Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hey. Hey. I'm Shawna A. And you're listening to the delightful audiosodes. These are mini episodes designed to spark inspiration and provide practical tips for therapists looking to diversify their professional income and achieve lucrative, fulfilling careers beyond the couch. You're listening to season two, episode three, titled Expanding youg Reach, Understanding and Connecting with youh Audience. Today we're going to explore ways to expand your reach now. Now, here's the show. So this was quite a weekend. And if you're listening to the future, just so you know, this past weekend, TikTok was banned for about 12 or so hours. It came back up. There's been lots of thank yous and it's just been quite an interesting experience. The big thing that stood out to me is the importance of being able to diversify across multiple streams. But I think there's something here that's a little bit deeper because I can tell you all to diversify across multiple streams. But the reason why it's not happening is because you don't actually know how to reach your audience. And we're going to talk about that briefly today. The thing about reaching your audience and understanding how to reach your audience is also meaning that you have to understand who your audience is. It's highly important to have a true understanding and a true knowledge of who your audience is beyond demographics. And yes, I am talking about a niche. Some people say niche, I say niche. This is so important. And I break down a niche to something very simple. It's two things. One, you have to know the people.
[00:01:38] Two, you have to know the people's problem. So your niche is the people who hold the problem as well as what is that problem that they have? That's it. Some people try to describe their niche as some kind of demographic. They're going to tell you, oh, it's a diagnosis, it's anxiety, it's trauma. They'll say something like, their niche is women between the age of 25 to 45. They'll say something like, their niche is corporate women, and they're getting closer. But oftentimes when people are describing a niche, they leave out the actual problem and they describe all of the outcomes of that particular problem. So understanding of the niche is understanding that the people that you are describing actually have a problem and that problem drives all of the other outcomes that they're experiencing. When you understand the problem and the people who hold that problem, you have developed a niche and now you've developed ways of understanding how you can actually reach those people. When you are Reaching those people, understanding who those people are. You're looking out for things like what challenges them, what do they dream about, what keeps them up at night, what do they get excited for, what brings them pleasure? Those things will help you understand those people more. Think about it this way. When your clients come to you in therapy, yes, you may have some people who say, I have depression or I'm feeling anxious, but they also have a goal. They have a thing that they would like to see more of in their lives. Maybe they want to get back to living. Maybe they want to have less of this daily sadness. So when you work towards goals, we're often not saying, oh, you want to have less depression. I think that's a given. But what are they dreaming about? What is their goals in life? Those things will drive your niche, and it drives your understanding of that person, of your audience as a whole. We want to think of your niche as a bridge. It bridges the people that you work with all the way together, meaning that they might all have different things going on, they might all be of different ages, but their niche is the bridge that connects those different things, those ages together. So you wouldn't have to describe your niche as from 25 to 45, because there's something that connects the people who are 25 and 45 years old all the way together. And if you think about it even more, think about how large that demographic is. You're currently fitting three different generations in there. There's Gen Z, there's millennials, and there's Gen X.
[00:04:24] And largely you're describing millennials, old and young millennials and old Gen Z in that demographic. But there's something that links those groups together because again, three very different generations. Three generations who've lived and experienced life very differently. Once we've gotten a good understanding of their audience through a niche. Next, you want to engage with empathy. And what I mean by this is by having an understanding of who your audience is, you want to approach them with kindness as well as with that understanding that you have of them. You're not going to approach them as if they don't know how to solve their own problems because they are experts in their own lives. You're approaching them with the understanding and the ability to stand in their shoes and see things from their perspective, even if you do not share those perspectives. How does this look if you're a therapist? Well, engaging with empathy is calling out that issue that you see, that problem that they're experiencing, as well as being able to give solutions around that. That is not harmful or detrimental to what they already have going on. It takes everything that they have going on into consideration as well. So reaching your audience with empathy can look like, hey, I know that you're scrolling late at night, and I know that this particular problem is really spiraling in your mind at this point in time. A really simple way of just being able to get some sleep is this grounding exercise that I talk about all the time. Here's how it works. This is reaching your audience with empathy because one, you've acknowledged the problem that they are experiencing or one of the problems that they're experiencing. You've also said, hey, I see you. You're not questioning it. You're not asking them, hey, are you up late at night? No, I see that you're up late at night and you're approaching them with a solution that is acceptable to what they have going on. This also is a piece of content that provides value. So if you were to say something like this at online, this is going to capture their eye because they, if they're a person that's up late at night thinking about the thing that they mentioned, they, they're gonna be like, hey, that's