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Transition Toolkit

The instruction Manual For Doctors Considering Career Change

How to Write Health and Wellness Articles

11/21/2022

9 Comments

 
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If you are interested in health, wellness or medical writing as a career or as a supplement to a career, it is important to work on your writing to make it as good as possible. Even established writers who have written many publications continue to improve writing skills to be able to communicate more effectively with readers.

Some features of good non-fiction writing include the following:

Content rich 

A strong article or book contains substantive material that readers can learn from or glean some valuable information from. Very good articles are those that readers consider worthy of saving or bookmarking for future reference.

Relevant

No book or article can be relevant for every reader. Some topics have wide appeal and relevance (example, over-the counter-medications for the common cold) while others obviously have a small niche audience (vaccinations for adults traveling to southeastern Asia.) Your topic may have a small or wide audience, but it should be relevant to at least some readers. 

Knowledgeable

A well-written article should demonstrate that the author is well informed about the topic, while maintaining a language and a level of detail that is appropriate for the target audience.

Qualified

Most readers value authors who are qualified to write about the subject matter, which goes beyond self-taught familiarity with the subject. Qualification involves formal designation, while knowledge is about experience.

Interesting
Not every person who is knowledgeable and qualified can write something interesting about the topic. But, being interesting isn't always important, depending on the purpose of the article. Some readers or publications prefer lists or charts that are full of accurate facts, some are looking for a reference piece, and some are looking for an interesting read with a thought-provoking, inspiring, or reassuring message. Tailoring how interesting your medical writing should be is about understanding your audience, and most importantly, the publisher's objective.

Depth, breadth, specific, detailed 

Depth, breath and specifics also depend on knowing your audience. Some readers are looking for a wide range of information about a broad topic, without too much detail, while others are interested in understanding a topic in great depth. Most well written articles and books are content rich, but do not have to have the qualities of depth, breath, specifics and detail. Instead, the author and publisher select the purpose of the piece and stick with either depth or breadth, unless it is intended to be an encyclopedic reference source.

Insightful 

Most readers are looking for some form of insight. This means that the author provides additional information about the topic or a different interpretation of the subject matter that makes the article or book more valuable.
Insight is a characteristic that is not judged uniformly by all readers. A reader considers an author who agrees with his or her own (the reader’s) overarching beliefs as insightful. When the author’s 'insight' is based on a different core viewpoint than that of the reader (example, vaccines are safe vs. vaccines are not safe) the reader is likely to dismiss the article, the author, and possibly the publication, even if the author is qualified and knowledgeable.  

Helpful, useful
Most readers of health and medical articles are looking for something helpful. This could be simply to understand a health condition, to learn how to take a medication, or to know when a symptom is normal vs. worrisome.

Practical 
Most readers are looking for information, knowledge or how-to that is easy to apply. This means that most readers cannot take on enormous, overarching, life changing plans and advice.

Timely, current
When it comes to health information, updated information is considered better than old information. When readers see health and wellness articles with well-established advice, most readers expect some type of acknowledgment from the author that, 'this has been the prevailing method for years, and new research continues to uphold this as the gold standard.' 

Real
Readers expect a genuine tone and voice from the writer, particularly from books and articles about health. An artificial or condescending or 'miracle cure' attitude is typically dismissed.

Honest 

Honesty is highly valued, and your audience can easily perceive your level of honesty.

Friendly 
Most of the time, the tone of a health, wellness or medical article should be pleasant- but not too casual to the point of not being authoritative or untrustworthy. Reference articles do not need to be friendly.

Balanced

An easy way to bring a sense of balance to a health article is to share a few facts. Instead of saying, 'the vast majority of people who take medication Y do not experience side effects,' it is more balanced to say, 'of the 70,000 Americans who use medication Y, approximately 4.7% experience side effects.' This takes the appearance of bias out of the equation.

Not offensive
Articles that offend the reader are a huge turnoff. In fact, articles that insult anyone are generally regarded poorly, even if the target of the insult is very different from the reader.

Not bitter
Healthcare can be a highly political subject. Controversial topics can make for good writing, but a bitter or angry tone makes the author sound as if they have an agenda, which discredits the article as being not geared towards helping the reader.

