Are you stuck at 6cm? Why it’s so hard to write website content.
I’ve seen a lot of doula websites in my years as a birth professional and website designer, and unfortunately a lot of them are almost exactly the same. Sure, the colors, logo & photos might vary, but the actual content tends to be boringly standard and predictable. While this might give an accurate idea of the services a doula performs, unfortunately the reader is left with little to no sense of Who this particular doula is, nor solid motivation to schedule a free consult.
While a website with this standard content structure might make putting your content together easier it does little to attract the right clients and make the connection you need to be hired. The birth and postpartum pros in any given community who are thriving are consistently the ones who have found their Voice and learned how to express themselves online.
So why do so many birth & postpartum professionals have such predictable content? I think one of the key reasons is that writing original content is HARD!
The vulnerability of writing content is something that many of us don’t consider when setting out to craft our website.
Even the most seasoned writers amongst us, the ones for whom words usually just flow from pen to paper (or keyboard to screen!) often find that when it comes to writing content ONLINE, something is different.
There are probably a bunch of good reasons for why this is hard, but for me at the heart is vulnerability. There is this threshold of sorts that you have to step through to craft content that ultimately promotes yourself and your calling. Not only have you been deeply called into this work, but the work that you do is oh so personal and intimate. This makes the unique voice of your content all the more important. Your goal is to plant the first seeds of this new relationship through content that is personal and connected, conveying a sense of the quality of relationship they will enjoy with you once they hire you.
Why is writing original content so vulnerable?
After seeing this dynamic play out over and over again I think it’s because we don’t know who will be out there reading our site, how they will interpret our words, and whether or not they will take the next step to hire us.
Your website is, in essence, selling you as a practitioner. You are sharing the heart of what you do and asking another person to trust you - to take the leap and say yes to all that you have to offer. And if that is met with silence? If nobody clicks on the “schedule your free consult” button? Ouch.
I don’t have an easy answer to this, but I do know that each piece of our writing serves a purpose, and that together all these segments, from the home page, to your bio, to the description of your services, paint a clear picture of the whole. Your words are helping site visitors imagine what it would feel like to be in your care and hopefully take the next step to learn more. So many factors go into them taking that leap, and you won’t be the right fit for every site visitor. Still...
when you invest in your voice, your content will form a tapestry that declares THIS is the VALUE of my care - and the right clients will respond!
I see your website content as a unique opportunity to really step into your full power as a practitioner. Let your voice SHINE! Share this important work that you do in a real, honest, vulnerable way. By doing so you are building trust, connection, and starting the relationship that will transform their experience in birth and postpartum.