If you've ever worried that your market is too saturated to build a thriving private practice, this episode offers a different perspective. Drawing on years of experience helping therapists grow full-fee caseloads, Anna shares exactly what she would do if she were launching a practice today—and why standing out has less to do with competition and more to do with clarity.

In this episode, she walks through the three areas she would focus on during the first 90 days of practice ownership: choosing a strategic niche, creating a website that builds trust and connection, and becoming visible to the people most likely to refer clients.

Whether you're just getting started or rethinking your current marketing approach, this conversation will help you focus on what actually moves the needle.

Here’s What You’ll Learn in This Episode

1️⃣ How to choose a niche that helps you stand out without sacrificing the work you enjoy most.

2️⃣ Why a micro-niche can make it easier for ideal-fit clients and referral sources to remember and recommend you.

3️⃣ How to create a website that differentiates you in a crowded market and builds trust with potential clients.

4️⃣ The simple visibility strategy Anna would prioritize before investing time in more complex marketing tactics.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Confident Copy: https://walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• Squarespace Templates: https://walkerstrategyco.com/templates
• Done-for-You Services: https://walkerstrategyco.com/services
• Confident Copy Live (waitlist opening soon for the August cohort)

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 Anna Walker, 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, hey.

2

Welcome back to Marketing

Therapy, episode 74.

3

Full disclosure, this is my first one I'm

recording post-maternity leave, so we'll

4

see if I can remember how to do this.

5

I had a really wonderful maternity leave.

6

Baby boy arrived on a very,

very early April morning after

7

a very, very quick labor.

8

But we're both doing well.

9

Maternity leave was really

lovely in a lot of ways.

10

My oldest children adjusted

really beautifully.

11

Sweet boy is healthy.

12

I physically feel great, and the,

the coolest part is how much I was

13

able to be unplugged from work.

14

My team and I did a lot of preparation

leading up to maternity leave so that I

15

could do that, and it was the greatest

gift to be able to fully unplug, check

16

in once a week on Fridays, and then

otherwise just be able to be with my

17

family and work on snuggling that little

baby and getting to feeling better.

18

So, here we find ourselves, episode

74, and I'm excited about this one.

19

I want to talk about what I would do if

I were launching a practice, specifically

20

in a really saturated market, which I

know many of you find yourselves in.

21

This is a fun exercise to consider.

22

All right, if I was hanging my shingle

in the Nashville area, what would I do?

23

And there are really two

ways to use this episode.

24

One, if you're launching, here you go.

25

Here are some ideas that you can consider.

26

And sort of a plan that

you could consider.

27

If you're already in practice, which

most of you likely are, then this

28

is more of a gut check of where your

time, energy, or money is going right

29

now, and if there might be some ways

you could pivot, either in a big way

30

or sometimes in a small way, right?

31

Sometimes it's just those couple of

degree changes we make that can make a

32

really big difference in our energy and

in our success and in our businesses.

33

So, the fact is, based on talking

to hundreds of you every single

34

year, I know that you would likely

consider your market saturated.

35

Now, you might be different.

36

For instance, we just had a Confident Copy

student graduate who's in North Dakota.

37

Not as saturated as those of you

who are in Southern California or

38

Manhattan, whatever that might be.

39

But chances are you would

consider your area saturated.

40

Chances are very, very good that

even if you wouldn't say, "Yeah,

41

I'm in a really saturated area,"

that at least it has changed, right?

42

So pre-pandemic, most everyone was

in person, and so the only therapists

43

available to your clients were the

therapists around them locally.

44

Then the pandemic hits, everyone goes

online, and all of a sudden, your

45

clients have access to the entire state.

46

Sometimes clinicians in other states if

they became licensed in that one, right?

47

The pool got larger.

48

And not only did the pool of

therapists get larger, but the pool

49

of other options became larger.

50

We now have AI tools that claim to

provide therapeutic support, right?

51

That did not exist five, 10 years ago.

52

So, the fact is, there are more options

available to your clients than ever.

53

There are certainly likely more therapists

available to your clients than ever, and

54

that can raise some really interesting

questions as it relates to marketing.

55

So that's what we're talking about today.

56

Now, if you don't know this already, I'm

not a therapist, so there are certain

57

things about the work that you do that

I can never and will never understand

58

and only have deep respect for.

