Writing Sales Copy for Talking Therapy

Writing about something as open-ended and personal as therapy can be difficult. Many therapists don’t know what to put on their website, and end up with information that meanders and has little direction. We want to sell the potential client our services, but how to describe what we do to entice them to contact us?

Structuring the Text: AIDA and EEEI

The traditional copywriting formula is AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. So for a car advert I might have a headline saying “0-60 in 3.5 seconds”. That’s got attention. Then it might go on to say that this car has the most efficient engine ever, building interest. The ad then asks me to imagine if I was driving this amazing car and the admiring looks I would get, creating desire, and last of all invites me for a test drive, so I take action.

I use a similar format for writing sales copy for talking therapy. I call it EEEI: Empathise, Entice, Explain, Invite. It goes something like this:

Empathise
This is how you’re probably feeling at the moment

Entice
This is how you could be feeling if you had my therapy

Explain
This is what happens when you have therapy with me

Invite
If you’d like to try it, this is what to do next.

Below are some useful words and phrases to empathise, entice and explain, then I’ll show you two examples of them in use.

Empathise: This is how you’re probably feeling at the moment

• Many of us have periods in our lives where we struggle
• You may have been trying to deal with your problems on your own
• Seeking help and embarking on therapy is a brave and personal decision
• You or a loved one might be seeking therapy
• It can be difficult to talk through problems with those close to us, even our most loved
• We can’t always open up with family and friends
• We go through transitions / crises / loss
• Whatever your reason for making contact
• You may want to reach out to us
• Every year 25% of the UK population experiences a mental health problem
• Many people are not aware of the underlying causes of their problems, and simply feel stuck
• We need a neutral person to hear us without judgement
• We need someone who will listen and not give unwanted advice

You might also be experiencing any of these feelings:

• There are no answers
• You’re going round in circles
• Nothing can change
• Overwhelmed
• Isolated
• Stuck
• Lonely
• Desparate
• Sense of entrapment
• Overly possessive
• Unable to keep a sense of self
• Not recognising yourself anymore
• Stressed
• Needing healing

Maybe it is the challenges of life making you feel this way. Maybe you especially feel like this when you are:

• Alone
• With friends
• With family
• At work
• At home

Entice: This is how you could be feeling if you have therapy

• A trusted individual who values and listens to you
• Find new ways of looking at your problems and acting in your life
• See your current situation in new light, depth and clarity
• Bring light and space into your situation
• Change old and unhelpful perspectives about you and about your life
• Beginning a journey
• Develop your unique strengths
• Discover what is really meaningful to you in life
• A trusting and supportive space to focus on you
• Talk about whatever is on your mind
• See yourself and your life with greater clarity 
• Make better decisions
• Feel happier, fulfilled and more confident
• Rediscover your purpose
• Enjoy your life and look forward to each day without thinking about the past or future
• Let go of negative emotions
• Let go of past hurt
• Heal
• Rediscover self-worth

Explain: This is what happens in therapy

• To see the person behind the problem
• Room to breathe
• Room to speak your truth
• Work through difficult issues
• Safe and confidential environment
• Progress at your own pace
• Trust your therapist and the process
• Sit with your thoughts and unpack them
• Process of exploration
• Self-knowledge and awareness
• Help you grow and overcome issues that may previously have felt overwhelming
• Examine your problems in the present and their roots in the past
• Explore how your past experiences have shaped your life and your beliefs and feelings today
• Express your feelings without judgement or having to please another person
• An open place to explore
• Noticing and challenging the way we think about ourselves
• Learning to be truer to ourselves
• There is no “right answer” and the process is not the same for any 2 people
• Feel empowered and less burdened
• Self-awareness, personal growth and empowerment

Example Text #1

The 4 paragraphs follow the model Empathise – Entice – Explain – Invite

Many of us have periods in our lives where we struggle with our feelings. It can be difficult to talk through problems with those close to us, even our most loved ones. You may be feeling overwhelmed, like you’re going round in circles and nothing can change. Maybe you’ve tried to deal with those feelings on your own, and now you’re thinking about reaching out and seeking help.

Beginning a therapy journey with me can help you to find new ways of looking at your life, bringing light and clarity to your feelings, and seeing hope and possibilities that you couldn’t see from your old perspective. In a trusted and supported space where you are listened-to and valued, you can discover yourself and your purpose, let go of negative emotions and move forward feeling happy, fulfilled and confident.

My approach to therapy is to see the person behind the problem, to progress at your own pace and to enable you to speak your truth in a safe and confidential environment. By sitting with and unpacking your thoughts, we embark on a process of exploration, self-knowledge and awareness, which will help you to feel empowered and released from your burdens.

If you’d like an initial, confidential and no-obligation discussion about the issues you’re struggling with and how a therapy journey could help you, please fill in the form below to schedule a chat

Example Text #2

The 4 paragraphs follow the model Empathise – Entice – Explain – Invite

Whether due to loss, rejection or other circumstances, we all go through transitions in life which can cause us to feel stuck, and which every year cause 25% of the UK population to experience a mental health problem. You may not even be aware of the underlying causes of your pain, and simply feel as though there are no answers.

A neutral person, who can hear you without judgment or expectation, can help you work through these difficult feelings. We can talk about whatever is on your mind in a trusting and supportive space completely focused on you. This process brings light and space into your situation, swapping old and unhelpful perspectives for a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth.

In therapy we create an open, non-judgemental space for you to explore, notice and challenge the way you think about yourself. There is no “right answer” and the process of discovery and of learning to be truer to ourselves is different for every individual. I will help you explore how past experiences have shaped your current reality, deal with difficult areas, and help you to grow and overcome issues which may have previously felt overwhelming.

To book an initial 50-minute session, please call us on the number below, and let us start putting you back in control.