Every single day, your brain is being tantalized by new mobile apps, glossy magazine ads, and clever and appealing TV commercials. And if you’ve spent any amount of time online, you’ve clicked on a few pop-up ads (even if it was by accident).
Top off all that attention-grabbing media with all the other choices we have to make about what to eat, what to wear, and what to do with a few minutes of free time, and it’s a wonder the world doesn’t come to a screeching halt with the stunned deer-in-the-headlights look.
It’s an important concept to keep in mind when you’re trying to educate, inform, and motivate people to improve their health. And with a few proven copywriting and design techniques, you can capture the attention of your audience longer than the classic TV news teaser “if-it-bleeds-it-leads.” Here’s how:
1. Pay attention to design
By now, any media consumer who uses print, online, and other formats for information, has come to expect eye-candy as an invitation to pay attention to your message. Clipart and pixelated images are probably not going to keep anybody’s eyes on your page. But large, crisp, interesting or compelling photographs can capture their attention long enough to keep them engaged a little longer. Look for one photo or unique design element to use as the focal point of your article, blog, newsletter or message.
2. Write a headline that entices them with health benefits
If you want to get your reader’s attention about blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or some other chronic disease, you’ve got to capture their interest. A good way to do that is with an interesting or compelling headline. If you wanted to discuss the results of a recent health study, you could do that.
But most people develop a form of temporary narcolepsy at the first mention of academic of medical language. Put the reader first with a headline like, “Exercise reduces heart disease risk by 50 percent,” and you’ve got a better chance of getting them to keep reading for more information.
3. Provide visual elements that support your health topic
If you’re among the 76.4 million baby boomers in the United States, or are older than that generation, good old-fashioned black and white newsprint might be just fine with you. But most people now expect visual imagery, graphics, charts, tables, and photos for every message they consume.
Look for ways to support your health topic with things like subheadings, infographics, links to other resources, etc. Guiding the reader through an article with information like this increases engagement, and helps them learn about the important of a particular health topic.
4. Give your readers a call to action
The most effective health-related content engages the reader in a way that motivates them to take action. And some people respond best when that call to action is in simple, plain language. “Call now, click here, register for the newsletter, schedule an appointment, etc.”
Make the call to action easy to recognize and understand. For example, “If you want to lose weight, call now,” or “Talk to your doctor to find out if (prescription drug) is right for you.” If you’ve done a good job keeping your readers engaged, they’ll be ready and eager to respond to your call to action.
5. Revisit health benefits and reasons for paying attention
When someone has an interest in a health-related topic like losing weight, preventing a heart attack, or reducing stress, some people will go in search for answers to these problems.
Your message may be perfectly suited to answer their questions with just the right amount of scientific facts mixed with engaging writing. But at the end of the day every reader wants to know: Will this really work to help me solve this problem? Is it worth it to invest my time and energy to following this health practice?
Revisit the health benefits and outcomes for paying attention to your advice, and you’ll help the reader answer their own question, “What’s in it for me?”
Health writing doesn’t have to be a stuffy, academic, boring read. With these basic principles in mind, good writing can help people recognize their mortality and make choices to improve their health.
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