going to forget who you work with if you say it just like that.

[Chris]

With the border. The border and not the bedroom. Okay. I didn't think about it that way. So this is the Alice and honesty. I need it. I feel like I always then have to actually I'm not framing this differently. I'm saying out loud that I am responding to some internal feelings that are popping up of clarity. And I feel like I am speaking more because of the internal stuff that's coming up. So here I am saying I feel like I have to say that this is fear of speaking in front of others, fear of public speaking. Getting in front of a meeting and having more responsibility and having to speak to the group. The heart rate pumping before you ask a question in a meeting. Those types of performance anxiety instances. But maybe that challenge that you gave me is less about it not being clear and more about my own internal stuff. And also at the same time it being helpful because the networking conversation probably led to tell me more.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Because they're going to be like, oh, tell me more. I mean, like, that's just natural.

[Chris]

Okay, maybe I'm being clear then.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I think you're being clear.

[Alison]

But I'm wondering what is it about.

[Podcast Host]

Your niche that's making you think you're not clear? Like what, what other internal stuff is going on?

[Chris]

When I go into Instagram, I've always heard like, niche down, niche down. Right. And so feeling like having an Instagram that's focused on just one of those specialties feels like the smarter choice based on everything I've heard, rather than focusing on them all. Rather than focusing on. I have, like if we go pillars. Right. If we go that, that term, but if we go that route, like here's professionals, here's panic, here's performance anxiety, and I just sort of talk about them all or having one. So I think it, I think maybe we are going to come to the marketing part of the discussion rather than the niche clarity, which is great.

[Podcast Host]

And in quick time. Five minutes.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Alison]

So I mean the way I'm thinking.

[Podcast Host]

Of it is if, if you frame it as performance anxiety for professionals on your Instagram, like you can talk about the panic because that comes up for them.

[Chris]

Yep. You're giving a speech and suddenly panic hits.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. You've. You've got to ask a question or you need to talk to your boss about something and you're sweating. You have a lot of opportunities to talk about how that performance anxiety and that panic coalesce and the times when you're not panicking but it's like really uncomfortable. You're having a hard time like figuring out where to come in on the conversation or feeling so driven to make sure it's such a value add because you have so much insecurity underlying all of it.

[Chris]

Yes. Yeah. Okay, so what would be best practice? Would it be focusing in on just one of those?

[Podcast Host]

I think they are.

[Chris]

And bring in, sprinkle the others. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Because they're all part of it. Like you can't talk about performance anxiety for professionals without talking about panic.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Because it's, it's going to be a part of it for them.

[Chris]

Excellent. Do I get more specific than actually, hold on. I'm gonna hold on to that thought for just one second for you to help me bookmark it. I'm just gonna say I was gonna get more specific about the person, but bookmark that for one second.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris]

I think one of the things about the, about panic that is really connected for me is I had my first panic attack on a really important job interview. Self imposed importance of this Job interview, first job out of college before going to grad school. I was like, oh my God, this is it. And had a full on panic attack that during the interview that completely meant I. I wasn't functional.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, poor baby Chris.

[Chris]

I know, but he looks at himself so kindly now.

[Alison]

Good.

[Chris]

I didn't even know it was a panic attack at the time. But I feel like that part of the story is just like that. That part of the niche that's like really important. Yeah. Why did I bring that up? Just as I guess just to add on to. More to what we're saying that like, it's really important that you can't, you can't forget that piece.

[Podcast Host]

Right. Because I think you kind of hit the nail on the head when you said, I didn't know it was a panic attack because your people might not either. So if you frame it as performance anxiety, like, they know what that means. That's language they understand. And then you describe the panic and maybe you name the panic, sometimes panic. But you're describing their situation and their experience on your Instagram and they can't help but be like, yes, that's it.

[Chris]

Okay, so we've got a clear niche is what I'm hearing. What about person? So I like to describe them as they're ambitious driven, career driven. I don't use all these words all the time. These are just a few that I think are really important to them. And competitive. Sometimes that's a little. This sprinkle of salt. Really? You don't want to. I don't want to overdo the competitive aspect. They are. They know they're competitive. Is an ideal client. Right. My, my ideal. Do I need to get more specific? Like lawyers, engineers. Not all of the professions. Obviously I'm not going to have a list of 10 because then. Or is that enough? That's like, they know.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I think, I think they know who they are. Like, you could give examples. You could use like, like Josh, who's a lawyer who rarely has to litigate, but when he does, you know. So you could give examples of specific professions. If it flows.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

But they know they're professionals. They might not know it's panic. They know it's performance. And I think like having your Instagram bio reflect what you say in networking, like performance anxiety therapist for the boardroom, you know, something like that. That's catchy. That helps them understand exactly what you do just in your bio.