59

But I have helped, by now,

literally thousands of you grow

60

thriving full-fee practices.

61

And as a result, I've been able to

see behind the scenes of what works,

62

also what doesn't work, and really

where I think smart and well-trained

63

clinicians might be losing months

or, ooh, years to the wrong moves.

64

So that's kind of what I was reflecting

on as I decided to outline this episode.

65

Now I do, as a result of not being

a therapist and working instead

66

with them, have the benefit of

some pattern recognition, right?

67

Because I have worked with thousands

of you, because I have coached hundreds

68

of you in in Confident Copy Live, and

worked with you in done-for-you settings,

69

I've gotten to see behind the curtain.

70

And so I can start to notice the

trends that you, when you're sitting

71

in your own practice, working on your

own website, thinking about your own

72

marketing, don't have the benefit of.

73

And so I want you to get to,

to benefit from that as well.

74

Now one more thing before

we get into what I would do.

75

Saturation isn't necessarily a bad thing.

76

I hear many, many clinicians talk about

it as if it is a negative quality of where

77

they find themselves or their business.

78

Saturation is a neutral thing.

79

It is neither good nor bad.

80

It doesn't mean that there

are too many therapists.

81

It does not mean that you are

competing for clients out there.

82

I think the biggest problem today

is that all of the therapists

83

around you are starting to look

and sound and market the same.

84

So how can you break out of that, right?

85

How could that perhaps

be good news to you?

86

This isn't about how many

therapists are around you.

87

It's about what decisions are those

therapists making, and how could you

88

potentially be a little bit different?

89

And so that's the cool thing that you get

to get creative about right now in this

90

market, is standing out, being different,

finding your voice, things like that.

91

So maybe saturation isn't

actually a bad thing.

92

Maybe it's neither good nor bad, but

it does present opportunity to you.

93

That's what I want you to kinda

sit on as we get into this.

94

So a couple steps that I would go through

if I were launching a practice, and these

95

are the things that I would tackle in the

first maybe ninety days of the practice.

96

First and foremost, you're not gonna be

surprised by this if you've been listening

97

to Marketing Therapy for a while.

98

I'm gonna choose my niche, and I'm

gonna choose it very, very thoughtfully.

99

Now, there are a couple things about that

niche I wanna talk about 'cause a niche

100

doesn't mean the same thing to all of

us, and you can pick an effective one.

101

You can also pick an ineffective

one in, in a lot of different ways.

102

So first and foremost, I'd of course

pick a niche that I am trained in,

103

that I feel clinically competent in.

104

That would be silly not to.

105

It would also be important to me

that I would pick a niche that I have

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passion for and that has real demand.

107

That's three things.

108

One, I'm trained in it.

109

Two, I have passion for it.

110

And three, there is demand.

111

If there is only one or two of

those, then we are gonna be missing

112

an important piece of that puzzle.

113

A couple of those that I see right

now, this is not an exhaustive

114

list, but children, working with

children I think is very in demand.

115

OCD, couples work, eating disorders,

things like that, those are some of the

116

in-demand niches that I see out there.

117

But it's very, very important to note

that as I was picking a niche, I would

118

not be chasing one purely because

it's, quote unquote, hot right now.

119

Burnout in that niche is going

to be faster than burnout

120

in a slower growing one.

121

Okay?

122

So I have seen people actually

post in our Facebook group, "What

123

niches are popular right now?"

124

Or, "What niches are best

for private pay right now?"

125

I would propose that that is the

wrong way of thinking about this.

126

Yes, we need demand.

127

Yes, we need the market to need what

it is that you're doing, but we cannot

128

make your decision solely based on that,

because that is a recipe for burnout.

129

Okay?

130

On the flip side, we can't just

pick what you're passionate about

131

if there's not a market for it.

132

So it's about looking at all

three of those things and

133

really, really balancing them.

134

When I see a lot of new therapists

deciding on their niche, they

135

often either pick too broadly,

and we talk a lot about that here,

136

and how the power of specificity

is so important in this market.

137

So I'm gonna do anxiety

and depression for women.

138

Like, okay, hmm, okay,

not particularly specific.

139

Or sometimes they end up picking a niche

they're not super excited about because

140

someone told them it was lucrative, and so

they thought, "Well, then I'll just pick

141

the thing that's gonna make me money,"

and then they end up regretting that.

142

That's where some of those posts in

the Facebook group sometimes lead.

