Podcasts for Therapists: Promoting your practice as a guest
Being on a podcast is one of the most effective marketing strategies in 2023. In fact, there are a little over 3 Million podcasts worldwide as opposed to a Billion blogs out there, so your chances of standing out and reaching your ideal client are high. In this article, you'll learn the necessary basics of pitching yourself to a podcast to promote and grow your private practice.
If you're trying to promote your private practice or build a therapy brand, becoming a guest or starting your own therapy podcast can boost your business. It's an effective way to reach a wider audience, build trust, and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Guesting on podcasts is one of my favorite ways to promote my services and today I'd like to share how I go about picking the right podcast, pitching myself as a guest, and leveraging my appearance for further promotion. I typically pick podcasts for therapists to share my knowledge on building a private pay caseload with marketing. Similarly, you may want to share your knowledge with other therapists or maybe you'll decide to pick a different niche.
In either case, podcasts offer you a platform to showcase your expertise and reach engaged listeners who are interested in what you have to say. In addition to providing valuable content, appearing on a podcast can boost your online visibility and improve your SEO.
So if you're interested and ready to dive in, let's start.
The rise of podcasts in the therapy industry
I've been an enthusiastic podcast listener for over a decade. When I started, there were just a small number of podcasts for therapists in the space. Among the first ones I listened to were:
Selling the Couch with Melvin Varghese.
Practice of the Practice with Joe Sanok
The Practice of Therapy with Gordon Brewer.
These podcasts were the introduction to my niche and they allowed me to validate my idea of working with therapists. In time, I was able to connect with the hosts and appear on their podcasts myself.
Unlike other marketing tools, podcasts provide a platform for long in-depth conversations, allowing you to hold your listeners' attention for a long time and delve into the topic of your expertise. Nowadays, you can find podcasts that focus on practically any niche when it comes to mental health. If you specialize in cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, or relationship counseling, you can find a podcast out there that caters to the audience who's interested in these topics.
Benefits of being a guest on podcasts
As I mentioned above, appearing on a podcast offers you many unique oppertunities to bring awareness to your therapy practuce an yourself. Specifically, here are some key advantages:
Podcasts increase your visibility. For the most part your visibility is mostly limited to your geographic location. Even if you're working on your SEO, chances are that you are targeting the areas where you're licensed to practice. In some cases, you may be trying to rank higher for specific keywords. But appearing on a podcast exposes you to a wider audience of attuned listeners. Podcast listeners tune in because they are intersted in a particular topic and are loyal to the host. That's why choosing the a podcast based on its audience is best strategy for increasing your visibility.
Boost your credibility and authority. By becoming a guest on a podcast you automatically raise your credibility. You're perceived as someone important and knowledgeable enough to be interviewed. This type of credibility builds trust that is necessary for people to become your potential clients.
Build networking opportunities. Some of my podcast interviews have led to fruiteful professional connections that have helped me with referrals and introductions. Podcasting not only allows you to build a rapport with the audience, but also lead to future collaborations, partnerships, and referral opportunities.
Improve your SEO. Many podcats have a high domain authority (reputable domains) that can significantly improve the quality of your SEO when they point to your website. When a podcast host mentiones your website during the interview and links to it in their show notes, it signals to search engines that your website is reputable as well. These quality "backlinks" can help you rank higher in search results and drive traffic to your website.
How to find podcasts in your niche
Finding podcasts in your niche is the first step towards booking an interview. First, you'll need to define what your ideal audience looks like. Is it an audience of other therapists or an audience of potential clients? After you establish who you'd like your listeners to be, begin by doing research. Here are some places that can help you with that:
Google. this is the most obvious place for starting your search. Start typing in the topics for the podcasts you're trying to find and you'll see relevant lists in your search results.
Online directories. Next, you can tackle podcat directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. you can search based on genre, topics, people, or keywords.
Social media. Most podcast hosts promote their shows on social media platforms like X, Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram among others. You can search by hashtags or keywords to find the podcasts in your desired niche.
Word of mouth. This is a fool proof method to find reputable podcats. Just ask around and find out what the people in your network or your clients are listening to. And if someone can introduce you to a podcast creator, all the better. A personal referral can speed up the pitching process for you.
Podcast networks and communities. There are online communities for practically everyone and every ineterst, podcasters not excluded. You can join a podcast network of a community dedicated to growing and promoting podcats.
Pitching yourself as a guest to podcast hosts
In my experience, you need to have a systematized approach to pitching yourself on a podcast for the first time. First, you'll need to asign the time to reseraching the podcats you'd like to appear on. Secondly, you need to create a list of at least 5-10 podcasts that would be realistic for you.
Getting on the Esther Perel or the Joe Rogan podcasts right away is not realistic. But choosing a niche podcast first, is a great strategy for pitching.
