If you’ve been raising your fees—or want to—but your inquiries don’t reflect it, this episode is going to feel like a necessary reset.

Premium-fee clients aren’t “better” clients. They’re not more deserving. But they do make decisions differently. And if your website is still written for someone who’s debating whether therapy is worth it… you may be unintentionally repelling the very clients who are ready to invest.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the subtle messaging shifts that separate “shopping” inquiries from “choosing” inquiries. Because the clients who are prepared to pay $200, $300, $400+ per session aren’t asking, Should I go to therapy? They’ve already decided. They’re asking: Who is the right expert for me?

When your website aligns with that mindset, everything changes.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ The key difference between “shopping” and “choosing” inquiries—and how to position your website for clients who are ready to choose.

2️⃣ Four subtle messaging mistakes that quietly repel premium-fee clients (even when your intentions are good).

3️⃣ How to shift your website from convincing people therapy works to confidently showing why you are the right fit.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

1. The Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com
2. Done-for-you website copy + design services (limited availability before maternity leave): https://walkerstrategyco.com/services
3. Confident Copy (step-by-step website + PT copy program): https://walkerstrategyco.com/cc
4. Clear Website, Full Caseload workshop: https://walkerstrategyco.com/cwfc

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice. Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com.

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by me, a marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Hey there.

2

Welcome back to Marketing Therapy.

3

If you're trying to attract premium fee

clients in this market, your marketing

4

has one job and one job only, and that is

to make you the obvious choice for them.

5

Now before we get into this episode,

I do want to note that as I prepare

6

for maternity leave the number of

spots available to work with us in

7

a done-for-you capacity are limited.

8

So if you are seeking expert led, industry

leading therapist specific support.

9

When it comes to writing and

or designing your website, now

10

is the time to be reaching out.

11

You can schedule a free discovery

session with me@walkerstrategyco.com

12

slash services.

13

My calendar will be closing at the end

of March, and we will not be booking

14

new projects until the summertime.

15

So if this is something

that you have been.

16

Interested in.

17

If you are looking to elevate your

online presence and really bring in

18

those premium fee clients, then perhaps

one of those project slots is yours.

19

Alright, now let's get into it.

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Premium fee Clients.

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You've heard me talk a lot recently

about the fact that in general,

22

client behavior has changed.

23

We're all different than we

were 3, 5, 10 years ago, right?

24

And when we look at who is paying

premium fees, who is interested in

25

dishing out 200, 300, $400 plus per

session, there are some indicators,

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there are some qualities, there are

some characteristics of those clients.

27

Now let me be very, very clear that

the quality of the therapy you are

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providing, the quality of them as a human.

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Absolutely no different than if

they are using their insurance

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or paying on a sliding scale.

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That's not what I'm talking about here.

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What I am talking about in this

episode is the mindset and the approach

33

that clients who are prepared to pay

your fee have about therapy and how

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your marketing can meet them there.

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Okay?

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Now there are two types of therapy

inquiries, and I hear this from y'all.

37

There are two types.

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One is shopping, one is looking around,

one is talking to this therapist

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and that the other is choosing.

40

Let me say that again.

41

There are two types of therapy inquiries.

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One is shopping, the other is choosing.

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I want you to attract clients who are

choosing you, not shopping around.

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That is not to say that you're gonna

get on every single consult and people

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are gonna be a hundred percent sold

on you every single time, and people

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should engage in multiple consultations

with clinicians if they need to,

47

but I would love to see you attracting

more people who call and say, I've been

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looking and looking and looking, and I

know you're the therapist that I want.

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That's what I want for you, and that's

what we're talking about here today.

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Now, here's the important thing to know.

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Clients who are willing to pay

a premium fee are not asking,

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Hmm, should I go to therapy?

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Should I invest in this?

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I wonder if this would be helpful.

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They've already decided

therapy is worth it.

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They already value it.

57

That decision has been made.

58

So when they are looking for a

therapist, they're asking one question,

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who is the right expert for me?

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If your website and your online presence

is written and positioned in such a way

61

that you are convincing someone therapy

works or that they need it, then you're

62

speaking to the wrong mindset here.

63

So let's look in this episode at what

your clients are scanning for on your

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website and what to change so that that

website can really start pre-qualifying

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people instead of inviting the shoppers.

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Again, not that there's anything wrong

with the shoppers, but I want to see

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you attracting more of the choosers.

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So the old assumption.

69

It has often been that marketing

is about convincing someone to

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do therapy, convincing someone

you can help, convincing someone

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this is the right next step.

