6 Ways Media Interviews Will Help Your Practice

Are you hesitant to respond to media interviews? Performance anxiety, lack of training, or placing little value on media interviews as a strategy for practice building may be among your reasons for shying away. You may have heard that interviews don't bring in an immediate influx of new referrals. I have been actively seeking media interviews on a regular basis for the past five years and I've never had a huge increase in new referrals as a result. However, I have seen many long-term benefits of doing media interviews, that have built my practice over time. Here are 6 ways conventional media interviews have helped grow my private-pay practice.

1) Increasing awareness of your practice and services

“If you build it, they will come” doesn’t necessarily apply to opening a private practice. Most private practitioners initially struggle to get clients in the door of their practice because few people are aware of their business. Media interviews increase the exposure of your practice and allow you to get in front of more potential clients. Continued exposure makes it more likely that potential clients will remember your name and will eventually call you if they need help.

2) Opportunity for community service and education

Media interviews provide volunteer opportunities to educate your community, increase awareness about issues that matter to you and to them. In addition to making a living doing something I love, I want to make a difference for as many people as possible and media interviews allow me to make a positive impact for people well beyond the therapy office.

3) Engender public trust and increase credibility

Television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and websites spend a lot of time connecting with their readers and viewers and building their “brand”. When you are featured in the media you get to borrow their credibility and trust as they put you in front of their audience. Regular media appearances have allowed a large number of people to hear my therapeutic philosophy, and get a feel for my approach, and see me as a resource.

4) Helps transition you from provider to "expert"

Regular media appearances help position you us as more than a potential counseling or coaching provider. Interviews allow the general public to view you as an “expert” in your field or specialty area. The role of expert adds value to you and your services and makes it more likely that clients will pay out of pocket for your services.

5) Provides potential multiple income streams

Surprisingly, some media appearances have transitioned into additional income streams. I’ve been invited to be a regular contributor on television or a paid blogger. What could be better for your practice than getting paid to educate the public and create awareness of your practice?

6) Helps provide fresh consistent content for website, blog, and social media

Media interviews help provide new content for your practice website and provides helpful resources to your social media followers. Sharing video of on-camera interviews and links to print or web interviews extend your reach beyond your location driving more traffic to your website. More traffic to your practice website means more clients for you (assuming they like what the see on your website).

So, what are you waiting for? The next time you receive an email from a news or radio producer asking for your expertise, consider saying, "yes!"

Why Social Media Matters to Therapists

You're in the mental health field because you want to make a difference and make a living, right? Technology and new media now allow therapists to educate and interact with worldwide audience and to talk directly to ideal clients...for free. Take a look at these recent statistics from the top social media sites:

1. There are 750 million active users (Facebook.com)
2. 200 million Tweets go out daily on Twitter (Twitter.com)
3. Over 400 billion YouTube videos videos are viewed each day (YouTube.com)

Of the 750 million Facebook users, half log into the site daily. This is great news for therapists in private practice because you now have access to thousands of your ideal clients. Can they find you? Do you have a Facebook "Page" for your therapy practice? (I'll be posting soon about the difference between a Facebook profile and a page). It's a great way to share resources, articles, and provide information about your practice and the issues that matter to you and your clients.

How about Twitter or YouTube? Can your ideal clients find you there? Are you tweeting about your specialty areas or your services? Do you have a video introducing yourself and your practice on YouTube? Think about it. Your potential clients are on the internet looking for mental health information and services. If you're feeling overwhelmed by these suggestions, never fear! I'll be walking you through effective and efficient ways to use social media sites to build your practice as the weeks go on. Keep in mind that social media sites are additional forums for building referral sources and networking, a place to talk with people.

So, why are so many therapists reluctant to embrace social media? Fears regarding breaches of confidentiality and the potential dual relationships are common concerns, however, there are ways to set up social media accounts so you're not mixing personal and professional information and relationships. In upcoming posts I'll suggest ways to utilize social media in an ethical way that helps you do a better job at educating on topics you're passionate about and using it in a way that builds your private practice.

Do you have questions, concerns, or fears about using social media to build your therapy practice? I'd love to discuss them so please post comments below.

photo credit: :: nany mata.