No one reading your psychology blog? It is probably because of your topic or title. I'm sharing a foolproof strategy for writing psycho-education posts people want to read.
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Choosing your topic
Good psychoeducation blog posts answer real questions that real people have in their real lives.
Real is the important word here. Whatever we write about it has to be something that a person would REALLY type in to their search engine.
There is no one size fits all for this. For example, if you are writing a blog for yoga instructors about how to incorporate more meditation into their practice a problem like “why can’t I get my class attendees to do diaphragmatic breathing?” would probably be very “real” for them. However, your average stressed out bank manager probably wouldn’t relate to the term “diaphragmatic breathing” at all.
There are some simple steps you can take to figure this out.
1. Know your ideal client(s). Listen again to the podcast episode on creating ideal client avatars for your product or service and pick just one for this blog post. Then talk to them! There are lots of ways to find them and talk to them and I go into this in the episode.
2. Record what questions they ask you (note common words and phrases). Go through your emails, voicemails, notes from sessions. What do they tell you they worry about?
3. Record what questions they ask each other (note more common words and phrases). What is commonly talked about in FB groups where they hang out? What do you overhear?
4. Read book reviews on Amazon on your topic and again note key words that reviewers are using to describe the problems the book solves. For example, if I am writing a blog for women diagnosed with ADHD I could look at the comments left on Amazon under “A Radical Guide for Women With ADHD.”
5. Use a tool like “Answer the Public” to sense check the questions you have come up with and add some more.
6. Use keywords everywhere to check search volumes. Avoid terms with very high search volumes as it will be hard to stand out in the crowd but do go for something that has some people searching for it.
Choosing your title
Now you know the sorts of topics people are really searching for and have a list of words they use to describe the problem. It is time to come up with a title that will make them want to read. I do this first so that I keep the structure of my blog tight around one very specific issue.
Key principles for titles
1. Name the problem not the solution. People don’t search for CBT for anxiety. They search for “what to do when I can’t stop worrying?” They don’t search for “top tips to improve your attachment with your child”. They search for “what do I do if my three year old hates me?” We type our problems into search engines. But most of the time we title our blog posts with OUR chosen solution. If you name the problem rather than imposing a solution in your title you are more likely to come up as a match to someone’s search term. Your content “snippet” which we will create later in the week then needs to tell them that you have the solution to the problem.
2. Call out your ideal client’s demographic and situation. You probably know already that it is best to be very specific with your blog titles as google can be crowded and it is VERY crowded in the mental health space. To be honest none of us have a hope of our own website’s coming near the top of google search results if we write about big topics like “depression” as all the slots will be taken by highly trusted sites like the BBC, NHS, NICE, Psychology Today etc.
3. Do the 1am test (can you imagine yourself or your ICA being bothered to type this into google at 1am?)
Example: Based on all of the above if I were going two write for my audience of parents about panic attacks I might choose the title: “How to get rid of panic attacks while driving with kids in the back”
Ps. This would be a good title even though I don't believe we can "get rid" of panic attacks. I would explain why it isn't helpful to "get rid" in the post.
Like what you heard and want support to plan, write and publish your first (or best) blog post?
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Are you spending hours on a psychology blog that no one reads? 😿
Do you want to use blogging to find clients who:
⭐️ Like your approach and value your specialism?
⭐️ Are happy to pay your full fees?
It is easy to give up on blogging because it feels like just another thing on your already overwhelming to-do list.
BUT, done the right way, blogging can get you fully booked with clients who value your specialism.
Over 5 days I will show you how to plan, write and promote the perfect post so you can be confident every minute you spend on your blog is worth it 🔥
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