[Chris]

Excellent. I'm glad you're giving me that nugget, because reflecting that nugget back because I. My bio feels a little bit boring right now and I think that will spice it up in a good way.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Chris]

Oh, there we go. Spicing it up.

[Podcast Host]

There we go.

[Chris]

Awesome. Okay, let's talk Instagram strategy then. I hate trends. I think my people hate trends. I can't stand hearing the same audio more than twice. Sometimes it's done really well. And those. If for those people that are doing it well, I, I follow and will like them. Most of the content though, I just see us all sort of repeating the same thing over and over again and not actually adding anything to it and it gets really frustrating. And I also have made those and I, I feel fine making them. They just don't feel authentic to me. And so I'm like, really? And also I don't think my audience really wants to. They want the more motivational German content. Right. So my self reflection leads me to sort of like three main strengths that I have when I'm working with my audience. And it's the empathy for their pain points. Right. We all have the empathy, the relatable content, the being able to acknowledge a scenario and a pain point and empathize with it. Another is sort of like the mindset insight shifts and another is more hopeful, optimistic content, outcome based content. This is what you want life to look like. So I kind of, I kind of almost also think of that as problem solution and the success. Right. It's like if you're empathizing with the problem and you're talking about the solution being sort of like some shifts, just a nugget of the solution. Right. It's not the whole solution there being in of itself and then the outcome sort of being more like hopeful content. I think they probably really connect with that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris]

What am I missing?

[Podcast Host]

I think it's a. It depends on how it's delivered. Like is it education? Is it all educational? Is it sometimes entertaining? Is it like how are you grabbing their attention and keeping it? Do your people want somebody who's like, like talking head videos all the time or do they want some goofiness in there? Yeah, just figuring out the delivery piece.

[Chris]

Okay. I think that's going to have to come through action and figuring out what they like. I can reflect on what I like to follow. And some of that is it's a. It's a mix really of like some good B roll reels that have a really emotional, poignant point and then some podcast style. I don't really want to do the podcast style. Maybe just like this. Obviously you Wouldn't be on the other end, but it would just be me talking to the camera like this, Right? Yeah, they do. Some of the people I like following, they do the podcast style motivational content.

[Podcast Host]

And so you could also remix if there's like a business leader or somebody like that put their stuff on at the end, say a little something like it doesn't. It could even just be a look like. But with remixes you have to change something.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And. And that could also just be words. You could put some words on it, like a title or something like that. I've seen some people do who work specifically with business owners do really well with that kind of content because it's the kind of stuff that they're already consuming. Yeah.

[Chris]

Excellent. Yeah. So talking head rolls, B roll and maybe some silly goofy, but also some personal mixed in there with. I think I also have some carousels just sort of at this point, carousels are being pushed. You kind of almost have to suck it up and do some carousels. Like the constant educational carousel. Yes. They're useful and I want to do them, but I don't wanna rely on. I don't want that to be my one bag of tricks when it comes to carousels. Right. I'm almost a Friday, a dump of photos. If I went on a trip or something. And after the trip when I'm back and I want to share something personal just like here's a little bucket of like life.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And I think storytelling is a really good way to use carousels too, so that they're less boring.

[Chris]

Excellent. And then. Yeah. So jumping off the storytelling, that also feeds back into the empathy and the relatability factor, the pain points that they're experiencing and telling a story that relates to that. Okay, what am I missing here? Or is this complete? Because my gut's kind of telling me it feels complete.

[Podcast Host]

I think it just for me, the way we do it is like knowing what you're doing when. So like how many days are you posting? When is it going to be those carousels of photos with a story written on top of them? When is it going to be educational content and basically creating a schedule for yourself that is sustainable.

[Chris]

Excellent. There's my action item for today. Have that done today of a schedule that feels very good, that feels complete. We sped through that.

[Podcast Host]

We're faster than you thought you'd be today. Well, and I'll say for anybody watching or listening too, you already know this, so I'm not impressing it upon you, but it needs to be content. They care about. It needs to be things that are interesting to them and not just like, here's a quote by somebody you know, so something that's already going to engage them.

[Chris]

I've done that pre pandemic scroll all the way back to the beginning of my Instagram and that's how it started. And it's just. Yeah, it just doesn't work anymore. Right. Instagram has changed so much.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, they were pretty hot back in like 2019. But those quotes, I think that's what.

[Chris]

I'm having trouble reconciling is, is keeping up with the changes. And I'm not active on Instagram, so every time I try to go back to it, I get completely overwhelmed because it's changed so fast and I just hard to relearn everything. And I know I have permission to not be on Instagram, as do anyone listening. You don't have to be doing any marketing strategy that doesn't feel aligned. This feels aligned. This feels like a great opportunity for me. I want to be there and just get completely overwhelmed every time I jump back in. And it's not the content creation itself of the video making or the being in the. On the camera, it's the what the heck do I even have to say? And how do you say it? Because there's the business advice, right, of being specific and focusing on a specialty. And then there's competing advice out there now that everything's becoming more relational. So just be yourself and everything. And that feels too loosey goosey.

