When starting your career as a birth or postpartum doula, creating packages that resonate with your ideal client is one of the most impactful ways to establish a thriving business. Your services as a doula are deeply personal, which makes it crucial to package them in a way that communicates their value and stands out from the competition. 

In this article, we dive into the 3 P’s of creating doula packages that sell: Promise, Process, and Positioning to create irresistible offerings to meet the needs of your ideal client and position your business for growth. By focusing on what you promise your clients, how you deliver your services, and how you position yourself in the market, you’ll create doula service packages that attract, engage, and sell.

By Kristin Laffrey, business coach for doulas leading impact in fertility, birth, postpartum and motherhood.

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The Importance of Your Doula Service Packages

Whether you’re a seasoned doula or just starting your practice, your service packages are more than just offerings – they are the foundation of your business. They showcase your value and make it easier for potential clients to understand what they’ll gain from working with you.

Additionally, a well-structured package helps align expectations, builds trust, and provides clarity on what your client journey looks like. But packaging your services isn’t just about what you offer, it’s also about how you communicate your value and set yourself apart in a competitive market.

That’s where the 3 P’s come in. By focusing on the Promise, Process, and Positioning of your services, you’ll have a framework to confidently create and market your offerings. Let’s explore the first P: Promise.

The Promise – What Will Your Clients Gain?

The promise of your doula services is the heart of your value proposition. It’s not just about listing what you do, it’s about painting a clear picture of what your clients will experience and achieve with your doula support. Your promise is the emotional and tangible benefit of choosing you over anyone else.

Crafting Your Doula Promise  

1. Focus on Benefits, Not Features

While features like “three prenatal visits” or “text support during the third trimester” are important, potential clients want to understand what those features mean for them. For example:  

• Instead of “prenatal visits,” reframe it as: “Gain tools and confidence for a smoother labor experience through personalized one-on-one coaching.”
• Instead of “postpartum care,” reframe it as: “Recover with peace of mind knowing that you have hands-on support for breastfeeding, newborn care, and emotional healing.”

2. Speak to the Emotional Benefits  

Being a doula involves more than just practical assistance, it’s about empowerment, encouragement, and providing peace of mind during a transformative time. Use phrases that connect to the emotional benefits, like:  

• “Feel emotionally supported every step of the way.”  
• “Enjoy a calmer, more connected experience as a new family.”  

3. Use Real Stories to Communicate Your Promise 

Testimonials and success stories from previous clients are powerful tools to reinforce your promise. For example:  

• “After working with _____, I felt confident for the first time about my labor. Her guidance changed everything for me.”  

Communicating Your Promise Effectively

To make sure your audience sees and feels your promise, weave it into every marketing platform:  

• Website: Clearly state your promise on your homepage and service package pages.  
• Social Media: Create content—like posts, reels, or videos—that address common pain points and show how your services solve them.  
• Client Consultations: Explain your promise in a personalized way during initial consultations with potential clients.  

By focusing on clarity and heartfelt language, your promise will stand out to the ideal clients looking for birth and postpartum support. Now, let’s move to the next step: Process.

The Process – How You Deliver Your Services

When a family chooses a doula, they’re trusting you with one of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of their lives. A big part of earning that trust is being transparent about your process: how you work with clients and what they can expect from your services.

Outlining Your Doula Process

1. Be Specific About the Steps You Take 

Walk your clients through every stage of your service delivery—what happens from the moment they schedule an initial consultation to the postpartum follow-up. For example:  

• Initial Consultation: A free 30-minute virtual or in-person chat to assess your needs and see if we’re a good fit.  
• Prenatal Visits: Two in-depth sessions focused on birth planning, pain management techniques, and preparing the home for baby’s arrival.  
• Birth Support: 24/7 on-call availability starting at 37 weeks, and continuous in-person support during labor.  
• Postpartum Recovery: One 2-hour home visit to assist with breastfeeding, newborn care, and emotional support.  

2. Highlight Flexibility and Personalization

Every family is different, and clients want to feel like your process can adapt to their unique needs. Emphasize that your offerings are customizable. For example:  

• “Every parent’s journey is unique. Whether it’s extra focus on breastfeeding support or help with managing postpartum emotions, we’ll craft a plan that fits your family.”  

3. Showcase Your Expertise

Clients want to know they’re in good hands. Highlight any specialized training or certifications you have, such as hypnobirthing, lactation support, or postpartum mood disorder training.  

4. Illustrate Your Process with Visuals

People process information better when it’s broken down visually. Consider using flowcharts, infographics, or package comparison tables on your website to make your process easy to digest.  

By giving clients a clear and comprehensive view of your process, you’ll help them feel confident and excited to work with you, bringing us to the final P: Positioning.

The Positioning – How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market

There’s no shortage of talented birth and postpartum doulas, so how do you differentiate yourself? Positioning is all about owning your uniqueness and creating a brand presence that stands out to your ideal audience.

How to Position Your Doula Packages

1. Define Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

What makes you different from other doulas in your area? Do you specialize in home births? Are you known for your postpartum emotional support? Your USP is what you do better than anyone else.  

2. Focus on Branding

Branding isn’t just a logo—it’s the cohesive vibe your business creates through visuals, tone, and vibe. Make sure your website, social media, and marketing materials reflect the emotional warmth and professionalism your packages offer.  

3. Leverage Local SEO

Families searching for doulas are typically looking for someone nearby. Use location-based keywords on your website, such as “birth doula in Seattle” or “postpartum doula near me,” to improve your visibility on search engines.  

4. Network and Collaborate

Build relationships with other local birth professionals, OBs, midwives, lactation consultants, and childbirth educators, and position yourself as the go-to doula in their referral networks.  

5. Price with Confidence

Clients often equate value with price. Avoid undervaluing your services in an attempt to appeal to everyone. Position yourself as a premium service provider if that aligns with your vision.  

Strong positioning helps you connect with the right clients and grow your business with intention.

Crafting Effective Packages

Once you’ve nailed your promise, process, and positioning, it’s time to assemble your packages. Here are five ways to ensure your packages are effective:  

1. Start Simple 

Offer two to three package tiers (e.g., Basic, Comprehensive, Premium) to cater to different budgets and needs.  

2. Bundle Strategically

Pair services that naturally go together. For instance, you could offer a “Birth Plan & Labor Support” package or “Postpartum Recovery & Lactation Guidance” bundle.  

3. Offer Add-Ons

Allow clients to customize their experience with optional services, such as additional prenatal visits, meal prep, or postpartum yoga sessions.  

4. Emphasize Value

Instead of focusing on the price, show clients what they’re gaining. For example, “Comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care for less than the cost of a single night in the hospital.”  

5. Seek Feedback

After each client interaction, ask how you can improve or tweak your offerings to better meet their needs.  

Summary

Building doula service packages that stand out is about more than packaging your time, it’s about demonstrating the value and support you bring to clients. By focusing on the Promise, Process, and Positioning, you’ll create irresistible offerings that meet the needs of expecting parents and new parents in your community while growing your business.  

Where to next?

Download this free weekly action plan that breaks down my Client Attraction Process with a clear action plan for intentional action you need to be taking each week to book clients into your business.

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Meet Kristin

Kristin has since supported over 300 businesses to solidify their business foundations, simplify their strategies and align their mindset to LAUNCH, GROW and SCALE their businesses for greater impact and income.

Learn more about working with Kristin