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But in this new reality and in

this premium fee market, this is

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about showing the right client

that you are their person.

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Okay?

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That's the shift here.

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Premium fee.

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Clients already believe

therapy is an investment.

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They already know it's

expensive, quote unquote.

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However, we measure that they're

not warming up to this idea.

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They're prepared so when they

decide that you're the therapist

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for them, it's because they see

your expertise, they feel the fit.

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They've started to

cultivate some trust in you.

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They get the sense that you see them

very, very quickly, that you're an expert

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in the areas that they're looking for.

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So attracting premium fee clients, we

talk about this often, but you're not

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trying to be everyone's therapist here.

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You're trying to be the obvious

choice for the right person.

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Specificity right now is

your absolute greatest asset.

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It is your greatest asset when it

comes to standing out to these clients.

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Let's look at the two mindsets of people

as they make decisions about therapists.

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And one of them was more prevalent a

few years ago, so if we think about,

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we'll call it the pandemic mindset.

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The energy around that was very urgent.

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It was reactive.

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People were looking for immediate

relief, like they needed a bandaid

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on the bleeding wound right now.

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So they were making decisions based

on availability, based on cost,

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based on how fast can we start?

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Do you have room for me?

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You can hear the urgency there, right?

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So they were comparing

multiple therapists at once.

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They were reducing the

decision down to logistics.

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Is this person available?

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Can I afford them?

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Is this sort of what I need?

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They're skimming for openings.

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They're looking for proof that you can

do sort of what you say you can do.

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Okay.

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Do you hear the urgency?

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Then?

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We have the premium fee mindset,

and this is where we've seen it

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shift to when studying full fee.

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Clinicians that have continued to

be successful post pandemic, because

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that was very much the energy.

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In 20 20, 20 21, I would say up to 2023.

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Now we've shifted into a new era, and

so the clinicians who are continuing

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to be successful in the premium fee

space in particular, they're speaking

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to a different type of client.

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This client has a different energy about

them that is calm, that is intentional.

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That is long term.

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Now, that's not to say that you

can't be a premium fee clinician

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and meet people who have very,

very urgent or deeply felt needs.

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Absolutely not.

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Because at the end of the day, we

still need to meet a deeply felt need.

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But the energy.

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That these clients are coming to

the therapy shopping experience

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with is a lot different.

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They already expect to invest

their time, their money,

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their emotional effort, right?

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You love working with those motivated,

insightful, ready to do the work.

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Clients, they have that energy about

them, so they are making decisions not

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based on availability, not based on

do you seem like you know what you're

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doing, but on fit on specialization.

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On approach on does this person seem like

they would actually see and understand me?

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Do they specialize in the very

specific challenges I am facing?

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So their decision making criteria

is fundamentally different

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than the pandemic mindset.

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So on websites and in your marketing,

they're reading things more closely.

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They're looking for signals of

expertise, of specificity, of experience

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that are gonna match the level of

investment they are prepared to make.

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They wanna have that feeling of like,

oh, that's exactly what I've been

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trying to put words to, or that's

exactly what I've been looking for.

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That's the experience

that they're seeking.

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And so this shows up in your inquiries

when you hear things like, your

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website spoke to me, or I looked

at 10 other therapist websites and

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I chose yours because of the way

it made me feel and what it said.

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Or, I've been looking for

someone who specializes in this.

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What's your process?

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What's the next step?

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There's a motivation.

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Urgency, yes.

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But the energy is different.

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So if you want more of that second type

of inquiry, your website has to be built

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for how those clients are deciding now.

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We are seeing more and more how

your website dictates your ability

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to command hire fees, to establish

yourself as an expert and as a go-to

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in your niche or in your local area.

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Your website's job is to convey

the professionalism and drive the

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perception that your clients have of

you, because you can be a fantastic

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therapist, but if your website doesn't

go before you and set that expectation,

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then your clients keep looking.

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That's the risk here,

but also the opportunity.

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If your website can do its job,

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your website is telling

on you one way or another.

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It's either telling on you that you

are a therapist offering a fantastic

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premium level boutique experience who

deeply specializes in the needs of

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your clients or that you're more of a

generalist now we know that regardless

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of the premium fee mindset or the

pandemic mindset, that people are making

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fast and gut level decisions about

you when they land on your website.

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Studies actually show us we

have less than a half second

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to make a positive impression.