me. Yeah, you're right. Oh, I'm gonna try this new activity. Oh, I gotta win. I gotta go back and tell this person, or I gotta go back and share this with my friends who I know are experiencing the same exact thing. You're talking specifically to that problem in a way that doesn't shame them or doesn't make them wanna hide from that problem. You're calling out the problem, not them. You're addressing the issue, not them. And there is a difference between this. I can tell you countless stories of therapists that I've seen who forget to address the particular issue without addressing the specific issue. And that's really important. We want to make sure that we're addressing the issue without shaming the person who holds that issue. All in all, the more that you engage with empathy, the more that you engage your audience. As you talk about what you've noticed and the solutions around what you've noticed, you will likely continue to build trust. All of this work, understanding who their audience is leading with empathy is the foundation of the, like, no trust factor. Now, I know you've heard, like, no trust before because it comes up quite a bit, but a lot of times people don't understand how to implement, like, no trust or how to go about building that, like, no trust factor. And really building it is leading with their empathy and Leading with your understanding of that audience and providing information that is thoughtful and humanizing to the people that you're trying to work with. Building that, like no trust is also leading with consistency. How many times can you show up? How many times can you express that, I see you, I hear you, I validate you, I see what's going on? I think this is an important topic that we need to continue to talk about. Building trust through consistency is another way that you're building value. And again, that, like, no trust factor with your audience. It also fosters a sense of community. Because once you show people that you understand that you recognize them, you see them, that you empathize with them, and that you're providing new thoughts and new leadership, they have a sense that you are someone who cares, and they have a sense of wanting to be in community with you. And community building is really important. Nowadays, people want to feel seen. They want to feel a part of something. Especially in the years of the height of the early pandemic, people really wanted to be with others, right? They wanted to be around others. However, they were stuck in isolation. And that really had an effect on adults in our society. So now we're seeing more and more people wanting to connect, wanting to be around others who have similar values that they have. But the other thing about this is knowing your audience, understanding your niche helps sets you up for consistent messaging as well, because you're going to be saying the same things. You're going to be addressing that same issue over and over again. The worry that many therapists have is that they'll get bored addressing these issues. They'll get bored with their niche. So they sometimes refuse to niche down. And the thing about this is, as I said before, your niche will still be broad enough to bring you new things. Because we're not focusing on a particular diagnosis, we're not focusing on a particular age, we're focusing on a particular problem. And because people are unique, they're always going to be new facets of this problem that you probably haven't seen before or that you hadn't taken into consideration. So over time, your niche may evolve. So you can really still be very broad. We're just addressing a particular problem with your niche. So I want you to think about this. We've discussed quite a bit of strategies. We've discussed beginning with empathy and developing a niche and building trust by utilizing consistency. And now it's your turn to take a look at your therapy business right now. How are you implementing the things that we talked about today? Are you even implementing the things that we talked about today? It's okay if you're not, but today is the day that you must make a shift. Today is the day that you're going to start implementing new strategies. You're going to take a look at your niche. You're going to start engaging with empathy. You're going to start building value and consistency within your business through the way that you market, through the way that you reach your audience. If you are doing these things, let me know how it's going for you and where you feel like you might be hitting some barriers. I'm really interested in knowing that we discussed a lot today, as I said, and I just want to thank you for tuning in. I know it isn't easy figuring out where or even how to begin. I just want to see Therapists thrive in 2025, which is why I offer a strategy call to help you assess where you are and figure out how you can start. In these calls, you receive a brief questionnaire that we'll review together during our call. The calls are 15 minutes. They're also free, so sign up today. Speaking of free, on January 26, 2025, the Leverage Challenge will be kicking off. The Leverage Challenge is designed for therapists who are ready to elevate their careers and diversify their professional opportunities. Over five days, you'll explore actionable strategies to enhance your practice, from mastering your mindset to launching your professional expansion. This is more than just a training, it is a career transformation experience that will equip you with the tools you need to thrive beyond the therapy couch. Ready to reshape your future? Sign up now and start your journey towards a more lucrative and fulfilling career. The Leverage Challenge also has some upgrades to VIP1 and VIP2. Definitely check those out. I think you'll enjoy them. Again, thank you so much for tuning in this week. Let's make sure that we connect. There's multiple ways that you can subscribe to follow me on social media like Instagram, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. I also have a YouTube channel that I am currently developing. I would love to see you in those places and if you have not already, sign up for Therapists Can Side Hustle too. It is a free Facebook group where I talk more about how you can begin your career expansion. I'm so excited to bring you future shows. Be on the lookout next week for the next delightful audio sode. Until then, see you next time.
