How to Write Trustworthy Health Content
By: Abby McCoy, RN BSN
In the past year, Google has really upped their game on solid health content. Searching your symptoms online has long been a cliche used by many a meme or TV show script writer. As funny as everyone finds this phenomenon, how many of us still catch ourselves typing something like “heart shaped mole cancer?” into our search bars in a moment of anxiety.
The good news is that now, the content you find on the first few search pages is much more likely to give you truth instead of fiction. But still. You can’t trust all health content out there.
Write Health Content Readers Can Trust
If you’re a content writer, especially a health content writer, you must be sure you communicate reliable evidence-based information. If you’re a nurse writer, you know how vital and lifegiving correct information can be for a patient.
What is health writing if not an extension of patient education? Except we don’t have educational printoffs at our fingertips…we have to dig into the research and evidence ourselves. We must talk to providers and researchers to fact check our own statements. We must stay up to date on the latest medical breaththroughs.
If we can do all this, we can help to ensure that when people Google their symptoms, they will find the correct information.
How To Pass the Sniff Test
For health content, search engines will sniff out nonsense much faster than your readers can. But that’s a good thing! We only want reliable information making it to the front of the line.
Write What You Know
Especially at the beginning, before you hone your research skills, write in your wheelhouse. Are you an oncology nurse? For now, you may want to steer clear of labor and delivery articles. As you grow your skillset, you will be able to take on subjects a little more foreign to you.
References
Take credit for all that research you do! If you look up a study or an article from a vetted medical site, link that puppy to the facts you’re stating. Every fact should be sourced. That way, you keep yourself accountable and tell your readers where to find more information.
Study Age
When you reference a study, the first thing you should do is to check the date. Is it from 1984? Like me? Then it’s probably too old. (Does that mean I’m old!?)
Most publications want studies five years or newer. Medicine constantly shifts and changes as researchers uncover new truths about our bodies and what we use to heal them.
Talk to Experts
Speaking with an expert is not only incredibly valuable to your reader, but it can be a rewarding part of the job. Often, you can speak with study authors and hear it “from the horse’s mouth.” If you’re struggling to find experts, check out sites like Qwoted or Help a Reporter Out (HARO).
Ask for Help
In this business, you have to be willing to ask for help when you need it. If you’re writing on a subject you don’t quite understand, dig in and learn everything you can about it. Ask an expert to help you understand the sticking points. If you don’t understand it, you’ll never be able to help your readers understand it.
If an editor sends something back questioning a statement of fact, be thankful for that editor! Double-check your fact and either share your sourcing details or adjust the statement.
The more quality content you write, the easier it will be to provide accurate and helpful health information for your audience. The better your content gets, the more people will want to pay attention.