143

Now, remember that a niche that does

not serve you is going to drain you,

144

if not now, five years from now.

145

And it's not to say you

can't pivot your niche.

146

We talk often about the fact

that your niche can evolve.

147

It should evolve.

148

But if you're signing up for something

that doesn't serve you, it will drain you.

149

However, if the market doesn't

want the niche you choose, then

150

that's gonna starve you, too.

151

So it's about that balance,

those three things.

152

I'm trained in it, I have passion

for it, and there's demand for it.

153

Now, here's the other thing I would

do when I'm choosing my niche.

154

Not only would I pick something that falls

kind of at the intersection of those three

155

things, but I would tack on a micro-niche.

156

The power of the micro-niche

is massive right now.

157

We actually have an entire lesson

in Confident Copy called The Mighty

158

Micro-Niche, where we help you

identify something that you can add

159

onto your niche that adds some unique

differentiation to what it is that you do.

160

So in a saturated market, you know, if

you're in, in the middle of Manhattan,

161

or the Bay Area, or something like

that, your niche alone isn't necessarily

162

what's going to make you stand out.

163

Because you might enjoy working with

a wide range of folks, and we talk

164

about often the fact that that's okay.

165

It can still be an effective niche.

166

But when you specialize in something

highly specific in addition to

167

that more general niche, that's

when you unlock a lot of power.

168

So instead of doing couples work, you

specialize in high conflict couples or

169

couples after infidelity or premarital

counseling, something like that.

170

Maybe instead of just young adult

women that you enjoy, maybe you

171

have a micro-niche around dating.

172

Maybe you don't just do parenting, but

you have a micro-niche in IVF or NICU

173

parents or neurodivergent parenting.

174

Maybe instead of anxiety, there is

anxiety in a particular profession

175

like physicians or lawyers.

176

Can you see how these are a more

specific version of a more general niche?

177

So it's not to say that you can't

do anxiety work, that you can't do

178

parenting work, but in addition to

that, you are calling out either a

179

specific population or a specific

presenting issue under that umbrella.

180

That unlocks so much marketing

potential for you, and I'm gonna talk

181

about that a little bit later in step

three that I would be taking here.

182

But that's what I would do.

183

I would pick a niche that lives at the

intersection of training, passion, and

184

demand, and then I would add on one

to two micro-niches underneath that.

185

How would that look in practice?

186

That might look like deciding

that I'm gonna specialize, we'll

187

say, in the parenting niche.

188

So I know that I wanna work with

parents or maybe moms in general.

189

So I might have a, like, pregnancy page.

190

I might have a postpartum anxiety and

depression page, and then I might have a

191

method page like EMDR or IFS, whatever it

is that I'm trained in, and then I would

192

have one to two micro-niche pages on my

website around those items that I have

193

identified, like IVF or NICU parents.

194

Okay?

195

And we'll talk more, like I said,

about how to market a micro-niche,

196

but ultimately, doing this does

a couple of things for you.

197

One, it makes you very, very

findable because we know how

198

important specificity is.

199

People are looking for specifics,

especially if I've just been through

200

a NICU experience, especially if

I'm going through IVF, and I need

201

someone who understands that, right?

202

Not generalities.

203

They're looking for specifics.

204

It also makes you very,

very, very referrable.

205

Very referrable, right?

206

Other providers are going to

remember the IVF therapist more

207

than I work with moms, okay?

208

So it makes you very, very referrable.

209

And then it also makes you really,

really memorable to yourself,

210

and that's something I'll talk

about a little bit more, but it

211

really organizes your thinking.

212

It organizes your decision-making,

your networking, your content.

213

Micro-niching just gives you a

laser focus that if you're trying

214

to be an quote, unquote, "anxiety

therapist," you will lack otherwise.

215

Now, when we're thinking about a saturated

market in particular, this micro-niche

216

is our first differentiation move, okay?

217

Rather than trying to compete with the

three hundred therapists around me that

218

also can potentially treat anxiety,

I'm competing with the handful who are

219

claiming something more specific, right?

220

That number is gonna

be much, much smaller.

221

I find that the therapists who

struggle most in saturated markets

222

are the ones trying to be a fit

for quote, unquote "everyone."

223

Whether You've been here for a while,

or if this is your first episode,

224

let me remind you, specificity is

a competitive advantage right now.

