Abundant Practice Podcast – Episode #705: Marketing To 25-45-Year-Olds

Host: Allison Puryear
Date: November 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Allison Puryear answers a listener’s question about how to effectively market a private therapy practice to clients aged 20 to 45, a demographic the listener enjoys working with and considers their “ideal clients.” Allison clarifies the distinction between demographic targeting and true clinical niching, and offers detailed, actionable advice for therapists seeking to attract clients in this broad age group—ethically and authentically.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Demographics vs. Niches

• Demographic Info is Surface Level:
  • “A demographic is surface level information. It’s age, gender, income, maybe location. It’s about who someone is in a census kind of a way.” (04:34)
• True Niching is About Emotional Experience:
  • “A niche... is about what someone is experiencing. It’s the pain, the emotional patterns, the problems that they’re actively looking to get help with.” (05:14)
• Why Niche by Experience:
  • “People don’t choose a therapist based on the demographic they serve. They choose based on what they struggle with, like what they’re going through.” (03:52)

2. How Clients Actually Look for Therapists

• Clients Seek Help for Challenges, Not Age:
  • “Clients don’t wake up and think, ‘You know what? I need a therapist who works with 30 somethings.’ They wake up and they think, ‘I can’t keep living like this... I’m exhausted... I’m overthinking everything...’” (07:03)
• Use Their Words, Not Ours:
  • “Describe their internal world, their day to day struggles. Think of it like you’re sitting across from one of your favorite clients... and you’re describing what life was like before therapy helped them.” (08:34)

3. Refining the Marketing Message

• Focus on Shared Emotional Threads:
  • “When you look at these clients you currently have in this big age group, what do all these people that you really enjoy share?” (11:11)
• Speak in Their Language:
  • “We’re not going to say, ‘Are you having a hard time making mid-career adjustments?’ That’s not how we’d frame it. We’d frame it in their language, right?” (12:35)
• Concrete Examples of Phrasing:
  • “You’ve checked all the boxes—career, family, relationship—you still feel unfulfilled...”
  • “You’re the friend who keeps it together for everyone else, but inside you’re running on fumes.” (13:03)

4. Ethical, Non-Judgmental Descriptions

• Avoid Stereotypes and Labels:
  • “The key to describing a group ethically is to avoid stereotypes or assumptions... instead of saying ‘young professionals,’ describe the experience of being a human at that stage.” (15:20)
• Use Empathetic, Inviting Language:
  • “People who are juggling big responsibilities while trying to figure out who they are and what they want. Or people who feel pressure to have it all together when they secretly feel lost.” (15:57)

5. Using Visuals and Subtle Signals

• Choose Representative Imagery:
  • “Show people who look like that demographic and make sure they’re not like the model version. Right? We want people on our website that look like people we’d see on the streets or people we’d see in our office.” (17:02)
• Referencing Life Stages:
  • “You can also reference the life stages... early career, new parenthood, caregiving aging parents, or rebuilding after a breakup. That’s the subtle way you signal, ‘Hey, I get people like you’—without ever having to say it outright.” (17:48)

6. Psychographics vs. Demographics

• Why They Chose You is the Key:
  • “Demographics tell you who they are, but psychographics tell you why they chose you.” (18:22)
  • Examples:
    • “Do they crave meaning? Do they hate disappointing people? Are they trying to look successful while quietly burning out?” (18:51)

7. Practical Marketing Steps

• Lead with Empathy and Lived Experience:
  • “Lead with empathy. Use language that reflects their inner world, their language, not our clinical stuff. And let your imagery do the quiet signaling.” (20:14)
• Worksheet and Course Recommendations:
  • “My Know Your Niche course... it’s only $27, I’m going to link that in the show notes.” (21:03)
  • “Today’s free worksheet is the ideal client worksheet you’d mentioned... which makes your marketing a thousand times easier.” (21:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What you’re describing is not a niche. It’s a demographic.” (03:30)
• “So when we’re talking about niching down... what emotional experiences are you drawn to helping with? What kinds of struggles do you feel confident supporting?” (06:15)
• “When someone for whom that applies in the 20 to 45 age range reads that, they’re going to think, ‘Oh my God, that’s me!’” (13:50)
• “You don’t need to say you specialize in 20 to 45 year olds. You just need to describe what that season of life feels like while they’re struggling with what brings them to therapy.” (20:24)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 03:20: Introduction & Listener Question
• 03:20 – 06:00: Demographics vs. Niches
• 06:00 – 09:45: How Clients Actually Seek Therapy
• 09:45 – 14:20: Marketing Copy—Language & Real-Life Applications
• 14:20 – 17:30: Ethics of Describing Demographics & Using Empathy
• 17:30 – 19:20: Using Images and Subtle Signifiers
• 19:20 – 21:00: Difference Between Demographic and Psychographic Targeting
• 21:00 – 22:30: Course & Worksheet Recommendations, Wrap Up

Tone and Language

Allison’s tone is encouraging, practical, and empathic:

• She uses real-life examples and accessible language.
• She gently challenges therapists to dig deeper than age groups towards the actual struggles and stories of their clients.
• Throughout, she affirms the ethical and emotional stakes of truly client-centered marketing.

Summary Takeaways

• Age groups are not true niches—emotional experience is. Focus on describing and connecting with the challenges your clients are living through.
• Use the real language of your clients in all marketing materials. Show you “get” your clients’ actual experiences, not just their census data.
• Be ethical and non-judgmental: Avoid labels, stereotypes, and clinical jargon in favor of thoughtful, empathetic phrasing.
• Visual signals matter: Use images representing your desired clientele in authentic ways.
• Demographics help you find people; psychographics connect you to them.
• Tools to help: Allison recommends her “Know Your Niche” course and her “Ideal Client Worksheet” to get crystal clear on your audience.
• Lead with empathy—and your ideal clients will find you.

For more resources or to ask your own questions, visit abundancepracticebuilding.com.