Blogs, science, and yes, even click-ability go together.

 

As a clinician, you need blogs to market your services.

They’re like professional journal entries that help you form relationships with potential patients, solve their problems, and show off your personality.

Plus, they’re basically required if you want to get found on Google, aka, give your SEO a boost.

So how do you go from writing clickbait blogs without much substance to ones that are click-worthy but based on sound research?

Read on to learn our top 4 tips for writing blogs with balanced perspectives and evidence-based explanations that lead to a busy practice.

The current science blog situation

 

First, let’s start with the state of most popular wellness blogs: Science has left the building.

So much of the marketing I encounter has hopped on the trend train versus presenting a balanced, informed perspective.

The marketer in me gets it.

Business owners have to do what it takes to get their underlying message across and people on their site and services pages.

And they have to do it expediently. Accurate content takes time.

But the scientist in me balks.

Gobs of MCT oil and butter in coffee, cutting out entire food groups, and continuously monitoring glucose outside of a diagnosis are not only not helpful for most people…these widespread recommendations can actually do harm.

And let me be clear: I’m not advocating blind “science,” a largely ambiguous term when applied to the real world of humans.

I’m advocating for a balance of research and clinical experience while clearly and consistently communicating where information comes from.

As responsible clinicians, can we really make claims like calories have nothing to do with obesity and the real culprit is hormonal imbalance?

No, we cannot.

But we can claim that both calories and hormones (and probably stress-induced food choices and social determinants of health and some other shit we haven’t fully identified yet) contribute to obesity. See the difference?

So, what do we do?

How do we write blogs that excite and attract new patients while honoring equilibrium?

Blogs + science tip #1: Check your biases

 

Surprisingly, the first step to transitioning from clickbait to research-based has nothing to do with research.

It has to do with you.

Before you can offer balanced info, you have to figure out where your imbalances are.

Biases are ideas that we’re heavily for or against based on our experience of the world. And they’re perfectly normal.

We all have biases, and, in many situations (like evolution!), they’re even beneficial (but that’s a whole other blog…).

Biases can exist around anything—healthcare methods, screening tests, interventions, brands, schools…the list is endless.

These slight distortions become problematic when they silently influence our professional decision-making or, in the case of blogs and marketing, the content we create.

Why?

Because they reflect our experience of the world and what we believe versus a more complete perspective and what is accurate, i.e., what is most likely to help our patients.

Let’s explore a quick example.

Say a clinician uses herbal remedies as the first solution for every patient she sees while generally recommending against the use of isolated vitamins and minerals.

Her marketing team writes social posts and blogs about the fantastic benefits of ashwagandha and amalaki.

But they also alert her followers to the possible negative effects of nutrients like iodine and B12…and these posts get tons of clicks and traffic to her website.

Now, what if she works with an older patient who has symptoms of memory loss, fatigue, and even some peripheral numbness?

The potential of serious illness has been ruled out by a neurologist, but the patient is left with troubling symptoms.

This clinician’s bias against single nutrients, strengthened by successful marketing outcomes, might lead her to miss a blatant B12 deficiency, common in older adults.

The bias solution

 

Ferreting out biases is not comfortable or easy!

But one straightforward method is called the Steel Man technique.

When we Steel Man, we earnestly examine a viewpoint we disagree with and try to strengthen the case for that view versus fighting against it.

In the example above, our clinician would consider the use of reduced nutrients and do her due diligence to find trusted clinical opinions and peer-reviewed research that supports their use.

She might come away with the same opinion based on the results of her efforts, but she might shift her stance due to a more balanced understanding of the topic.

No matter what, she will have more knowledge than she did initially which will help her patients and the usefulness of her marketing content.

Click here if you want to learn more about Steel Manning.

This technique is mandatory for every blog we write at The LaFont Agency, whether we’re conscious of a bias or not.

It allows us to explore a subject from all sides, incorporate details we probably wouldn’t have found otherwise, and make our clients look like genius badasses…a win-win-win.

Try Steel Manning your subject matter before writing your next blog…what happens?

Blogs + science tip #2: Stats(?!?) to stand out

 

I know most of you are like, “Vic, are you f’ing kidding me?”

Statistics strike fear in the heart of even the most seasoned research reader.

But hear me out.

Practical stats aren’t the same as the mind-bending course you took in grad school.

This is my ask: Seek out the bits of research papers that tell you how effective B12 is at addressing memory loss.

How well vitamin D works for those with depression.

How close the connection is between gluten and cavities in kids with celiac disease.

Why does this matter? Especially when this level of digging can get arduous and, I’m just making a guess here, stat analysis probably isn’t your favorite pastime?

Here’s why: This data tells you if the marketing you’re creating, the patient recommendations you’re making, and the info you’re passing on works in the real world.

It means not only are you providing evidence-based information (winning), but information that works (WINNING).

When the tips you provide in your blogs make a real difference in real peoples’ lives…well, you can guess the outcome.

You get real busy. Real quick.

And you differentiate yourself as a wizard-level clinician who knows their shit.

The stats solution

 

Forget statistical significance and look for the actual change made by the studied intervention.

Ummmm, what does that mean?

It means did B12 improve memory loss by 65% compared to the control group? (Wowza.)

Or make a major difference in the quality of life in the group that took it?

Results like that are what will make a difference in readers’ lives and what should be featured in your marketing.

If you need help sussing out statistics, we’re here to help.

 

Blogs + science tip #3: Track your info

 

Notice I didn’t say, “cite your sources.”

We’re writing blogs, not research papers.

This easy-to-implement tip simply lets readers know where information comes from—it gives potential patients a trail of breadcrumbs to follow in case they want to know more, and it establishes you as an integral, transparent expert.

Is your social post showcasing a clinical pearl you learned in-office? Say that.

Is your newsletter referencing ancestral practices? Let your readers know.

Is your blog based on radical research you read? Provide a hyperlink to the paper.

Blogs + science tip #4: Make it click-worthy

 

Let’s not gloss over the reality that no one (and I mean no one) will read your blog if it’s not written to solve their problems and answer their biggest questions…and in a way that’s enjoyable to read.

But we’re after click-worthy blogs, science at the forefront, not clickbait.

What’s the difference?

True to its name, clickbait falsely baits potential site visitors with thinly veiled lies or outrageous claims.

Arguably not a big deal if you’re in the business of selling low-stakes widgets…borderline horrific in the world of healthcare.

Click-worthy blogs, on the other hand, are written in your unique brand voice and for your specific audience.

So you have to do the background work of figuring out what’s clickable to them.

What are they interested in?

What health problems can you help them solve?

And most importantly, how do those health problems negatively affect their lives?

The click-worthy solution

 

Your clients may not give two shits about SIBO, but they are devastated about not fitting into their favorite jeans.

So center your marketing around the bloating, belly tenderness, and loss of their favorite pants.

Then, thread the strong science you’ve found through the solutions portion of your blog (which should be the majority, btw…your readers are here for solutions, not long-winded explanations).

Finally, give your blog a catchy, compelling-to-them title and description.

“Yummy Ways to Solve SIBO”

is not nearly as click-worthy as

“Ready to Get Your Belly Back? Top 5 Ways to Stop the Bloat and Re-button Your Favorite Jeans.”

 

Ready to research-base your blog?

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