225

How can you be getting more

specific in your niche?

226

So that's step one.

227

Effectively, it's not

just choosing a niche.

228

Hello, you know you need one.

229

But it's about choosing one that

gives you both traction and joy

230

in your work, and then going one

level deeper with that micro niche.

231

That's how I would walk

through this process.

232

All right, step two.

233

I already teased it.

234

Of course, I'm going to invest in a

website that reflects where I want to go.

235

It's gonna reflect the

clinician that I plan to be.

236

Now, of course, things are gonna change.

237

I can't know the future.

238

But I'm gonna show up to my marketing,

beginning with my website, as if I am the

239

fully booked clinician that I want to be.

240

This doesn't mean necessarily that

I'm investing in a website and paying

241

thousands, thousands of dollars, but

it does mean that I am creating this

242

marketing tool, the foundation of all

of my marketing, with the intention

243

that it reflects the practice that

I'm headed toward, not necessarily

244

the baby practice that I'm starting.

245

Okay?

246

So I'm not waiting until I feel

ready enough, or I feel qualified,

247

or I've been in practice for a

while to be serious about this.

248

I would, like I said, show up to

this website as if I'm already the

249

fully booked therapist that I want

to be these days, most new therapists

250

don't skip the website entirely.

251

That used to be more of a prevalent

issue, like, pre-pandemic.

252

These days, you know you

need a website even if you're

253

brand new to private practice.

254

But it's an afterthought or it's something

that you just do and check the box

255

and don't take seriously or invest in.

256

Or on the flip side, sometimes people

take their website so seriously that

257

they sit on it for three or six or

nine months trying to make it perfect.

258

So this is, again, a balance between

investing in it, taking it seriously,

259

making sure that it does you justice,

and also not sitting on it so long

260

that it holds you back, right?

261

'Cause we gotta get it out into the world.

262

It can always evolve and improve.

263

Now, in this saturated market in

particular, it is very easy these

264

days to end up with a site that

looks identical to everyone else.

265

We've been talking a lot recently about

how important your visual identity

266

is, how appearing different in the,

you know, split-second experience

267

that your clients have with you on

your website is actually going to

268

often lead to their decision-making.

269

If you go to Psychology Today

right now and click into a bunch of

270

different therapist websites, right?

271

Click into their profile, and then

you click View Website, or maybe you

272

go to Google and look for therapists

around you, and you pull up fifteen

273

websites, you're gonna start to see

a lot of the same things, right?

274

We're gonna see the same stock photo

of a woman looking out a window.

275

We're gonna see the same color palettes.

276

We're gonna see the same "I'm so

glad you're here" content, right?

277

These things start to look

really, really familiar.

278

And in this market, that

sameness is expensive.

279

Now, you're hearing this from

someone who sells website templates.

280

You could absolutely purchase one of our

website templates, add in your content,

281

and launch it, and some people do that,

and your website is going to be beautiful.

282

These days, our templates are as

effective as they have ever been, but

283

I also think it's critical that you

put your own spin on it visually and

284

copy-wise, visually and niche-wise.

285

But you gotta be thinking about, "What

can I do differently so that this doesn't

286

look like another therapist website

that this, this client could land on?"

287

How could you be adding your personal

spin to how things look and feel?

288

'Cause like I said, sameness right

now can be very, very expensive.

289

Because when everything looks the

same, the client who's browsing

290

can't tell anyone apart, and

you don't end up standing out.

291

I would really invest in a

site that's signaling that this

292

is a specific person, right?

293

This is a specific therapist

294

with a specific point of view who

works with a specific type of person.

295

It doesn't mean I have to

be weird or trendy, right?

296

I don't have to do anything bright or

punchy or bold if I don't want to, but

297

it does mean having to be intentional.

298

It does mean being really thoughtful

about color choices and photos and

299

the way that that copy sounds so that

it is consistent and distinct from

300

what it is that you see out there.

301

So rather than going to other therapist

websites and wishing that yours looked

302

or sounded the same, push yourself

to be a little bit different, to take

303

a little bit of a different point of

view, to consider a different approach.

304

Now, the other differentiator, and

we've gotta talk about this right

305

now, if you are going to be creating

a website, especially early on, is you

306

cannot let your website sound like AI

wrote it, even if AI helps you write it.

307

Do you hear me?

