How to Optimize Your Psychology Today Profile

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How to optimize your Psychology Today Profile

Q&A was part of Next Level Practice, the most supportive community for therapists starting a private practice.  In this video, Joe answers the question on how to optimize your Psychology Today profile.

Question

Can you share some ideas about improving Psychology Today profiles? Several of us are in the process of reshaping or editing.

Answer

Just today I was looking at somebody’s Psychology Today profile and their link to their website went directly to a Scheduling page. You want first your website to go to either your Home page or have it go to your About page. You can even make a page that’s just for people that have been on Psychology Today. To jump right to a scheduling link will result in you losing most people, because they will be required to enter their name and phone number just to poke around. So, I’d start with that.

You also definitely want a quality headshot. With most iPhones now, or most phones in general, you can take a beautiful shot with that kind of ‘Bokeh’ feature – that’s where it’s kind of blurry in the background. Look in your area at the Psychology Today profiles and see what stands out to you and what doesn’t.

Furthermore, they only show the first two, sometimes three, sentences of your description, and you really want to capture your ideal client in those two or three sentences. If any of you have ‘I do individual, couples, and families therapy’, by the time you’re done with me, I might kick you out. Because, that just so bland. You may do that, but at least frame yourself in a way that stands out.

Then, once people drill into you into your full profile, you want that first paragraph to really be all about the client. You want it to be about their first major questions, i.e.: what they’re dealing with and their struggles. And then, another sentence about the outcomes. Don’t start saying stuff about your education right away, they really want to know what’s in it for them.

Then, I would actually limit your specialties. You can click so many of those, but I would really just limit it to maybe five or six specialties that you can really drill into. Also, make sure that if you’re out of network – if you don’t take insurance – that you’ve clicked that.

You also have the ability to have videos in there and to link to a lot of other things. So, even things like an Amazon author page or, if you’re writing blog posts, you can have that feed spit into there. That’s going to help with your SEO in a number of different areas too. I also have a whole podcast that’s all about your Psychology Today Profile, be sure to check that out too!

 

Joseph R. Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC

joe-sanok-private-practice-consultant-headshot-smaller-versionJoe Sanok is an ambitious results expert. He is a private practice business consultant and counselor that helps small businesses and counselors in private practice to increase revenue and have more fun! He helps owners with website design, vision, growth, and using their time to create income through being a private practice consultant. Joe was frustrated with his lack of business and marketing skills when he left graduate school. He loved helping people through counseling, but felt that often people couldn’t find him. Over the past few years he has grown his skills, income, and ability to lead others, while still maintaining an active private practice in Traverse City, MI. To link to Joe’s Google+ .