In January 2021, I graduated from CPHT Manchester as a solution-focused hypnotherapist.
Later that year, I was invited back to talk to their latest graduating class about starting a hypnotherapy practice and everything that had happened to me in the first 12 months.
I talked step-by-step through the process I used to develop my business, attract clients, and make money from hypnotherapy.
Below is an abridged version of that process, detailing -in brief- the steps I took, the tools I used, and any words of advice I think are relevant.
How I Started a Hypnotherapy Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you prefer to read this in slide show format, here’s a copy of my PowerPoint Presentation.
1: Set a SMART Goal
Setting a SMART goal gives you a clear direction to head towards and helps you to stay focused and motivated.
SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable/Actionable
- Relevant/Realistic
- Time-Bound.
Smart Sheet has a great guide to setting SMART goals, as does Hubspot.
2: Create a Plan
Your goal determines where you’re going. Your plan determines how you’re going to get there.
Creating a plan provides a great opportunity to identify any problems or obstacles that may get in your way and come up with the exact steps you’re going to take to overcome those obstacles.
To help you out with this, here’s my guide to writing a business plan for your therapy practice.
3: Pick a Name
Some people go for clever, creative, and unique names, while others like me decide to use their own name (or some variation of it).
Both have their advantages.
The key thing is not to overthink it. The longer we spend agonising over the perfect name, the less time we’re spending taking action on achieving our goal of launching a successful hypnotherapy practice.
Don’t forget too to check that the name you want is available as a domain name.
3: Get a Logo
In my presentation to CPHT Manchester, I talked about creating a website before designing a logo, though really it makes more sense to do this first as you’ll want to add the latter to the former.
I designed my first logo for free using Canva.
Later, I hired a graphic designer from People Per Hour and they designed a much better logo for £25.
4: Create a Website
I bought hosting and a domain name from 1&1 Ionos.
I’ll be posting a guide to other hosting companies soon. Follow Therapist Marketing Tips on Facebook or Twitter to be notified when I post it.
I then used WordPress to build my website.
You can read my recommendations for other ways to build a website here.
5: Get Professional Photographs Done
The best picture I had was a Facebook profile picture that didn’t look very professional and wasn’t the kind of image I wanted for my hypnotherapy practice.
I asked around in local community Facebook groups, received a wide range of quotes, and eventually settled on a local photographer who did a fantastic job at an affordable price.
I later added the new photos to my website and other marketing materials.
6: Set up Google My Business
Google My Business is a great way to improve your visibility in local search.
7: Register with Hypnotherapy Directory
Hypnotherapy Directory accounts for a large percentage of my referrals.
The £15 monthly membership is the best £15 I spend all month.
8: Set up Facebook
Post every day using Facebook’s scheduling tools.
Aim for a mix of 75% non-promotional/25% promotional.
Create your own unique social media posts using Canva.com
9: Set up Instagram
This is good for showing your personality as a therapist.
Use #localhashtags to establish a community presence.
10: Get Print Marketing Done
Again, I used an affordable graphic designer on People Per Hour to create some flyers.
I could have used online printing companies such as:
- InstantPrint (my personal favorite)
- VistaPrint
- SoloPress
Instead, I chose a local printing company. This was mainly to establish a connection with another small, local business and give me an opportunity to tell people about my practice.
Speaking of…
11: Tell EVERYBODY
And tell them all the time!
Any opportunity you get to speak to people about your practice may produce good results.
After I told my photographer about what I do, she referred two people to me who became clients.
After talking to the owners of my local coffee shop, they let me put flyers and business cards on display.
Even my tattoo artist was eager to help and let me display print marketing stuff there too.
That’s just some of the big ones. The more people who know what you do, the more likely to come to you when they need you.
12: Find a Therapy Room
Some towns and cities will have dedicated spaces for therapists to practice, with room rentals typically averaging around £8-£15 per hour.
Failing that, beauty salons and similar establishments are often willing to rent out a room for around £10 an hour.
One other option is to look for therapists in different modalities (such as counselling) and see if they would be willing to sublet their space.
This was actually my preferred option, and I even spoke with a local counsellor about sharing their space but, alas, it wasn’t to be.
Wherever you choose to practice, be sure to have your therapy practice insurance in place, as no reputable business will allow you to rent a space without it.
13: Work With Clients
Gaining the confidence to be flexible and adaptable will help significantly.
Trust the process, be patient with clients who are taking baby steps, and look at trends in presenting issues to inform marketing decisions.
14: Be Bold and Brave
Step outside your comfort zone and try things outside of the norm to promote your practice and get clients.
Some things I did in my first year include:
15: Writing a Press Release for my Hypnotherapy Practice
Come up with a newsworthy story relating to your practice, write a press release about it and send it to the papers.
I’m in the process of writing a guide to producing a press release which I’ll share with you soon.
16: Sponsoring a Community Event
I paid £200 to sponsor our local Town Show which helped me to reach far more people than I could have done with my own efforts.
17: Take on a Charity Challenge
I recently raised £270 for Mind by running 100 miles in 30 days.
The story wrote itself:
A therapist who is passionate about helping people who are struggling runs 100 miles to raise money for mental health.
It made for good publicity for my practice.
18: Manning a Stall at a Local Event
A venue close to me held a “shopping fair” type event.
I took along my banner, some print marketing, and a bunch of other cool stuff and got talking to people.
I generated some great interest in my practice and made some good connections.
19: Writing for Local News Sites and Blogs
I wrote a blog on maintaining positive mental well-being in the winter which a local news site published.
It’s a great way to get your name out there, demonstrate your expertise and passion for helping others, and even build quality backlinks to my website.
My Next Steps in Growing My Hypnotherapy Practice
And that’s pretty much everything I’ve done in the first year.
It’s been an incredible journey so far, but I really am just getting started.
In the coming year I want to focus on:
Building more local relationships and integrating myself and my practice into the community.
Renting stalls at more shopping events and well-being fairs. I had a great time at the last event I did, but I’m going to focus on health and well-being fairs in the coming year.
Continuing on with CPD. After all, there’s always more to learn!
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