Funny
This is a tricky one. If you have a great sense of humor, you can try it. But humor in medical writing requires an exceptionally talented writer, and it doesn't usually work.

Organized, flowing 
Well-structured material is critical. When it comes to writing health or scientific books and articles for the public, the science can be complicated, and logical organization is the trick to making difficult material interesting and understandable.

Clear
Often, clarity is more important than attention-grabbing material. If you can be interesting and clear at the same time, then you will be able to keep readers engaged and informed.

Succinct
If you can avoid repetition and get your point across briefly, readers are more apt to enjoy your material. 
 
One of the ways that your audience shows appreciation and approval of what you have written is by sharing it with others. When a reader shares something that you wrote, this is a statement that they found your article useful and are comfortable being associated with it. This is a huge compliment to any author. It is impossible for any piece to have all of the qualities listed above, but if your writing has most of those qualities, it is more likely to be well received.
Find out more about how to get a job as a health and wellness writer here.

9 Comments
X-Pert Solutin link
3/16/2020 02:01:40 am

very good article, me and my team impressed your data Thanks for sharing

Reply
Archana Kumari link
7/23/2020 01:55:15 am

I had follow your article, and it was very helpful & inspirational and I started my blog.
Here is the link : https://www.healthykraving.com/5-best-tea-to-boost-your-immune-system/

Reply
Heidi Moawad
7/23/2020 12:26:00 pm

Thank you for your comment Archana- your article about tea is very nice!

Reply
Kourosh Naziri link
2/3/2021 06:37:34 pm

One of the excellent tips you have shared for us. An expert writer is an amateur who didn't stop. I trust myself that a decent writer doesn't actually should be advised anything but to keep at it. Thanks a lot for sharing your article.

Reply
Akalesh link
10/6/2021 03:22:32 am

A very informational content, Thanks for sharing the amazing content available Medical Equipment on the firstmed

Reply
Suman Chakrabarti link
1/5/2023 04:38:43 am

After reading an article that is how I edit my website and try to make my website more detailed and clear. Thank you for the article. I hope that my website will gonna help others get detail for what they want.
Thank You!!

Reply
Heidi Moawad
1/5/2023 09:50:21 am

Thank you so much for your comment and good luck with your website!

Reply
jaloo link
1/19/2023 10:01:24 pm

great post

Reply
Heidi Moawad
1/20/2023 12:25:15 pm

Thank you

Reply



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    How To Find A Non Clinical Job
    Is A Non Clinical Job Right For Me?
    Medical Entrepreneurs
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    Contents

    • There is more than one way to be a doctor
    • Additional income sources for doctors
    • The path to a non-clinical physician job
    • Teaching jobs for physicians
    • Managing your finances as an independent contractor
    • Is a non-clinical job right for you?
    • Becoming qualified for a non-clinical job
    • Other options for healthcare providers
    • Regulations know-how
    • Job search mistakes to avoid
    • Creating a website
    • Physician career continuum
    • Feeling trapped in medicine
    • Read this before you drop out if residency
    • Should you take the USMLE if you don't want patient care?
    • A health writing career
    • Health article guidelines
    • How to self publish a book
    • Burning bridges
    • I don't want to be pre-med anymore
    • Writing a book​
    • What are your priorities?
    • Solutions to medical career frustration
    • Quiz-do you want to leave medicine?
    • Solutions for physician mothers
    • Top 10 signs that you need to find a non-clinical job
    • I Know a doctor who seems miserable
    • Career management for the modern physician
    • 7 tips for marketing your book

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  • Non-clinical jobs for doctors
    • How to Find a Non-Clinical Job
    • Medical career strategies
    • Transition Toolkit
    • Physician Success Stories
    • Wound Care Physician
  • Where to find non clinical jobs
    • Job Openings
    • Medical Writing and Strategy Agencies
    • Medical Review Companies
    • Medical Writing Job
    • Clinical Research Training
  • Useful Links
  • Careers for Physicians Without Residency
    • Licensing and Programs for International Physicians
  • Resources For Physicians With Disability
  • Re-Entry Into Medicine
  • Tips from your doctor
  • How to Become a Licensed Physician in the USA