10 Highly Effective Content Ideas For Professional Healthcare Blogs
CONGRATULATIONS, you’ve decided you want to start documenting your experiences and ideas as a nurse or healthcare professional in the form of blogging! In this age of online data and technology, starting a nursing blog is a great opportunity to let your voice be heard, share ideas, network or simply journal your feelings. So, what’s stopping you? We have an idea: effective content that users actually want to read. So, we’ve gathered our top 10 strategies for getting your nursing blog out there and on people’s computer screens!
1. Write a review of a YouTube video
YouTube as a social platform is on the rise, so it’s important to use it. Not only is YouTube a relatively quick way to obtain a lot of information, it’s also visually pleasing and easy to watch. Writing a blog review of a YouTube video is a great way to analyze content in a user-friendly way for your viewers. It keeps your blog fresh and exciting! Check out an example of how we did this in our St. John Ambulance CPR campaign video blog.
2. Ask a provocative question
By this, we mean ask a question that is controversial within your industry. If you have the evidence and willingness to back an opinion up, this is a great idea to obtain a quick burst of high traffic to your nursing blog. Do you have strong feelings about ethics within nursing? What about controversial nursing interventions? Ask your readers and respond accordingly!
3. Summarize a high-quality infographic
If you stumble upon an infographic that you enjoy, why not share it with your readers? Summarizing an infographic is a simple way to educate your readers (and maybe even yourself!). Check out an example of how we summarize infographics with our “8 Ways Nurses Can Stay Healthy During Long Shifts” blog.
4. Share an educational link
Simple, yet effective. For a quick post, share a link to an education post, such as a recent study or article.
5. Interview
No good nursing blog would be complete without an occasional interview. As a nurse or other healthcare provider, you have access to people within the field. Interview your co-workers, or even your patients if they let you!
6. Write a basic “how to” guide
If you feel as though you have expertise or insight on nursing that others may need to know about, share it with the Internet! How to guides are the perfect way to condense information into an easy-to-read and helpful blog post for other medical professionals within your field. Check out an example of how we did this with our “Nursing School Tips: How to study better, not harder, for nursing final exams and ace every one” blog.
7. Utilize current media and news
The health care industry is always a topic in current events and news. If you run across a topic that you have insight on, write up a quick post reflecting on the news and share it on your social media pages for others to see.
8. Add comic relief
Depending on the type of blog you wish to have, comedy is a potentially great addition to nursing blogs. Sometimes, nurses just need some sarcasm or a bit of satire to help get them through a shift, write up a post highlighting some funny nursing moments to get more personal with your readers. Check out how we did this with our “The 9 Types of Nurses you Probably Know” blog.
9. Utilize numbered lists
Numbered lists are an organized, easy to read way to convey information to your readers. You can incorporate numbered lists into nearly all types of blogs you wish to post, a great way to better organize your ideas and get more people to actually read the entire post.
10. Post an opinion
If you have something on your mind and feel you need to vent, chances are, you’re probably not the only one with these feelings. There is no better way to establish a long-standing relationship with your readers other than posting a personal opinion regarding a dispute or issue in the workplace (just be sure to stay somewhat rational by also posting a potential list of reasonable solutions to the problem, if applicable).
So, happy blogging to all of our nurses who choose to live some of their career online! We would love to know your healthcare blog if you have one, feel free to share the links below and we will be sure to check them out!