Once you've identified and listed the podcats, get ready for pitching. Here are the steps I'd recommend for you to take:
Research the podcasts you're pitching. Your appearance on someone's podcasts should be beneficial first and foremost to the host and their audience. Listen to a couple of episodes of each podcast on your list and note what angle may be of interest to them. When you understand the format and tone, and get a sense of the topics covered, you'll be able to tailor your pitch and demonstrate your genuine interest.
Craft a compelling pitch. Crafting a pitch is an exercise in self-promotion. Similarly to pitching yourself for a job, your podcast pitch needs to highlight your expertise, and show why you would be a valuable guest. Make sure to deliver your points in a concise and personable way to show that you can be a friendly and engaging guest that brings value to the audience.
Follow the submission guidelines. For the most part, podcasts have submission guidelines for guest pitches. Take the time to read the guidelines and follow them to submit your pitch for review. This will show professionalism and attention to detail and will help you stand out in a respectful way.
Showcase your credibility. Your pitch should have a "bragging" section in it. You can and should include the relevant credentials, certifications, licenses and media appearances if you have them. Provide as many examples, such as publications, articles, and blog posts that can demonstrate your expertise.
Preparing for your podcast appearance
Once you've secured a guest spot on a podcast, don't neglect to prepare for it. Finally landing your first podcast interview can be nerve wracking and you can can jeapordize your credibility by not properly preparing for it. Here are some tips to be on top of your game when the date comes:
Do some homework on the host and their audience. As I mentioned above, listen to a couple of episodes to familiarize yourself with the host's style. Note inetersting points from other guest that would be relevant to yours. Ask the host what would be most valuable for their listeners on the topic of your discussion.
Prepare talking points and stories from your experience. What insights would you like to share with the audience? List a few key points that are important for the audience to take away. Give examples from your professional experience or your observations. This will give your interview another dimension and help you retain your listener's attention.
Practice active listening. This is the hardest thing in an interview because it diverts your focus from what you want to say. But active listening can give your convesation meaning and make it engaging for the listeners to follow. It's easier to listen to a natural conversation flow than a rigid, formal interview.
Be authentic and relatable. Think about the image you want to present to the world. Ask yourself: How do you want to be perceived? Share personal anecdotes or stories that can make you seem relateble to the audience and give your potential clients the feeling that their experiences are being seen and understood. This will help you to build rapport with the listeners and will make it more likely for them to reach out for your help.
Promoting your therapy practice during the podcast
A podcast interview is not only a brand building exercise, but also a promotional vehicle for your practice. Here are some strategies to effectively promote your practice on a podcast:
Provide actionable advice for the listeners. Offer a tip that would allow them to take the first step towards the transformation they seek.
Mention the work that you do in your private practice. You can share examples from your work with clients without divulging sensitive information. For example, you can answer the most frequently asked questions that you get from new clients.
A podcast interview is a great opportunity for building your email list. Offer valuable resources that can be found on your website. Direct the listeners to your website and blog for specific tips. You will then be able to capture some of this traffic with an opt in form to grow your email list.
Invite listeners to connect with you. Most podcat hosts will end the interview asking how listeners can find more about you and your practice. This is a great opportunity to share your social media handles, your website, or newsletter. Make it easy for the listeners to reach out and connect with you in the future.
Leveraging your podcast appearance for future promotion
The beauty of a podcast interview is that it's not a one-time event. People will keep listening to the recording for months and years to come. Besides that, you can leverage your podcast interview by optimizing its impact on your business growth. Here's how:
Promote the podcast on social media platforms.
Share the podcast episode on your website to boost your credibility and reputation.
Include it in your email marketing and newsletter.
Repurpose the podcast interview into other forms of content like: blog articles, videos, reels and shorts, and social media posts.
Use the interview to land other podcast appearances.
Ask the podcast host to give you a testimoanial or a review for your website or your Google Business Profile.
Tracking the success of your podcast promotions
Marketing without tracking your success is not going to help you in the long run. If you don't know what marketing channels are the most efficient for your practice, you won't know if it's worth your time and effort to pursue it. With podcats, you can also measure your success in the following ways:
Monitor your website traffic to see if you have an increase after your podcast appearance.
Examine your increase in social media followers after the podcast interview.
Ask new clients how they found you. If they heard you on a particular podcast they'll gladly share.
Ask the host for their listeners' feedback on your interview. This will help you imporove your next appearance and re-share the information they listeners liked the most.
Conclusion: The power of podcasting for therapists
Being a guest on a podcast is one of my favorite ways to promote my own business. This strategy helped me build my brand, bring awareness to my services and attract new clients. That's why I'm a staunch advocate for therapists appearing on podcats as well. I want you to benefit from podcats as much as I have.
Therapists are especially skilled in having meaningful conversations that allow them to connect with their listeners and podcats give you the opportunity to show it. This guide walked you through the process of booking your podcast appearance. But it's up to you to take action and start doing the work.
If you need additional help with marketing your therapy practice, book a free consultation with me today.