[Podcast Host]

And then there's also the, the counter argument that I'm hearing of people don't care who you are, you could be great, but that doesn't mean they're going to pay you. Basically I'm like, stop being so relatable. Nobody pays relatable. So it's like a big ultimately, like when everything is saying the opposite from one another. I would, I would know what you're going to post before you open up the app. Go ahead. And I batch it. I do a whole month at a time where I like write out all of my social, I record all my social another day or days and then I post it and like, or schedule it all out. I don't want you to try to get ideas from social if it sucks you down a rabbit hole, because it's all gonna say different stuff anyway. Offer good solid entertainment and education.

[Chris]

That's really helpful. And yeah, I get sucked down the rabbit hole, save a bunch of videos that are inspiring some ideas and then I don't know where they are in my save folder somewhere. But, like, do I look back at it and like, you could look at.

[Podcast Host]

Your saved folder and be like, oh.

[Alison]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[Podcast Host]

And just stitch it instead of having to recreate it or say your own version of it. But if you just stitch it, then boom, one's done.

[Chris]

That's excellent advice. All right. I feel like I've got a wrapped up, neat package of a niche and five marketing strategies. I'm gonna go against the rules here. And a sixth one once my Instagram has enough posts. I'm also going to run some ads on. On Instagram. Oh, look, you can see the workers.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Going up. It feels neatly that. Where are you? It feels neatly wrapped up. It feels like I've got a solid plan.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you're going to go rogue and have a number six. Okay, let's hear it.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's the Instagram ads. That's. I'm going to run that.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Chris]

I feel like it would be a really good idea to do the Instagram ads once my Instagram's Once I've been consistent for a bit.

[Podcast Host]

What is your plan for Instagram ads?

[Chris]

Have a little carousel slide. First one, just sort of like a face. I've run it before, back when I wasn't consistent. I tried it just to kind of see what would happen and actually got some good, good data from it. People DMing and stuff. Nothing turned into a consultation. Oh, no. I did have one consultation but wasn't a fit. But yeah, there's just a little carousel. It's like your photo. Then the second one, specialties, and then the third one, reach out for a free consultation and just have it pinned up there as well. So that when people come to the page, it's also my intro to the page of what I offer. So I'll probably do that again, see what happens and fix stuff. Make new ads off of. Off of that data. Okay. Kind of that learn. Do implement what you learned.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And I would recommend having it punchy. Like you're like. Instead of being like, you know, professionals struggling with anxiety. Like I work with professionals with performance anxiety. Dash. And on the same slide, the boardroom kind, not the bedroom kind. I think that's going to get a lot more interest.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

The people who DM'd and the one that you did a consultation with, what made them not good fits or not follow through. Like, what information did you glean from that?

[Chris]

They were wanting to use insurance. They weren't looking for full fee, private pay. That was off insurance at that time. So that was the first big point. And they were younger and wanted help from their parents and had to ask permission. And they weren't really in the professional world at the moment. So there were just several. It was someone who is within the niche. As far as one of the symptoms, there's panic. I don't want to, like, provide too much information. Of course.

[Podcast Host]

Of course.

[Chris]

But they weren't a professional at the time and looking to sort of work on that stuff. And so it just wasn't necessarily an ideal client.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah. So it's looking at. Rather than running the same one, looking at, like, what you can tweak in this one to call in somebody who's already in the. In the boardroom and somebody who might be more easily able to do full fee.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Get that spicy content there, I think will definitely help. I don't think I have anything left, Alison. It feels. It feels clear. I came in, not sure. And I think I just. I needed that outside opinion. Alison. Honesty.

[Podcast Host]

I'll always bring it.

[Chris]

So I really don't think I have anything else.

[Podcast Host]

All right, cool. Well, it's good to see you.

[Chris]

I feel good. It's really good to see you. And hopefully I'll be back on Instagram and see you some more.

[Podcast Host]

Sounds good. I like it.

[Chris]

Yeah. I'll give you. I'll say that's the end. That's all I got.

[Podcast Host]

All righty. Well, until the next time I see you.

[Chris]

All right. All right, you too. See you. Bye. Bye.

[Alison]

If you're ready for a much easier practice, therapy Notes is the way to go. Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo code abundant for two months.

[Podcast Host]

Free.

[Alison]

If you're listening, you probably need some support building your practice. If you're a super newbie, grab our free checklist using the link in the show notes. I'd love for you to follow rate and review, but I really want you to share this episode with a therapist friend. Let's help all our colleagues build what they want.