Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Meet a Wellness Blogging Team Player – Alex Raymond from Empowered Eating

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© Rebecca Bitzer & Associates – Fotolia.com

What’s it like to be part of a bustling nutrition practice, while also writing for and coordinating a prolific blog? We’ll find out in today’s interview with Alex Raymond of Rebecca Bitzer & Associates and Empowered Eating, a separate blog designed to specifically support those who are recovering from an eating disorder.

In her role as editor and blog coordinator, Alex and her intern Caroline work together to make sure a new post goes up on both sites at least once a week. On top of that, they schedule social media posts for each article to make sure it’s getting the widest reach possible (Meet Edgar saves them tons of time, she says). They also like to go back and re-post some of their more popular articles and seasonal blog posts.

Why start a second blog when the practice blog is already such a gold mine? “While we do have many blog posts about eating disorders on the RBA website,” Alex explained, “the Empowered Eating blog posts are really geared toward that population, as well as posts to educate health professionals and to support loved ones of those struggling. Blog topics can vary from recipes to new research surrounding eating disorders to various tips for recovery.”

“We need more positive articles out there about food!”

Alex says their weekly blogging schedule hasn’t been that difficult to keep up, since health, wellness, and nutrition are such hot topics these days. She finds inspiration from articles posted on social media, news outlets, or even movies and TV shows.

She’s most inspired, she says, by the questions her clients ask or common themes she’s noticed in their sessions. “These days, having a disordered relationship with food is quite common. People are always trying to find quick nutrition fixes or some perfect diet. And many times these quick fixes don’t work and a ‘perfect diet’ doesn’t exist.

Some of these individuals may go on to develop a full blown eating disorder. So, I like to remind myself that my voice and what is said on our blog matters. We need more positive articles out there about food!”

To keep their content fresh and their readers engaged, Alex recently started a series of brief videos called “Mindful Minutes,” such as the one below about orthorexia. Specifically for the Empowered Eating blog, these videos cover topics like body image, mindful eating, and self-care. The goal is to supplement, not replace, the blog posts.

Writing for readability

Like most wellness bloggers, Alex and her team of bloggers try to write posts that have both excellent SEO and readability. She finds that the readability piece is the hardest for them to get right. “As dietitians, we like to elaborate on our ideas. But, having too long sentences actually decreases readability.”

As she goes back and edits posts – hers and others – she finds herself making executive decisions to cut down on sentence length, while still trying to preserve the original message of the content.

Balancing your blogging time

All of this takes time, so I asked how she fits it all in. She says it’s not always easy to balance blogging, editing and seeing clients, so she tries to schedule time to work on blogging.

Yet as we all know, creativity doesn’t always follow a schedule. “If I feel the inspiration coming, I try to write down all my thoughts in either a journal or a Google doc and save it for later. It’s so important to just go with the inspiration when it comes so you don’t lose it.”

If she finds herself with both inspiration and a little extra time (say, on a flight), she might sit down for 45 minutes straight and finish an entire post. Then she’ll send it to Caroline for publishing, but depending what’s already in the queue it may not go up for another few weeks.

Typically, she can finish two or three posts in a few days, but other times she only gets to blog once a week and it can take two weeks to finish something. On average she spends about 60-90 minutes per post, depending on whether she also records a video.

Luckily, Alex says blogging is something she truly enjoys doing, and is sometimes a form of self-care. “If I’m home when I’m writing, I like to just sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and relax. I’ll either have music or the TV show Friends in the background.”

And we all need our blogging friends! I’m glad to have made some new friends in Rebecca and Alex, so I could bring you these insights into what goes on behind the scenes of a productive wellness blog.

P.S. Does your clinic have a blog you could be writing for? Don’t miss the opportunity to share your ideas, spotlight your expertise, and attract new clients! Here are some of my tips for being part of a blogging team.

The Evolution of a Nutrition Blog – Rebecca Bitzer & Associates

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Welcome to Part 2 of a special interview with Rebecca Bitzer of Rebecca Bitzer & Associates: REBEL Dietitians in Maryland. If you missed Part 1, click here to learn why blogging is a priority for her diverse and talented team of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDs).

Why did you first start blogging, and how has your blog changed since then?

At first, we just blogged. Our blog posts were fine, although a bit short and the photos were not great. Over the years, we have continued to raise the bar and have much better content, tips, photos and recipes.

In addition to our 400+ blog posts we have a recipe database that we added to our website last year with over 300 recipes that our team has created.

We also pay more attention to which blog posts are the most popular and try to provide more blog posts on these topics. There is a lot of competition on the internet and we are trying to keep our niche as a team of dietitians who can make life easier in the kitchen when dealing with a chronic condition (or trying to avoid one).

What have been the biggest benefits of continuing to blog so consistently?

