Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How to Spotlight Other People on Your Nutrition Blog

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© frog-travel - Fotolia.com
© frog-travel – Fotolia.com

Blogging consistently is a key to success, both for the marketing benefits and for your growth as a blogger. Yet not every article has to be in-depth like a how-to post. In fact I recommend you aim for just one of those every month.

In the weeks in between, choose from other types of posts that may be shorter, easier and quicker to put together. These include the personal post, the curated post, and today’s topic: the spotlight post.

Is there someone you think everyone should know about because they’re so brilliant, creative or knowledgeable? How about a food product, gadget or tool you keep recommending again and again? Use a spotlight post to spread the love.

Consider these three options when you want to introduce someone to your readers:

  1. Interview the person, and present their insights as a profile and/or a how-to post about a specific topic. You can use a simple Q & A format, or intertwine their answers with your own comments.
  2. Invite the person to contribute a guest post, either a reprint from their own blog or an original article for your readers. Include an author bio with a link back to their website. If a reprint, give the link to the original post.
  3. Write about the person (or product), with or without links to other blog posts, websites, videos or other resources. Even if you weren’t able to interview them personally, you can include brief quotes from their own writing or from other interviews they’ve done. And be sure to let them know you featured them!

Similar to a curated post, open your spotlight post by saying a bit about the person or product, how you first heard about or met them, and why you treasure them as a trusted resource.

With video or audio interviews, be sure to also provide some text for people who don’t want to just listen or watch. Offer a transcript, or at the very least a bullet list of highlights.

Spotlighting others on your blog lightens your load and creates more value for your audience. As an added bonus, you’ll build and deepen relationships with other experts in your field.

Now that we’ve explored the how-to post, the personal post, the curated post, and the spotlight post, which of these formats do you think will be easiest for you? Mixing them all will give your blog maximum variety and interest.

For help brainstorming topics for each of these four blog post types, visit http://www.contentmasteryguide.com/blog-topic-planning-worksheet to download your own topic planning worksheets.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

Keeping Readers Healthy – Tips from America’s Top Hospital Blog

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© WavebreakmediaMicro - Fotolia.com
© WavebreakmediaMicro – Fotolia.com
Amanda Todorovich
Amanda Todorovich

Cleveland Clinic is one of the top four hospitals in the United States (U.S. News & World Report, 2015), and has the #1 most-visited hospital blog in the United States.

Amanda Todorovich is their content marketing director, and I’ve had the pleasure to connect with her several times on the weekly #CMWorld Twitter chats, as well as in person at Content Marketing World conference in September 2015.

I was thrilled when she agreed to share her insights with us here.

Why create original health and wellness content?

In your 2015 presentation at Content Marketing World, you defined the Cleveland Clinic content strategy as “to engage users in daily conversation using health, wellness and clinical content that is unique to Cleveland Clinic.”

There is so much health information online today. Why do you think it is important to add to that stream with your own unique content?

There is a lot of health information online. There is also a lot of MISinformation online. It’s valuable to utilize the vast breadth and depth of expertise of Cleveland Clinic physicians and other experts to help provide actionable, accurate information that helps people make decisions every day.

Cleveland Clinic offers a unique model of medicine, and we want to help people take care of themselves and their families. Our content strategy supports that mission. We want to be useful, helpful and relevant to people all over the world – whether they will ever be a Cleveland Clinic patient or not.

Our content is conversational, approachable and helpful. It is NOT about what’s going on at Cleveland Clinic that day. It’s about the reader and helping them stay healthy, live with the conditions they do have, and giving content to them on the right channels at the right moment – just when they need it most.

Choosing which health topics to write about

You describe the purpose of your blog’s content as helping your visitors stay healthy, rather than just get them into your clinic. “We don’t get paychecks from [healing] colds,” you noted in your presentation, but since that’s the kind of content that really matters to your users, that’s the kind you produce.

How do you go about discovering which health questions are most important to your audience?

So many ways… we:

  • Ask our caregivers what questions patients are asking them
  • Mine our data to see what topics are really resonating
  • Monitor social trends
  • Monitor other health media sites
  • Ask our audiences directly for feedback
  • Utilize search information (what topics people are looking for most on our own site and also on Google, etc.)

Ideas for posts on Health Essentials come from all over our enterprise, and we collaborate with many different teams to understand what matters to their areas. We couldn’t produce this content without the help of our entire marketing division, and most importantly, without the collaboration of our physicians and medical experts.

Every piece of content we produce is reviewed and approved by a medical expert, and we publish 3-5 stories a day on Health Essentials. We have no shortage of ideas, and we have an abundance of enterprise-wide participation and support.

Mining the data for email newsletter success

You don’t just wait for people to discover or return to your blog; you invite blog readers to keep in touch with your Health Essentials E-News, available from the main blog page. You shared that your open rate is an enviable 40% and your click-through rate is 65%!

