How to Build a Boring Private Practice without Slimey Marketing with Maggie Patterson | POP 1398

Client trust, Ethical marketing, marketing for therapists, Marketing without feeling salesy, Mental health practice, private practice growth, private practice marketing, Therapist branding, therapy practice

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Does marketing have to feel uncomfortable to be effective? What if authenticity is your greatest marketing strategy? Why could a “boring” business be your most successful one?

In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok speaks with Maggie Patterson, who wants you to build a boring private practice without slimey marketing.

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Meet Maggie Patterson

Maggie Patterson is a business consultant, writer, and founder of BS-Free Business, where she helps solo service providers and micro agency owners build sustainable businesses without sacrificing their values. She is also the founder of Scoop Studios, a boutique content marketing agency, and has spent more than 20 years working in client services, communications, and digital marketing. Her work focuses on practical strategy, ethical business practices, and helping entrepreneurs create businesses that support real life—not just growth for growth’s sake. Maggie is the host of the Staying Solo and Confessions of a Micro Agency Owner podcasts, co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business, and author of Staying Solo: Your Guide to Building a Simple and Sustainable Service Business.

Visit BS Free Business and Scoop Studios. Connect on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In This Podcast

The bad apples of online business marketing
Good quality marketing for therapists
Finding the balance
Turn your business into something you love running
Maggie’s advice to private practitioners

The bad apples of online business marketing

Whatever you do or don’t decide to do, the bottom line is to make sure that it’s in line with your values.

People, depending on their personal lives and principles, appreciate different sides of different values when it comes to business success.

Whatever you want to embody, make it your own and adjust any advice to suit your specific preferences. That’s step number one.

We have a duty of care to our clients … and you want to think, “I don’t want to be pushing on those vulnerabilities, and I don’t want to be dishonest. That’s not why anyone started doing what they’re doing right now.” (Maggie Patterson)

There are some direct routes to the bad apples of digital marketing, and that includes overzealous embellishment, because embellishment can easily slip into a total falsehood if someone takes it too far and promises what they cannot actually deliver.

If [something] feels icky to you, you don’t have to do it. Please don’t do it! Because you’re never going to feel like you’re in integrity, and you don’t want to be in a position where you’re doing any sort of marketing practice that is creating a weird power dynamic between you and your client. (Maggie Patterson)

Good quality marketing for therapists

While the world of marketing keeps changing, 2026 is wildly unique. With AI, social media, and the gold standard of warm leads, there is a variety of ways to market yourself and your practice ethically and successfully.

We want to be clear about:

What our specialties are
Communicating our expertise and credentials

The devil is in the details here. Your people want to know … I did a complete deep dive; I wanted to know all of [my therapist’s] credentials, so don’t assume that you are boring people or they don’t want that level of detail. [Stand] clearly in your skill, expertise, and really owning that is really important in this environment where people aren’t as trusting as they used to be. (Maggie Patterson)

Essentially, you want to give your clients enough information to make an informed decision that feels like an easy “yes” for them.

Turn your business into something you love running

1 – Slow down enough to give the rhythm of the business a chance to show you where it needs additional support and where it is going strong.

Slow down, and observe it over time for patterns, versus jumping between [problems] … Really looking for those patterns like, “Is this because I’m in a bad mood this week? Or is this actually a problem [in the business]?” (Maggie Patterson)

2 – Importantly, don’t go looking for problems. Be mindful and keep a clear eye on what comes up, whether they are successes or things to change, but don’t only look for issues to solve, because that can burn you out quick. Mindset is important.

3 – Avoid flashy tactics. Be authentic in who you are and how you help people, because that will bring in your best-aligned clients. Double down on what works for you, rather than chasing fads.

When you’re thinking about marketing specifically, your job is not to just check off a bunch of tactics … Your job is to answer one question, and that question is: “How can people find me and book me?” (Maggie Patterson)

Maggie’s advice to private practitioners

The more that you can do at every single touch point with clients in your practice to make them feel safe and secure, the better. Remember, this is something that you are naturally good at! So dig into your ability to connect with people, and bring that into your marketing.

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Books mentioned in this episode:

BOOK | Robert Cialdini – Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

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Meet Joe Sanok

A photo of Joe Sanok is displayed. Joe, private practice consultant, offers helpful advice for group practice owners to grow their private practice. His therapist podcast, Practice of the Practice, offers this advice.

Joe Sanok helps counselors to create thriving practices that are the envy of other counselors. He has helped counselors to grow their businesses by 50-500% and is proud of all the private practice owners who are growing their income, influence, and impact on the world. Click here to explore consulting with Joe.

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