Write Effective Doula Service Descriptions for Your Website

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A simple way to set yourself apart from your competitors is to effectively describe your services.

Here is a typical basic package description for birth doula services:

Two prenatal visits
Birth plan assistance
Access to lending library
Continuous support during labor and birth
Initial breastfeeding support after the birth
One postpartum follow-up visit
Unlimited phone and e-mail support

If you were searching for a birth doula and read this list on someone's website, would you understand the purpose of the services being offered? You'd see that you would meet prenatally and postpartum with that doula, but what would happen during that visit? Why are you meeting? Why would you want assistance with your birth plan? What exactly would your doula do to help you during the labor and birth? What does "continuous support" mean?

Here is a new and improved version:

Two prenatal visits to assess your needs and desires for birth, define and understand our expectations of one another, and provide you with useful tools for labor and birth
Birth plan assistance to help you clarify your preferences for birth and explain the options that are available to you
Access to my lending library of books and videos about pregnancy, birth and baby care, to support your learning
Continuous physical, emotional, and informational support for you and your partner for the duration of labor and birth, to help the you hold and move towards the vision you created for your baby's birth
Initial breastfeeding support immediately after birth to help your baby latch on properly and encourage the establishment of breastfeeding
One postpartum follow-up visit to celebrate the birth of your baby and answer any questions you have during the early postpartum period
Unlimited phone and e-mail support to answer your questions and offer suggestions and support throughout pregnancy and early labor

After reading the second description, how do you feel and what did you think about the birth doula who described what you can expect to receive for each part of her package? Do you have a better idea of how each of the services described will help you if you hire that doula? Has this doula successfully held your interest?

The above descriptions would be appropriate on a website or on a sheet you give to potential clients that describes your package offerings and your rate. Be aware that in a printed brochure, long descriptions may make the brochure look cluttered and busy. In this case, you may want to create shorter descriptions that still include a result for each point.

You are welcome to use the above examples in your own materials, but I encourage you to change them to reflect your personal style. Be creative and emphasize your unique talents and skills!