How do you account for the newsletter’s success, and what are your tips for other health clinics and wellness practitioners?

DATA. DATA. DATA. Every issue is an opportunity for optimization and improvement. We constantly test subject lines, different images, different headlines for each story. We have evolved our design based on data. We have chosen the content of the newsletter based on data.

Make your emails an enjoyable experience for your readers. Give them content that’s useful and actionable. Be strategic with the days and times you send. Test something. Test it again. Experiment every time. There is ALWAYS room for improvement.

Ignore all the “general rules” of email and consider what makes sense to your audience. Busy moms do NOT have time to read your email at 7:30am on a Tuesday. They are getting their kids off to school. Perhaps a late night send might do better. Test it. Try it. Experiment and find what works for your specific audience.

And put resources behind growing your list. Promote the newsletter. Consider win-back campaigns if your engagement has dropped off. Invite people to subscribe; never force/auto-add people to lists.

Your newsletter is a gift

Think about every email as a gift or package being delivered in their inbox. What does the wrapping look like? Will they want to open it? If they do, will they be excited and grateful or want to return it?

I hope you’ve been as inspired as I have by this glimpse into the leading hospital blog in the United States. How will it shape your efforts to keep your own blog readers healthy?

For more ideas and motivation, visit Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials blog or subscribe to one of their email newsletters!

How to Write a Curated Post For Your Nutrition Blog

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© Milles Studio - Fotolia.com
© Milles Studio – Fotolia.com

Blogging is a very effective marketing tool for wellness services such as nutritional consulting. Prospective clients need to see that you have the knowledge to help them, plus a style and approach they can work with and trust.

Yet it’s not very likely someone will hire you the minute they discover your blog, which is why you need to keep publishing new content on a regular basis. Does that mean you have to slave over a comprehensive full-length article every week? Absolutely not!

This is the third article in a series about four different types of posts you can cycle between on your blog, some of which will be much faster and easier for you to finish.

The first type we covered was the how-to post, where you do go into more depth with concrete information that allows your readers to take action. Next, we talked about how writing a more personal post will help distinguish you from the sea of nutritionists out there.

Today, we’ll look at how to harness the efforts of those other nutritionists or related experts with something called a curated post. A curated blog post is one that is centred around someone else’s content, such as a blog post, video, infographic or slideshow.

How to choose the best content to share

Just like when you’re planning your own topics, be on the lookout for content that fits the focus of your blog and the interests of your readers.

Be very selective here. Anything you share implies your endorsement, not just of this item, but its creator. Take the time to carefully review a few of the author’s other posts, their About page, and their social media profiles.

To find quality content more quickly, build a list of respected colleagues who often publish valuable blog posts, videos, or links to other gems from around the web. Schedule regular times to check their blogs and social media pages to find the newest content they’ve created or shared.

How to share content the right way

To respect copyright laws and the original creator’s hard work, never copy and paste someone else’s text into your own blog (or their images, for that matter). You can use a sentence or two as a quote, but then link to the original.

Always use the “permalink” (permanent link) assigned to that specific page. You can usually find the permalink by clicking on the title on a blog post. The permalink will be something like this: http://ionc.org/2015/12/how-to-start-a-blog-for-your-nutrition-business/ versus a link like this: http://ionc.org/blog/.

An exception is when you embed content into your blog so your visitor can view it right from your site. You do this by pasting in a special code provided by the original creator. Click these links to learn more about how to embed a SlideShare presentation, how to embed a YouTube video, or how to embed an infographic into a WordPress blog.

How to write a curated blog post

You always want to add your own text before and after the link or the embedded content. Ideally, you’ll have at least one paragraph at the beginning of your post, and another at the end. At about 200-250 words, this is way less writing than you might do for a how-to post or a personal post!

As an introduction, write a little about why you chose to share this resource and how you think it will be valuable to your reader. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your own knowledge and expertise, and express your unique personality.

You can offer a short bio of the author, explain how you’re connected with this person or how you discovered them, or provide a brief description of their company and what they do.

At the end of the post, ask what your reader thought of the content, or how they will implement the information. Then ask them to stay connected with you, whether that’s to read a related post, visit you on social media, subscribe to your email updates, or contact you with comments or questions.

A curated post is an excellent way to connect with other experts, and most of all to keep sharing valuable information with your readers and prospective clients.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

How to Write a Personal Post For Your Nutrition Blog

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© taka – Fotolia.com

In a series of posts over at the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants (IONC), I’ve been writing about how nutritionists can use blogging to attract new clients.

First I showed you how to get started, and now we’re looking at four different types of blog posts you can use to keep writing week after week.

A weekly post? That sounds way too hard! I understand. That’s why I suggest you aim to write just ONE feature-length post every month, where you teach your reader how to do something.

