How to Begin Blogging: Mapping Out Your First Three Blog Posts
If you’ve been in private practice for a while, you’ve likely heard about the benefits of blogging to increase your website traffic and market your business. However, you may share the questions that so many therapists ask me:
How do I start blogging? And what do I write about?
When I started my coaching business in 2016, the only context I had for blogging was what myself and other emo kids did in middle school on LiveJournal. So I thought, “How is keeping a diary about my life going to help me grow my business?”
Thankfully, blogging for business is nothing like middle school online journaling. In today’s post, I’m going to tell you how to come up with blog post ideas and help you plan three months of blog content for your therapy practice.
How to Generate Blog Post Ideas
Coming up with blog post ideas for your therapy practice doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, ideas for blog posts are all around you - in your daily life, your practice, and in sessions with clients. It’s as simple as realizing that you have something to say and insight to share.
Think about your website’s blog as a resource hub for both clients and potential clients. A good therapy blog is a balance of psychoeducation, stories, and guidance. Just as you recommend books, articles, and worksheets to your clients to facilitate growth outside of sessions, your blog can be another resource to add to that list.
To start generating ideas, keep a notebook handy, and spend one week writing down any thought, idea, or topic that comes to mind that could benefit your clients or potential clients. A great way to develop new topics is to take note of the questions clients ask you on a daily basis - market research made easy!
For example, if your clients keep asking you how to practice intuitive eating while at dinner with friends, write a blog post with your advice. Or if several of your clients have been expressing shame around not being in their “dream job” yet, write a post that normalizes this stage of life and offers some tips to deal with the feelings of shame.
Let your work inform your posts, and you’ll never run out of content!
Mapping Out Your First Three Blog Posts
At the end of the week, pick three topics from your notebook that you are eager to share more about. Save the rest for a later date.
For each topic, make a list of 3-5 possible titles. These will be your working titles, and they can help guide you in writing. Then, write a simple one-paragraph introduction - this also helps hone your post and guide the content.
Make an outline of your points, then write! If you find you have trouble getting words on the page, here’s a helpful tip - set a timer for 30 minutes, then simply begin writing and don’t stop. It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you keep typing for 30 minutes. After a few minutes of awkward typing, you’ll find the ideas and words will flow! After 30 minutes, feel free to stop, edit, and write some more if needed.
Once you have your content written, all that’s left to do is publish your blog posts! Decide how many posts you’d like to publish each month, and schedule your first three blog posts accordingly.
On Squarespace, you can schedule your publish date and time in advance by clicking “Draft” in your blog post editor, selecting “Scheduled,” then choosing your preferred date and time.
Blogging is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website (for free) in order to grow your business. Publishing relevant, helpful content that enriches the lives of your potential clients will not only help position you as an expert in your niche, but it will also help you build trust with potential clients - the foundational piece of every therapeutic relationship.
Starting and maintaining a blog doesn’t have to be daunting or time-consuming, and you don’t have to have it all figured out before you start. Begin with three posts, then go back to your idea list and write three more. Soon, you’ll have a full catalogue of helpful content, made specifically for your ideal client.