308

We are seeing more and more the fact

that people are not rewarding AI

309

content the way that they used to.

310

I was in a Confident Copy live

coaching call, the last one of our

311

most recent cohort, and a clinician

shared a win that she has gotten

312

really good at picking out AI content.

313

In Confident Copy, for instance, we have

AI tools that are incredibly helpful, and

314

we also have a training on how best to

use it so that you're not just relying

315

on ChatGPT to spit copy back at you,

because that is very, very dangerous.

316

All right?

317

People can see it.

318

They know it when they see it, and they

don't trust it the way that they used to.

319

So when we have a really, really saturated

market, and people are over-relying

320

on ChatGPT, what does that mean?

321

That means we have an absolute

flood of websites on the market

322

that sound exactly the same, that

are using the exact same sentence

323

structure and the exact same language.

324

You can spot them in seconds.

325

I bet you can.

326

I bet you've gotten better and

better at it in the last six months.

327

All right, you're seeing a bunch of em

dashes, although I love the em dash, you

328

can pry it out of my cold dead hands,

but an overuse of em dashes, right?

329

Words like navigate and journey and

unpack stacked in the same sentence.

330

The same list of three things

over and over and over again.

331

Clarity, confidence, connection.

332

Clarity, confidence, connection.

333

Grounded, authenticity, connection, right?

334

Those headings that look

exactly like ChatGPT wrote them.

335

Really vague descriptions instead of real

specifics that really don't say much.

336

You're stuck and you don't know why.

337

These are all telltale

signs of AI right now.

338

Now, let me be clear, like I just said,

Confident Copy has AI tools in it.

339

I am not anti-AI.

340

I actually think it can be used very,

very thoughtfully and very, very well,

341

but it cannot replace your humanness.

342

I would never let it

write my website for me.

343

I would use it to brainstorm.

344

I would use it to refine.

345

I would never use it to write because

that means that I'm outsourcing

346

the most important connection

point for my practice to a robot.

347

And in this market, you simply cannot

afford to do that, especially as people

348

become more and more skeptical of AI.

349

A site right now that sounds

human in a sea of sites that

350

don't is itself a differentiator.

351

It's one of the reasons we love Confident

Copy so much because you can trust that

352

if you actually use that process, if

you don't over-rely on AI, that you're

353

going to create something that people

actually trust when they read it and

354

doesn't instead invite uncertainty.

355

It's almost unfair how much

of an edge that is right now.

356

Do not outsource this to AI, please.

357

So that is step two of what I would be

doing if I were starting my own practice.

358

Your website is, of course, the moment

that most people decide whether or

359

not they're going to work with you.

360

In a saturated market, we cannot

overstate the power of that.

361

People aren't necessarily showing

up comparing your training,

362

although your training matters.

363

They're comparing how they felt on

that website versus the other five,

364

seven, nine that they had open.

365

Okay?

366

So a good website isn't just gonna look

nice, although we're gonna be really,

367

really thoughtful about the look and

feel, but it's also going to do the

368

differentiating work that's almost

impossible to do any other way right now.

369

All right, step three.

370

What else would I do?

371

So I pick the niche, I create that

website, I'd show up to it as the

372

fully booked clinician I wanna be,

and then I'd get visible, especially

373

with the people who already trust me.

374

I would accept, I would know going into

this early on that nobody's going to

375

refer to me if they don't know what I do.

376

So first and foremost, I'd just

start talking about my work.

377

I would start building the muscle

of talking about my niche, about the

378

work that I do best, about the clients

that I serve on a regular basis.

379

I'm not gonna be annoying about this.

380

I'm not gonna bring it up at Thanksgiving

dinner and every single interaction I

381

have with someone, but when I see an

opportunity, I'm going to mention to

382

my friends, my family, my providers,

the mom at the school function,

383

whatever, what it is that I do.

384

Never as a pitch, never as a send

me clients, but a sharing, helping

385

people know what it is that I do.

386

If they can't know, they can't refer.

387

Okay?

388

And so I would really treat my

first 90 days of practice ownership

389

as a relationship building

project first and foremost.

390

This isn't some flashy marketing campaign.

391

It is simply relationship building.

392

It was making sure that the people

in my circle, the people who are

393

already cheering me on in a personal

or professional way, know what it is

394

that I do, have a clear understanding

of my niche, would know if they

395

ran into my ideal client that

they had run into my ideal client.