In the other three weeks, experiment with other types of posts that may be quicker and easier for you to put together. Let’s start with the personal post.

There are a lot of other holistic nutritionists out there, but that doesn’t make you competitors. You each have ideal clients who will be drawn to your particular set of life experiences and personality.

Blogging is the perfect place to let your unique style shine through. Personal posts are the ones only you can write, as opposed to the generic topics you might find on dozens of nutrition blogs.

There is nothing wrong with sharing a personal story on a business blog. It’s important to show potential clients your human side, since we all do business with those we know, like and trust. This is especially true for intimate services like nutrition counselling.

Use your own stories of failure and success to form a deeper connection with your audience, and reinforce the principles you teach in your business. I once wrote about a mishap in the kitchen to remind readers to keep a pad of paper handy for new blogging ideas.

A personal post may incorporate elements of a how-to post, like this one where I featured my own beloved greyhound Patch in a post about blogging consistently. Or it could be purely personal, like how Joy McCarthy and her team share their personal resolutions in this New Year’s post.

If you missed the first post in this series, visit IONC to read How to Write a How-To Post For Your Nutrition Blog. Stay tuned to learn about two other types of posts, including one that lets you lean on other people to feed your own blog.

When you put them all together, you’ll have everything you need for an interesting variety of blog posts all month long.

P.S. If you want to receive my newest blogging tips by email, including the next two posts in this series about nutrition blogging, sign up here for the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox!

5 Things I Like About These 5 Nutrition Blogs

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© Artur Marciniec - Fotolia.com
© Artur Marciniec – Fotolia.com

In How to Start a Blog For Your Nutrition Business, my recent guest post for the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants, I included five sample nutrition blogs for inspiration. Let’s take a closer look at what these nutritionists are doing well when it comes to blogging for business.

The five blogs are:

1. Joyous Health by Joy McCarthy and team

I discovered this blog awhile back and have since seen Joy’s books pop up on the shelves of my favourite health food stores (Nutrition Plus and Goodness Me). I love her positive, joyful approach to healthy eating and living.

2. Simple Balance by Wendy McCallum and Katie Gillingham

The Canadian School for Natural Nutrition (CSNN) has a page spotlighting their members who’ve written books. That is where I found a link to Wendy and Katie’s website and blog and I saw it as a good example of business blogging for nutritionists.

3. Nutrition for Real Life by Allison Tannis

I also found Allison’s blog via the CSNN site and thought she was doing a great job as well. Since then, we’ve connected directly (via Twitter, of course!) and she agreed to an interview about her blogging experience.

4. JulieDaniluk.com by Julie Daniluk

Julie’s book, Meals That Heal Inflammation, was helpful in my own recovery from many years of digestive difficulties. I always enjoy catching her appearances on The Marilyn Denis show, and her lessons about the health benefits of specific foods.

5. Crazy Sexy Wellness by Kris Carr

I first saw Kris Carr in a Marie TV episode with Marie Forleo. She is one of Marie’s students, and I love how she’s combined Marie’s online business model with her own passion for healthy eating and living.

Now that you’ve met these five nutrition bloggers, here are the five things I like most about how they blog for business:

  1. The blogs are all part of the nutritionist’s main website, and each offer ways to get and stay connected. Some offer a newsletter subscription, with some sort of bonus guide or report like Joy McCarthy’s Healthy Breakfast Guide. All include links to social media pages. Note how the social media icons at Simple Balance (top right-hand corner of the page) open in a new window so the reader doesn’t need to leave their site.
  2. The blogs are consistently updated with new posts. The visible publication dates (Allison Tanis has these just below the photos on her blog archives page) show visitors that they can keep coming back (or better yet, subscribe) for more tips. We can see that these experts have a lot of knowledge, and they’re generous about sharing it with their audience.
  3. Readers can choose from lists of categories and/or tags to read about specific topics. Blog categories offer nutrition professionals a way to demonstrate their specific areas of expertise. These lists are mostly found in the sidebar or underneath the title of each post, while Joyous Health includes them in a drop-down list from the main menu, as well as in a clickable list of filters in the middle of the blog archives page.
  4. They support their claims with research and links to other experts. Julie Daniluk does this consistently (such as in this post about the wonder of rainbow carrots), and it speaks volumes about her credibility and professionalism.
  5. They use vibrant photos. Food is a sensory experience, as says the old adage that we “eat with our eyes.” There are plenty of tantalizing food shots like this one of rosemary sweet potato wedges (Joyous Health), while natural beauty Kris Carr often steps into the photos herself, especially when sharing personal information like her morning ritual.

If you have a nutrition business, wellness clinic, or another health-related business, how can you apply these five lessons to your own blog? Haven’t started a blog yet? The seven steps in my IONC article can help – no matter what type of business you have!

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.