LISA SIMONE RICHARDS: PR ESSENTIALS FOR CANADIAN PRIVATE PRACTICES | EP 51

What is PR?  

Simone explains three different types of media: 

• Social media: this is the platform where you make your practice footprint in the digital scene

‘I love social media because we can control our own conversation. However, we have to remember that (with) social media, anybody can do it, it doesn’t make you special. [It can be] very noisy.’ – Lisa Simone Richards

• Paid media: these are your Facebook and Instagram ads, or any type of paid advertising. 

You can reach massive audiences with paid media and triple or quadruple your digital foot traffic overnight with a handful of paid ads. However, it can be a costly investment. 

• Earned media: you get onto somebody else’s platform to share your message, like being a guest on a podcast or being featured in a magazine. 

‘You have to figure out; “Okay, how can I figure out who’s in control of this platform and come up with a message that’s going to deliver value to their audience so that I can get access [to them]?” So, that’s where I step in with publicity and PR, getting people earned media.’ – Lisa Simone Richards 

The power of PR

The point of publicity is not to get paid because it’s actually about the exposure, that’s the true value. 

To be seen and put the name of your Canadian private practice out there in front of hundreds, thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of people is like putting your practice on a rocket launch! 

‘After [you] get an appearance on a show, [your] clinic will be flooded with phone calls … because [you] just got this endorsement on national television, so that’s the benefit, it’s not getting on the backend – although it’s nice – but it’s the exposure and visibility that you’re paying for.’ – Lisa Simone Richards 

Content versus visibility

Most Canadian private practice therapists focus their efforts solely on creating great content, but in the process, they may miss the mark on boosting their visibility. 

Content is what you put in front of your existing audience, which are the people who already follow you, and it is known that the algorithm doesn’t show your content to 100% of your followers in any case. 

So, great content is important because it builds your repertoire with your existing audience, however, you need to work on visibility as well. 

‘How can we make sure that you’re constantly filling the top of that funnel and getting exposure in front of new people so that they’re following you, and now when you [create] new content it’s reaching more people?’ – Lisa Simone Richards

How to create new leads every day 

The principle of building new leads and connections with a prospective audience is to work with intention: what is the purpose of getting visible? 

Lisa’s ABCs of visibility: 

• A: Awareness 
• B: Buzz 
• C: Credibility 

Even though you probably want to hit all-systems-go on each aspect, you are still a Canadian private practice owner and probably already have a lot on your plate. Therefore, just pick one to start on and get comfortable doing it. 

‘I recommend [that you] get started with one, and do it really well to the point of lather-rinse-repeat, you’re not even thinking about it.’ – Lisa Simone Richards

Figure out what the best use of your time and energy will be, and where you will get the most return, and do it until you feel confident to try the next step. 

Lisa’s top tip: to really hit home with potential clients and to get them to convert, be fast and easy. Be quick with responding to queries and questions, and easy for them to find answers or book an appointment with you. 

Reach out to different media outlets in your area to see who would be open to forming a PR relationship with you to represent your Canadian private practice. 

PR strategies for Canadian counsellors 

A great way to boost awareness about your Canadian private practice – especially if you have a brick-and-mortar practice – is to strive to achieve a local city award.

Your community newspaper almost definitely has a reader’s choice award, and that’s a great yet underutilized way of getting your name around town and into the conversations of your closest potential clients.