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It's one of the reasons design

matters so much more today than it

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used to, but premium fee clients are

making a gut level decision about

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does this person feel like an expert?

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Do they feel specialized?

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Does this match the experience

that I expect to have in therapy,

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in the investment I plan to make?

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Right?

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They're seeking out these signals.

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And so your website has to

communicate specificity.

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Again, you're not for everyone.

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The most successful practices

right now are exclusive.

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They are very comfortable with

being the right fit for some clients

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and the wrong fit for others.

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Confidence.

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You're leading, not

pleading for inquiries.

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You are showing up in your

marketing as the clinician

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you want to be and competence.

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You know what it is

that you specialize in?

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You claim that expertise, and

there's a heir of authority in

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how you present yourself that

makes you immediately trustworthy.

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Because these clients, again, they're

not hunting for the cheapest option.

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That's not the criteria by which they

are deciding who they're gonna work with.

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They are trying to reduce risk.

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They are looking for fit,

and your job is to make that

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decision feel obvious to them.

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That's the job of your website.

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So here are a few mistakes that I

sometimes see clinicians make and

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that we are really, really mindful of.

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Of course, when we are supporting

clinicians and done for you and

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what our students in Confident

Copy learn to avoid as well.

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The first mistake is attempting

to actually sell therapy.

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So long explanations of why therapy

matters, as if the client doesn't already

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know, or really broad sweeping education

that could really apply to anyone about

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why therapy matters or what it can do.

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Now, this backfires because again,

premium clients don't need to be

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convinced that they wanna go to therapy

or that it can work, and so it can make

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you sound like a more of a generalist.

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As opposed to a specialist.

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So as you are approaching your website,

I want you to write as if you are

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assuming that they're already bought in.

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They already know they need this

speak, like the guide that they're

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searching for, the person who's gonna

lead them to the change that they're

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wanting, not convincing them that

they need a guide to begin with.

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This is focusing more on why you, on what

you bring to the table and how you work

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and displaying your level of understanding

as opposed to convincing them that

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this is something that they need.

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You don't have to make the argument

for therapy in your marketing, okay?

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This is about making the argument

that you are the right therapist

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for them, and that shift is serious.

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When you make that shift,

that shift is huge.

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Okay, the next one.

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Is over emphasizing pain points.

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Now, if you've been in Confident copy, you

say, Anna, what about the empathy blocks?

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Or if you've seen us write copy, we

are acknowledging the pain points.

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Absolutely, because your clients

premium fee or pandemic or

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whoever are still coming motivated

by challenges in their lives.

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But when we overemphasize them, it

can sort of create a desperation

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energy, even when we don't mean to.

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Sometimes I'll land on

a therapist website who.

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Has had their website live for a long

time, and man, I scroll for days on that

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homepage, just painting this dire picture

of what the client is experiencing.

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27 ways your life is

falling apart right now.

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Empathy is all about displaying

a level of understanding.

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That's why we have to acknowledge these

pain points, but when we do it too much,

236

then we end up leading them back into the

spiral that they're trying to get out of.

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So there's a balance here in naming

the experience that brings your

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clients to you very, very clearly.

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But doing it maturely, doing it

with nuance, displaying enough as

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we call stickiness for someone to

be like, oh, you're in my head.

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Or, oh, I had that thought last

night at 2:00 AM but not so much

242

so that we are assuming that they

lack self-awareness or complexity.

243

Right.

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So we're not catastrophizing

on your website.

245

We are acknowledging, we are displaying

understanding, but we're not inviting them

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back into the pain that's led them here.

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And that's a balance, a

really, really fine one.

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The third one is making.

249

The tangible elements of your work,

the center of your client's decision.

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Now again, there's a balance here

and it, this is fundamentally about

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knowing what it is that your clients

need and are seeking out of therapy.

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If you do very, very structured

therapy with a very clear process,

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maybe you have a framework you use,

or it's a concentrated timeline,

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we need to be focusing on that.

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If you offer intensives, for instance,

we've gotta share about the process.

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But again, premium clients

aren't likely to base.

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Their decision on the number of

sessions, oh, well this therapist

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said I only have to come to 12

sessions, and this one said 16.

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That's probably not why they're

gonna choose you, right?

260

They're choosing based on the kind of

change they want to experience on the

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experience they're gonna have with you

and on your ability to lead them there.

262

And so there's absolutely some

expectation setting that needs

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to happen in your website.

264

We're actually gonna talk about

that in next week's episode when

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we talk about the about page.

