I joined Gabi on the Female Founders Surrey podcast to talk about something I hear from therapists every single week. Your following on Instagram keeps growing, and your diary still has gaps.
I know that feeling well. I’ve got nearly 10,000 followers. You’d think that would mean plenty of clients and plenty of income from it. It doesn’t.
You can watch our full conversation below.
What we talked about in the episode
- why nearly 10K followers hasn’t filled my diary
- switching off my Instagram automation and talking to people myself
- how I use AI as my business assistant, and where I draw the line
- how Covid closed my treatment room for six months and led me into coaching
- what 20 years of ballet taught me about rejection
- my plan to support 1,000 small business owners
Why followers don’t fill your diary
Followers are a vanity metric. They look good, they’re easy to count, and they tell you very little about who’s going to book.
A follower is someone who tapped a button once. You don’t know if they live near your treatment room, if they need what you offer, or if they trust you yet. I built my following over years, and only a small slice of those people ever became clients. That’s completely normal.
The trouble starts when the number becomes the goal. You post more, chase the algorithm and wonder why the bookings don’t follow.
What gets therapists booked is trust
Your clients are trusting you with their body, their stress and their story. They need to feel safe with you before they book, and that trust usually builds in conversation.
So I changed how I use social media:
- I switched off my ManyChat automation. People can tell when a bot is replying, and it puts them off.
- I start a couple of real conversations every day in my Instagram and Facebook messages.
- I listen for what’s going on underneath: what they want, what’s worrying them and what they’ve already tried.
It takes longer than an automated message. People reply to a real person, though, and those conversations are where bookings come from.
Trust is still the thing I work on most. I’m a newer name in coaching, even after 21 years as a hands-on therapist, so I show up and earn it, the same way you do.
Where AI fits, and where it doesn’t
I use AI every day. I treat it like a virtual assistant that takes the implementation jobs off my plate. It helps me:
- move website copy into my course portal
- draft emails and keep my CRM up to date
- build slide decks in my brand colours
I don’t use it to come up with my ideas, and I don’t let it talk to new clients for me. The thinking and the relationships stay with me, because that’s what my clients are paying for.
When I teach AI to therapists, about half are wary at first. Once they try it on a boring admin job, most of them want to use it for more. Give it the jobs that drain you, and keep the jobs that need you.
What 20 years of ballet taught me about hearing no
I trained as a ballerina from the age of 8 until I was 28. Auditions meant rejection, over and over, sometimes for reasons that had nothing to do with how well I danced.
Over time I learnt that a no belongs to that moment. It meant I wasn’t the right person for that role, on that day.
I bring that into my business. If someone doesn’t reply to my message, or says no to an offer, I don’t take it to heart. If it goes wrong, I learn. If it goes well, great. Then I adjust and carry on.
If you’re finding the nos hard in your own business, that’s normal too. Each one tells you a little more about who you’re for.
Try this in your business this week
- Pick a few people who’ve engaged with your posts lately and send each one a genuine message. No pitch, just a conversation.
- Look back at your last month and count how many bookings started with a conversation, and how many came from a post on its own.
- Hand one admin job to AI, like drafting a follow-up email, and spend the time you save talking to people.
- Check your Google Business Profile is up to date. Local clients often look there before they ever find your Instagram.
Where to start if you’re qualified but not booked
My free Beyond Fully Booked masterclass shows you how to bring more clients into your practice. It’s on demand, so you can watch it whenever suits you.
You can read the full transcript of this episode on the Female Founders Surrey website. My other podcast chats are all on my Media page.
