Is Your Health Blog Writing Sabotaging Your Biz?

Written By
blog writing

When you get out into the big wide world of healthcare, it can be a little intimidating. In this day and age, you don't just have to sit in your office and wait for clients to show up. You need to actively market yourself, showing your skills and knowledge. And that means branching out into things like social media and blog writing.

But what many health experts don't realize is that banging together a mish-mash blog post isn't the way to go. In fact, having poorly written articles may be worse than having none at all.

Blog Writing For Health Experts: The Basics

If you're just venturing into the world of writing blogs, or if you aren't getting the engagement you want, consider these points:

What should you blog about?

Sometimes, the hardest thing about blog writing is deciding what to write! Simply put, your blog topics should appeal to your target audience. It should be something that interests them.

Now, depending on your field and interests, this could vary a lot. Generally, super-personal articles aren't ideal unless it ties in with a topic - such as a women's health naturopath undergoing fertility treatment.

So grab yourself a piece of paper, and write down your target audience, and your field of interest. Then, list as many ideas as you can about those topics. There's a starting point for your blog topics.

As an example - if I were a gut health nutritionist targeting women aged 20-35, I might write about:

  • Gut health 101

  • Gut health and the liver

  • Prebiotics

  • Probiotics

  • Gut health and hormone balances

  • Gut health and healthy skin

  • Foods that heal the gut

  • Foods that hurt the gut

Another good way to come up with ideas is to listen to the questions you receive! My recent blog about conventional medicine was written because someone asked me my opinion. Another article was my sick day article, which was partly to help a family friend feel better.

What sort of images are you using?

If your idea of sourcing images for a blog is jumping on Google and downloading them - stop right there. The last thing we want is for you to get sued over copyright issues.

If you're not a photographer and you want professional-looking images, you want to use stock images - images that are royalty-free. This is the best way to avoid any legal issues in future.

There are a lot of paid and free images and sites out there. But for health professionals, there's a couple that I've found most useful:

Is your blog writing engaging?

You might be talking about amazing, groundbreaking research. But if it reads as a drone, people will lose interest. And if they lose interest, you've lost a potential client. And that means all of your blog writing efforts are wasted.

Instead, try to write how you might speak about it. This will let some natural passion come through in your writing.

As an example, you probably wouldn't tell a client 'Research shows that this has x% success in reducing *complex medical terminology and other mumbo jumbo*'. But a lot of people would WRITE that, because they want to seem 'professional'.

So that you don't scare off your reader, make it simple to understand. Try saying 'research shows that it helps with *simple medical term* - up to x% reduction!'

Readers don't want a recital of facts with no context or breaks. They want to read a story that's easy to understand. So put yourself into the writing however you can, and keep it simple.

Is your headline click-worthy?

Your mum might read every article you write, but 99% of your readers will come from some sort of social media. And that means it needs to grab attention while they're scrolling.

This is particularly important if you intend on boosting or promoting the article via Facebook. After all, blog writing is pointless if no one is ever going to read the blog!

Interesting headlines might include:

  • A question - much like this article's title

  • A list - eg Top 10 reasons to see a naturopath

  • References to controversial topics - eg Is Trump crazy? A psychologist explains

  • Your intended audience named - eg Women in their 30s need to know this about their health

Have you ensured your information is accurate?

If you want to be viewed as a health expert, you need to act like one. That's why it's essential to be confident in any facts you recite.

Your best bet is to have a list of references to back up your claims, even if you don't publish them. That way, if anyone questions it, you can easily direct them to a credible source.

Have you re-read your blog?

You might have put in 15 minutes or 3 hours. But before you hit that publish button, PAUSE! Now is the time to read over what you've written. Double-check to make sure that your blog:

  • Makes sense when you read it

  • Flows easily - you can speak it aloud with ease

  • Is broken up into short paragraphs

  • Is relevant to your intended audience!

Do you need some help with blog writing?

Not everyone is a natural writer, and that's ok! As a health writer, I offer a variety of services that can support you.

Whether you need someone to read over and tweak your work, or you want to outsource the whole thing, I've got your back. Reach out and we'll get you sorted. 

Want more health writing tips & tricks? Pop onto the mailing list here, and get blogs (plus other goodies) delivered straight to your inbox every fortnight!

Previous

Blogging: Why Health Businesses Should Start