396

That's what I would just focus

on, making sure they understood.

397

Now, often when new therapists launch

their website, they either go quiet,

398

and this pains me to see, because they

just assume people are gonna find them.

399

"Well, I launched the website,

so don't the clients come?"

400

Or they go straight to what I call

broadcast strategies like Instagram

401

or blogging or whatever, these, like,

spray and pray strategies before they've

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activated the very people around them,

the warm network they already have.

403

That's what I hate to see happen.

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Warm network visibility, making sure

that the people around you, the people

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in your circle know what it is that

you do almost always outperforms cold

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audience, those broadcast strategies

visibility in the first ninety days.

407

When we hear from a Confident Copy

student that they've booked a new

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client from their website or three

new clients from their website

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or their, you know, whatever.

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Their practice is full in a summer.

411

Whatever it is that we hear,

my next question is always,

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"How did they find you?"

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And most often the answer is, "Oh,

I shared about my practice or about

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my website with my consultation

group," or, or I got a referral from

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a former client," or something related

to their current network, right?

416

It's not always going out

and finding brand new people,

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although that is something that

you need to focus on as well.

418

But in the early days, why not make use

of the people closest to home, right?

419

So what does that actually look like?

420

One, tapping the connectors in your life.

421

There are some people that

are just natural connectors.

422

You know who they are, right?

423

I'm not personally one of those,

but I've got the people in my life.

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They are the people whose either job

or just personality means that they

425

are in touch with people, that they're

hearing about needs on a regular basis.

426

That could be teachers, doulas, the PTO

leader at your child's school, that person

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at church who just seems to know everyone.

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If that is someone who you're

genuinely connected to, make

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connections with the connectors.

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They are the people that

are in touch with others.

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They're the ones that are likely to

be bumping into your ideal client.

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Who are the connectors in your life?

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Who are you already connected to who

might be connected to your ideal client?

434

Okay?

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Now, one critical thing that I want

to mention when it comes to starting a

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practice, if I were doing it right now,

I would have an in-person location.

437

I know that isn't an option for absolutely

everyone, but I would choose to have

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an in-person office, even part-time.

439

This is increasingly underrated,

especially as more and more folks,

440

one, decide that they wanna go

in person with their therapist.

441

You know, in the post-pandemic world,

we just wanna be with other people.

442

And two, the visibility, findability,

SEO potential that are available

443

to online practices is limited

compared to in-person ones.

444

We're talking about Google

Business Profile, Psych

445

Today, whatever that might be.

446

There's some local credibility that is

hard to fake online, and from an SEO

447

and AI perspective can't be replicated.

448

So even subleasing one day a week is

something I would consider in order to

449

have a physical location, even if the

bulk of your caseload remains online.

450

So that is one thing that I

would consider in this visibility

451

part of the, of the execution.

452

Now, beyond that, I would commit to one

to two repeatable visibility strategies.

453

So we're talking about having an

in-person location and activating

454

our warm network, and then focusing

on one to two strategies, not seven,

455

one to two strategies moving forward.

456

So that could be Google

Ads, if my budget allows.

457

That could be really strategic

local networking like PR

458

with my local news outlets.

459

That could be Instagram.

460

That could be LinkedIn.

461

You likely remember from our Summer Slump

series a couple weeks ago where we talked

462

about the different levers you can pull.

463

I would be choosing one to

two of those levers, and then

464

I would be committing to it.

465

I would be using the unfilled hours.

466

So if I wanna have fifteen clinical

hours in a week, and I only have two,

467

the other thirteen are gonna be spent

focusing on getting my name out there.

468

That might be a one-on-one

Zoom chat with someone.

469

That might be working on a flyer.

470

Whatever it might be, I would be

making sure that if I want to be a

471

fifteen-hour clinician, that right

now, even before I am, I'm spending

472

those fifteen hours building toward the

practice I want, taking it seriously.

473

Now, this is also the place that

having a micro-niche unlocks some

474

additional potential for you.

475

This is really where networking

gets effectively easier.

476

It's really where that

step one is gonna pay off.

477

I'm a therapist who works with

anxiety is very, very forgettable

478

because you and everyone else do.

479

I help women who are deconstructing

their Christian faith and figuring

480

out what they actually believe.

481

That's pretty unforgettable.

482

Okay?

