Make an appointment to see Dr. Google, and you’ll find millions of hits for every health-related topic imaginable. That’s where most people start their search for health information long before they make an appointment to see a real doctor.
The average reader is left to try and figure out fact from fiction, good advice vs. “junk” science, or try and digest complex medical information on their own.
It’s a tough road to travel, especially when someone is desperate for answers about how to improve their health, understand medical terminology, or make a decision about choosing a doctor, buying a product, or making a lifestyle change.
If you want to tip the scale in the right direction and really help people achieve their health and fitness goals, you need high-quality, educational, engaging, and content-rich information blended with a little motivation to help them choose your product or service and make lasting lifestyle changes. Season that with evidence-based research from leading universities, government organizations, and health professionals, and your followers will keep coming back for more.
Look for an Interesting Lead or Angle
If you were writing about heart disease, you could easily head over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the American Heart Association and cull all the stats, data, facts, and figures about heart disease. It’s worthwhile to do that from time to time for this topic, because there is some shock value associated with that approach. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and claims the lives of an estimated 600,000 people a year, and most of those deaths could have been prevented.
But loading up and article with gloom and doom and statistics every time can turn the reader off in a hurry. Instead, look for an interesting lead or angle to introduce a topic. Maybe there’s a famous celebrity who survived a heart attack, or a doctor recognized for a new surgery or treatment for heart disease. Do some digging and you’ll find National Health observances or a nationwide event like Race for the Cure that can help you introduce a topic without sounding like a textbook written for med school students.
Look for a way to hook the reader with an anecdote, quote, question, game-changing research, or some interesting fact that will peak their interest. Find a way to draw the reader in, and you’ve set the stage to educate them about heart disease or any other topic important for your audience.
Check the Reading Grade Level of Your Content
Writing effective health content can be a challenge, because it often requires describing medical terms and conditions. Combine than with too many multi-syllable words and compound sentences, and the reading grade level of your content may be too hard to understand for the average reader. In fact, many government organizations and professional health organizations that serve patients require health content to be written at or below a 7th grade reading level. And many states that serve Medicaid populations often want health-related content written at a 4th grade reading level.
You can check the reading grade level of your health content in Microsoft Word when you complete a Spelling and Grammar check of your document. When you’re done reviewing items flagged for spelling or grammar issues, Microsoft Word provides a Readability Statistics Report that shows you the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. A variety of online tools like this one are also available that can determine the reading level of your copy. If you’re trying to write about common health conditions for the average person, keeping the grade level low can help you make your content more accessible to the average reader. And if you determine that you’re writing at say a reading grade level of 25, you can bring that down by writing shorter sentences, using shorter words, and looking for opportunities to create bulleted lists.
Give Your Readers a Challenge
Give your readers a challenge. It might be to simply learn more about their condition such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, or some other chronic disease. But you might take it a step further after by providing ways to manage a specific condition or prevent it entirely. Issue a challenge like walk 30 minutes daily, drink 8 glasses of water a day, or get 8 hours of sleep every night for a month. Get the reader’s attention with an interesting lead, educate them, and deliver a little motivation and a challenge to turn the idea or theory into something actionable.
In the United States an estimated 75 percent of all healthcare costs are linked to preventable chronic diseases. Nearly 30 million people have type 2 diabetes. One in 3 adults has high blood pressure. And about 70 percent of all adults are overweight or obese. And the list goes on and on. These are all preventable diseases typically linked to poor eating habits and a lack of exercise. Give your readers engaging and easy-to-read health content, and you’ll be able to turn the tide against chronic disease, and make behavior changes that can literally save lives, lower healthcare costs, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
Recent Comments