266

But we wanna even further emphasize

outcomes and transformation

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because at the end of the day,

that is what they're motivated by.

268

If you're gonna tell me that I'm gonna be

able to stop bending over backwards for

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everyone else to put my own needs first

and to feel better in my relationships

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the way we get there, whether it's 16

sessions or there's lots of structured

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tools, or you, I get worksheets or I

don't, doesn't matter as much to me.

272

So again, making sure that we are

highlighting and most heavily emphasizing

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those outcomes and transformation is

what's going to invite someone to actually

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see the future that they're motivated

by when deciding who to work with.

275

This is also about being able to share

your approach without the jargon and

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sharing about what you bring to the room,

why you're really good at what you do,

277

the process that you take people through.

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That's hard.

279

It's one of our favorite things to

translate in our done for you clients

280

and to hear from clients like, oh,

I've never been able to say the way

281

that I work that way before is one

of the coolest compliments we get.

282

But you do need to find a way to

share about the way that you work,

283

because clients will evaluate.

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You based on that, without leaning into

the clinical space where their eyes

285

glaze over and they miss it entirely.

286

It's about showing what it's like to

work with you in your language, that

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process at a higher level so that

people, again, are understanding how

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we're gonna get there, but at the

end of the day, are most motivated

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by where you're going to get them.

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Because they're not here

paying for sessions.

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They're paying for the shift, those

sessions are going to lead to, okay.

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All right.

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The last mistake I sometimes see

clinicians make is speaking to

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hesitation instead of readiness,

as I mentioned earlier, I want you

295

to assume you already have buy-in.

296

I want you to speak to the client

who already knows they're gonna do

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this and is just deciding are you

it or is the next therapist it.

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Okay.

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So speaking to readiness in your

marketing, again, premium fee

300

clients are not on the fence about

whether or not they need this.

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They're not debating

whether they are bad enough.

302

They're not being dragged

into it or coerced.

303

They're there, but a lot of

therapist websites are written to

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someone who's still hesitating.

305

You don't have to do this alone.

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It's okay to reach out,

stop struggling in silence.

307

These are all good things to say and

sometimes people need to hear it.

308

That language is compassionate, but

it's also speaking to someone who is

309

still wrestling with the decision to

start therapy at all, and we wanna be

310

avoiding that energy in your marketing.

311

Premium clients are more

in that readiness energy.

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They've probably thought

about this for months.

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They've probably been to therapy before.

314

Talked about it with friends,

budgeted for it, right?

315

They have the resources.

316

They're not asking, should I get help?

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They're asking who is the

right therapist for me.

318

So if your website over overemphasizes

hesitation, then it subtly lowers

319

the level of that conversation.

320

So instead of trying to push someone

over the edge into therapy, speak

321

to the person who's already stepped

forward and is now just deciding,

322

are you it or is it someone else?

323

Assume that they know that they want

depth, that they value expertise,

324

that they're choosing carefully.

325

Not about convincing, but about showing

them that you are the right choice.

326

This is all very, very subtle, but these

are the types of things that a premium

327

fee client is going to be looking for.

328

That's what's gonna help them feel

like you are speaking to me because of

329

the place that they themselves are at.

330

All of these mistakes come

fundamentally from two things.

331

One, you knowing the work that you

do very, very well, what you bring to

332

the table that others do not, and two,

where your client finds themself, what

333

their mindset is, what it is that they

are motivated by, and what type of

334

experience they're seeking out of therapy.

335

It can be tempting to feel like

you need to generalize your copy

336

a little bit or generalize your

marketing, or stay broad or stay open.

337

But like I said, specificity right now

is your greatest asset, especially when

338

we consider the mindset of people who are

deciding to pay premium fees for therapy

339

in this market and in this economy.

340

Now premium fee clients are coming to

you with a desire to relieve symptoms.

341

Absolutely right.

342

I had the big blow up with my

spouse last night, or I snapped at

343

my kids for the thousand the time

and I feel horrible about it, or a

344

big life change happened and I am

completely at a crossroads in my life.

345

Whatever it is, they're

coming to you with a.

346

Desire to reduce the discomfort

they're in right now.

347

But what they're often really

signing up for is the deeper stuff.

348

It's the ability to trust themselves.

349

Again.

350

It's the desire to feel steady

in their lives in a way that they

351

haven't in years or maybe ever.

352

It's to have better relationships

and to stop attracting the wrong

353

partner over and over and over again.

354

It's to free themselves from

the pattern that they keep

355

seeing themselves fall into and.

