Podcast Summary: Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode 88: Three Ways to Use Emotion in Your Content – Why Therapists Make the Best Online Marketers
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Marissa Lawton, Licensed Counselor
Date: June 2, 2018

Overview

In this episode, hosts Kate and Katie sit down with Marissa Lawton, a licensed counselor, military spouse, and online marketing expert for therapists. The conversation centers on leveraging emotional intelligence in marketing content and explores why therapists, with their deep understanding of emotion, are naturally suited to authentic, persuasive online marketing. Marissa shares three actionable strategies for therapists to effectively use emotion in their content, create genuine connection, and ultimately attract more ideal clients online.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Marissa’s Journey to Online Practice

• Adaptability as a Military Spouse: Marissa shares her background, moving frequently due to her spouse’s military career ([06:03]–[07:57]). These frequent moves forced her to finish her masters online, and later to pivot from in-person to online business.
  • “If I had been in a brick and mortar school, there’d have been no way. So finally we stabilized somewhere for four years, which is an eternity in the military, and I was able to get all my hours.” – Marissa, [06:36]
• Combining Business & Clinical Skills: Utilizing her business degree and counseling background, Marissa developed a mobile online business, empowering other therapists to market themselves authentically online.

Why Therapists Make the Best Marketers

• Understanding & Harnessing Emotion:
  • “All marketing is taking your product and helping somebody have a reaction to it so that they want to purchase it... and who is a professional at emotion? A clinician, a therapist.” – Marissa, [09:50]
  • The therapists’ ability to join with and reflect their clients’ emotional experience translates directly to compelling, client-centered marketing.
• Imposter Syndrome & Vulnerability: Many therapists feel vulnerable or uncomfortable sharing personal stories or marketing themselves, but Marissa reframes this as a transferable therapeutic skill ([09:50]–[11:15]).

Drawing Out Genuine Content

• Exploring Unique Selling Proposition (USP):
  • Through in-depth intake and questionnaires, Marissa helps clinicians clarify what sets them apart.
  • “I’ve had clients say, ‘Wow, I learned more about myself and my values doing this call with you than I thought I was going to do about my website.’” – Marissa, [12:12]
• From Clinical Notes to Content:
  • Therapists often overlook that their session notes and repeated interventions can inspire relevant blog topics ([13:53]).

The Three Ways to Use Emotion in Your Content

1. Before and After Storytelling in Blog Posts

[14:39]

• Technique:
  • Paint a vivid “before” picture that agitate’s the client’s pain point.
  • Transition to an “after” scenario that’s hopeful and relatable.
  • Close with a gentle call to action: “If you’re looking for this help, schedule a session with me.”
• Copywriting Framework: Agitate & Assuage
  • “Right now you’re feeling depressed... If you don’t get help with this, you’ll continue to feel this way. But once you do seek help, here’s what life can look like... So you take them through that before and after.” – Marissa, [14:42]
• Relevant Resource: The structure aligns with Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework ([16:36]).

2. Service Page Narratives Based on Breaking Points

[17:53]

• Opening with a Hypothetical Story: Begin each service page with a specific, emotionally resonant scenario that mirrors the client’s real-life pivotal moment (e.g., “You found yourself so anxious you threw up before a presentation”).
  • “Mirror what the client has told you... use that as a narrative on your sales page.” – Marissa, [18:36]
• Avoiding Jargon: Lead with story to emotionally connect; follow up with necessary technical terms later to establish expertise ([21:18]).
  • “If you jump right in there with jargon and clinical speak, they’re going to, they’re gonna not even know what the heck you’re talking about.” – Marissa, [21:52]
• SEO and User Experience:
  • Write long-form content (approaching 2000 words) for each specific service (e.g., anxiety, depression, life transitions) rather than lumping them together ([17:53], [22:31]).

3. Emotionally-Driven Calls to Action (CTA)

[24:34]

• Structure:
  • Three short sentences that agitate the pain, assuage hope, and establish you as the solution, followed by a direct action (e.g., “Click here to schedule”).
  • “You may be feeling really depressed right now, but it’s entirely possible for you to overcome this depression when you seek counseling at XYZ Therapy. Click to schedule.” – Marissa, [25:19]
• Therapist/Client Parallel: The structure mirrors therapeutic work: “realize where they’re at, realize where they’re going, you’re just a guide and a tool to help them do that.” ([26:03])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Marketing... all it is, is relationship building.” – Kate, [13:05]
• “Clients are honestly actually telling us what we should be putting in our marketing.” – Katie, [13:20]
• “Your clinical skills are helping them realize where they’re at, realize where they’re going. And you’re just a guide and a tool to help them do that. It’s the same thing you do in marketing.” – Marissa, [26:03]
• “Lead with that story first. Because if you jump right in there with jargon and clinical speak, they're going to... not even know what the heck you’re talking about.” – Marissa, [21:52]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:03] Marissa’s background and journey to online business
• [09:50] Translating therapy skills to marketing; emotional connection
• [11:29] Drawing out a unique value proposition and discovering your “why”
• [13:05] Tips for using therapy notes as inspiration for content
• [14:39] Step 1: Using before and after emotional storytelling in blog posts
• [17:53] Step 2: Using narrative, breaking points, and specificity on service pages
• [21:18] How story helps avoid jargon and connect
• [22:31] Importance of individual service pages
• [24:34] Step 3: Building effective, emotion-driven calls to action
• [26:03] Parallels between therapy and marketing skills
• [27:52] Final takeaway: Know thyself, know your client, and combine for authentic marketing

Final Takeaways

• Therapists’ Superpower: The very skills therapists use in the therapy room—empathy, validation, and narrative reframing—are potent for connecting with prospective clients through marketing.
• Story First, Jargon Later: Lead with vivid, relatable stories and emotional touchstones; provide technical information and credentials as reinforcement.
• Focus and Simplicity: Address one emotional pain point at a time. Give clear, succinct next steps for the client—both in content and in calls to action.

Resources & Further Learning

• Free Gift: Marissa offers “The Five Most Important Blog Posts You Need to Have on Your Therapy Site” (link available in show notes). ([28:14])
• StoryBrand by Donald Miller: Highly recommended for understanding narrative-based marketing structures ([16:36], [17:01]).

Closing Thoughts

Marissa, Kate, and Katie highlight the unique position therapists hold as authentic, emotionally intelligent marketers. By embracing their skills and using them strategically in content, therapists can reach and resonate deeply with their ideal client, bridging the gap between expertise and visibility.