Nowadays, the first time a prospective client finds you, it’s not because they’ve walked past you on the street. More often than not, it’s because they’ve found you online. In fact, according to recent statistics, 76% of consumers look for a company online before showing up in person.[1]
So, it’s never been more important to optimise your website and personal brand. One of the key ways to do this is through healthcare copywriting. Copywriting is the writing on your web pages, social media and ad campaigns. Its main job is to persuade your readers to perform an action, like get in touch or book a session. As such, copywriting isn’t only important in getting people to find you, it’s also important in securing them as a client or customer.
But what is a mental health copywriter? And what are the benefits of hiring one? On this page, we’ll explore:
A mental health copywriter is a professional writer who creates advertising or marketing copywriting for mental health websites, providers and professionals. The ultimate aim of copywriting is to attract your readers’ attention and persuade them to perform a specific action, such as get in touch, book a session or donate.[2]
Mental health copywriting will look different depending on your organisation. For example:
As you can see, there are many different forms copywriting can take. Each form of copywriting requires different knowledge and specialisms, making it pretty complicated. So, while you could write your mental health copy yourself, it’s often beneficial to hire a mental health copywriter. But what are the main benefits of this?
There are a number of benefits to hiring an expert mental health writer for your copy. Let’s break down some of the key ones:
One of the hardest parts of writing your own copy is trying to communicate what you do effectively. When you’re so close to it, it can be difficult to know how to pin it all down to a few hundred words.
A skilled health & wellness copywriter, on the other hand, can form an outsider’s view on what you do. After chatting with you, they can understand what makes you stand out and what you bring to your clients or customers. They then have the skill to communicate this with your audience in a way that reflects your voice.
It’s also important to note that 59% of readers will actively avoid buying from a company that makes spelling and grammar errors on its website. You can minimise this risk with an expert writer.[3]
You and I both know that you can’t have mental health without ethics (at least, you shouldn’t!). So, when it comes to any mental health brand, accuracy, credibility and ethics are non-negotiables. A skilled mental health copywriter will ensure any copy they produce is sensitive, evidence-based and aligned with your ethical principles.
A copywriter who specialises in mental health will understand mental health terms and the nuances of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and other ethical frameworks. This knowledge will translate into their copy, which will help you build an online presence that is deeply therapeutic, communicates your strengths and encourages prospective clients or customers to reach out.
If you choose to hire a copywriter with a mental health background (such as a therapist or counsellor – which, by the way, we recommend), this brings an added benefit. Mental health professionals have an in-depth understanding of human psychology. They know how the brain works, and how to engage, influence and sell based on this.
Effectively, this helps a mental health copywriter create compelling content that persuades your readers subtly and sensitively.
Several decades ago, you could build a website and instantly get an audience. Now, it’s a little more complicated. With over 50 billion web pages now live on Google alone,[4]
you need to take certain steps to ensure your website is found by your desired audience.
One of the main steps is search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is the process of improving your website for search engines, so it is more likely to appear on the first page of Google. Optimising for SEO involves adding key search terms within the text (known as keywords), optimising your headings, adding calls-to-action and much, much more.
An experienced mental health writer will have this expertise and will create content with SEO in mind.
If your boiler stopped working, would you try to fix it? In all likelihood, you’d call an expert – for several reasons. For one, it would be extremely time-consuming.
Well, the same can be said for mental health copywriting. Yes, you or your team could write your own copy. But will learning the ins and outs of effective copywriting in mental health be time well spent? Probably not. Hiring a copywriter means you’ll get the job done well (and quickly!), freeing you up to do what you do best.
There are several places to look when trying to find the best mental health copywriter for you.
The first place to look is mental health writing agencies. Some copywriters may be expert communicators, but they may lack mental health knowledge. Similarly, clinicians and some copywriters have an in-depth understanding of mental health, but struggle to translate this into effective copy.
Mental health writing agencies like PsychWrite hire writers who are also trained mental health professionals. This gives you the best of both worlds, as you can trust that your copy will be written to persuade, but within the parameters of ethical principles.
You could also search through freelance platforms like UpWork and Fiverr. These platforms have 1000s of mental health freelance writers, and you can easily post jobs that writers apply for. Unfortunately, due to the mass of writers, it can be difficult to find those with the expertise and skill you need.
LinkedIn is another place to find health & wellness writers. Mental health grounds on LinkedIn, in particular, can be helpful. However, this approach can be time-consuming.
As a mental health provider, website or brand, your ultimate aim is likely to help people. But to be able to do this (and ensure your business succeeds), you need to get people through the metaphorical door – in other words, your website or social media platform.
Clear, expertly-written mental health copywriting plays a huge role in this. Research shows that strong copy can increase how often your audience reaches out to you or buys your product or services by 113%.[5]
So, investing in mental health copywriting services is something you can’t afford to overlook.
At PsychWrite, our writers bring a combination of copywriting expertise and mental health knowledge. We’ll help you show up authentically, ethically and in a way that your prospective clients can relate to, making them more likely to reach out or buy.
If you’re ready to improve your brand’s visibility and increase your client base, reach out to our team – because we’re ready to help.