356

So when people are coming to you wanting

to relieve anxiety, for instance, if

357

you're ideal client, that is their

primary challenge, they're here

358

ultimately because they wanna stop living.

359

Like everything is about to fall

apart and to stop waiting for

360

the next shoe to drop, right?

361

Or if I'm coming to you and I'm so

frustrated with a pattern of people

362

pleasing that I can't get out of, really

what they want is to be able to say what

363

they mean and not feel bad about it.

364

If you work with couples, they're not

just coming in because they keep fighting.

365

They're coming in 'cause they

wanna feel like a team again.

366

They wanna remember why they fell in love.

367

Your website's job is to

speak to this deeper desire to

368

help these clients feel seen.

369

So they're stopped in their

tracks and they say, oh yes,

370

that is what I'm looking for.

371

Symptom relief, yes, but

ultimately that deeper change.

372

So here's some questions you can ask

yourself as you're looking at your

373

website and wondering, am I aligning

to the mindset of a premium fee client?

374

One, does my website assume that my

client already values therapy or does it

375

read like I'm trying to convince them?

376

Two, do I sound specialized?

377

Or could this copy be pasted onto 50

other therapist sites that one can hurt?

378

Could I take your copy and put

it elsewhere and it still fit?

379

If so, then we have some

opportunity for specificity.

380

Do I sound like a guide, an expert

with a clear approach, or like someone

381

who's just hoping they'll be picked.

382

If a premium client landed

here, would they feel like

383

this is it, or This is fine.

384

Fine isn't cutting it right now for

these premium fee clients, we need

385

to be making you the destination for

the symptom relief, but ultimately

386

that deeper transformation that

your clients are motivated by and

387

are interested in investing in.

388

Now, as I mentioned, if you're sitting

here thinking, okay, I get it, Anna,

389

I do not wanna be the one rewriting

this, or I don't know where to start.

390

Or I don't know what is wrong

or I don't have a website yet,

391

but I know I wanna do this.

392

Right.

393

That's why we offer our

done for You services.

394

This is about creating websites that

don't just look good, 'cause Pretty

395

doesn't book sessions, but that actually

does some pre-qualifying, right?

396

I was talking to a potential done for

you client yesterday in a discovery

397

session, and she asked what types

of feedback we get from our clients

398

after they launch their sites.

399

And one of the best ones

is how good the fit is.

400

So after we launch their new website,

they're getting on conversations with

401

people who are perfect for them, who are

quoting their website back to them because

402

their website is doing that filtering.

403

It's speaking to the energy and the

mindset of their ideal client and

404

also blessing and releasing those

who are not the right fit for them.

405

So it's about creating a website that

goes before you, that's priming your

406

clients for your high price point.

407

And really elevating the way that

you are perceived by them matching

408

the experience that they're seeking.

409

The goal of the websites we

create is to make premium fee

410

clients feel like finally, this

is what I've been looking for.

411

That's what we love to do for you.

412

Like I said, you can get all the

details about our done for you

413

services@walkerstrategycode.com

414

slash services.

415

Grab one of my remaining discovery session

slots before maternity leave begins.

416

If you're sitting here and you're

like, Anna, I'm not ready for that,

417

or I wanna learn what's going wrong,

I wanna dig more deeply into this.

418

We just released our Clear website, full

Caseload Workshop on Demand, so this is

419

our most popular workshop we've ever ran.

420

It was available live earlier this year

and now is available for you to watch

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whenever you'd like, and it's about

diving more deeply into the mistakes

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that many clinicians are making on

their website that are keeping them from

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attracting those premium fee clients.

424

So if you want more of a show me

how to do it, show me how to fix it

425

experience, then the clear website

full caseload would be awesome for you.

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You can dive right in, totally

free on demand, as I mentioned,

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Walker strategy code.com/cwf.

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C Clear website, full caseload,

CWFC, and jump right in.

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Watch that.

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Start taking notes.

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Like I said, we go even more

deeply into what those mistakes

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are and how you can be making the

shifts on your existing website.

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Now remember, premium fee clients in

this market do not need convincing.

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They need to be shown that you are

the obvious next step for them.

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Your marketing's job, your

website's job especially, is to

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show them that you are that person.

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You don't have to sell therapy, but you

do have to establish yourself as the

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expert to speak to that deeper desire and

to lead like the guide that you are who

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can help your best fit clients experience

the life change that they are seeking.

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You've got it in you.

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I believe in you, and I'll

see you in our next episode.

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Okay.