483

So that's where a micro niche of, in

that instance, deconstructing Christian

484

faith would be very, very compelling.

485

When you have a micro niche,

it makes it easier to tell your

486

friend what it is that you do.

487

It makes it easier for that friend

to remember you a week later when

488

they're having a conversation with an

acquaintance who has just left the church.

489

It's the hook in everyone else's memory.

490

Okay?

491

That's one of the reasons I

love a micro niche so much, is

492

because it makes you memorable

493

Can you see here as I look at this how

I didn't jump straight into the splashy

494

popular strategies, but instead I just

leveraged what was available to me?

495

I started talking about

the work that I did.

496

I started taking my practice

seriously, and I let people

497

know, and I built that muscle.

498

As you build that muscle,

it's going to get stronger.

499

It's going to get easier over the life

of your practice to share about the

500

work that you do to find opportunities.

501

But focusing on that first,

it's the lowest hanging fruit.

502

It's the absolute lowest hanging fruit in

your practice, and it's what I would be

503

leveraging if I were a brand new clinician

right now All right, so the three moves,

504

again, especially in a saturated market.

505

One, I'm gonna be choosing

a niche that works for me.

506

I'm gonna be choosing one that

is in demand, that I have passion

507

for, and that I'm well-trained in.

508

And then I'm gonna go one level

deeper with one to two micro

509

niches that are going to increase

how memorable I am to people.

510

Then I'm going to invest in a

website that differentiates me from

511

the other people that my clients

are looking at, and that doesn't

512

look or sound like everyone else's.

513

Finally, I'm gonna get visible.

514

I'm gonna get visible through

real relationships and then only

515

one to two strategies early on.

516

Not seven, not nine.

517

I'm gonna stay really, really

focused on just a handful of

518

things in those early days.

519

Now, I cannot deny that

saturation is real.

520

We know that it's not twenty

fifteen anymore in the

521

private practice world, right?

522

The world has changed, AI has changed.

523

But I want to invite you into the

idea that maybe it's not the obstacle

524

that most people think it is.

525

The obstacle right now is being the same.

526

The obstacle right now is blending in.

527

So the therapists I am seeing do

well in saturated markets are the

528

ones who are thinking differently.

529

They aren't necessarily working

harder, although they are working hard.

530

They are staying consistent and taking

their practice seriously, but they're also

531

just really making intentional choices

about who they're for, what they're gonna

532

look like, where they're gonna show up.

533

The plan I've really laid out

for you here is about doing the

534

right things in the right order.

535

Building, choosing a niche, building that

client conversion engine in the form of

536

the website, and then making sure that

people know about that website, know

537

about that niche, and are interested

and compelled to reach out to me.

538

That is marketing at its most basic

and at its most basic when done well,

539

it's continuing to drive results

even in these saturated markets.

540

And the only reason I can tell you that

is because I'm seeing it in action in the

541

practices that we're supporting right now.

542

Now, a couple of things on the

horizon that some of you have been

543

asking about as it relates to this.

544

Again, whether you are brand new to

practice or you are in a new stage

545

and reconsidering your marketing.

546

We are rolling out some updates to

our done for you services in July.

547

We are announcing a brand new service.

548

Our packages are changing a bit, and

I'm gonna be sharing more on that soon.

549

And then our Confident Copy Live

waitlist is also going to be opening.

550

I mentioned that we just wrapped up

our cohort that started in January.

551

A new cohort will be beginning in August.

552

So if you're someone who knows that

they want that live experience, 16 weeks

553

of live coaching, feedback, community,

you're gonna have a chance to join the

554

waitlist here in a couple of weeks.

555

If you're someone who just wants

to go ahead and dive in right now,

556

Confident Copy is always open in its

self-study form for you to jump into.

557

You can get all the details

walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy.

558

And if you decide you wanna upgrade

to the live experience, that

559

will be an option for you, too.

560

So lots coming down the pike here.

561

But what I want you to remember here

is that saturation isn't a bad thing,

562

that if you stay committed to the most

basic things and you do them very,

563

very well, they can be effective.

564

And I hope my own plan that I built out if

I were starting a practice gave you some

565

areas of inspiration, maybe those couple

of degrees of pivoting or evolution you

566

need to bring into your practice, and has

you thinking in a new way this Tuesday.

567

Have a wonderful week.

568

I'll see you in the next

569

episode.