Having fresh content keeps our team and our audience inspired, which is key for success. Also, fresh content keeps our audience coming back for more information and it certainly helps Google find us.

We also have an monthly email newsletter that highlights our blog posts, recipe of the month, and special events, which helps keep our followers engaged.

Finally, by continuing to blog consistently, we can address some of the challenges and struggles that our clients are facing in session, and provide resources for them and for the community.

Does anyone help you with the blogging process (anything from writing, editing, research, publishing, promotion), and how?

As I mentioned in Part 1, one of our dietitians is in charge of setting deadlines and themes for each month, and we all encourage each other to meet those goals.

We have taken tons of courses, classes and webinars on blogging. At this point, we are still doing it in-house because we love it and doing it ourselves helps our clients get to know us better.

We are bombarded with people wanting to guest blog for us. We are open to having more guest bloggers, though we are very selective about who writes for our blog and any post must be approved by all before it is published.

We also have interns who help contribute to a blog post which we may enhance, update or repurpose, such as this Thanksgiving post that was written by an intern:
https://rbitzer.com/how-to-lose-weight-while-enjoying-your-favorite-foods-on-thanksgiving/

In terms of promotion, we post our blog post links on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. I would say that Facebook and Instagram are our two favorites.

What advice do you have for a new nutrition blogger?

I would encourage new nutrition bloggers to start. Writing about something you are passionate about helps. Also, “better done than perfect” is good to remember. Your blog posts will get stronger over time; it is important to get started and practice writing.

The most challenging thing for many is to carve out enough time to blog. Having a schedule and a deadline helps get blog posts written.

One of the challenges our team has is keeping the blog posts simple; it is much more challenging to write a concise sentence than to write like you are talking. But again, just get started, ignore your perfectionism and remember you have important things to share.

Excellent tips, thank you so much, Rebecca! Keep up the good work, rebels!

P.S. Did you miss Part 1 of this interview? Click here to learn how the REBEL Dietitians keep up with their ambitious blogging schedule, and much more!

Ready to raise the bar on your own wellness clinic blog? Let’s look it over together! Join me for a free, no-obligation blog review session. Click here to schedule a time.

Nutrition Blogging Done Well: Rebecca Bitzer & Associates – The REBEL Dietitians

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© Rebecca Bitzer & Associates

Rebecca Bitzer & Associates: REBEL Dietitians is the largest outpatient nutrition counseling practice in Maryland and has operated for over twenty-nine years.

With seven registered dietitian nutritionists (RDs) and three locations, they focus on finding personalized solutions for busy people so nutrition and cooking are simple, no matter what condition people are coming in to manage or prevent.

They achieve this through individual nutrition counseling, corporate presentations, and nutrition classes, as well as through blogging.

The REBEL Dietitians blog is a treasure trove of practical advice and recipes, and Rebecca was generous enough to answer a few questions about their blogging experience.

How many of your dietitian nutritionists contribute to the blog, and how often?

We are a team of seven registered dietitian nutritionists. Five of us contribute to the blog. Each of us has a specialty so we try to include blog posts that are helpful to each RD’s audience.

For instance:

Kaitlin Williams, RD, LD, wrote a blog post on what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking:
https://rbitzer.com/dont-feel-like-cooking/

Klara Knezevic, RD, LD, helps clients eat local foods and foods in season. Here is her blog post about autumn foods with inspirational recipes:
https://rbitzer.com/produce-in-season-in-the-fall/

Dana Magee, RD, LD, CLT, is our digestive specialist and she writes about FODMAPs like this blog post about low FODMAP breakfasts:
https://rbitzer.com/low-fodmap-friendly-breakfasts/

Alex Raymond, RD, LD ,works with clients to eat without without the unnecessary restrictions of dieting. Here is a recent blog post on how to lose weight (without dieting) after vacation:
https://rbitzer.com/6-tips-lose-weight-gained-vacation/

Rebecca Bitzer, RD, LD, CEDRD, recently blogged about the benefits of eating chili and her four favorite chili recipes:
https://rbitzer.com/homemade-chili-recipes/

You can expect one new blog post per month from each of us. We also do one compilation post per month where each of us contribute a recipe or a nutrition tip to give various perspectives.

Klara Knezevic, RD, LD wrote this compilation blog post with recipes from all of us where the entire meal is prepared using just one pan:
https://rbitzer.com/8-chicken-sheet-pan-dinners/

Is blogging a requirement at your practice? Do some of your dietitian nutritionists need prompting or extra encouragement, and how do you handle that?

We believe that the world depends on social media. More and more people look online before choosing to work with a professional so blogging is a priority for us.

In addition to attracting new clients, we want to make sure that our current and former clients have a valuable resource to help keep them focused and accountable and most of all inspired to keep meeting their nutrition and health goals.

Our blog posts are so filled with content, our dietitians often print out blog posts to discuss with clients as certain challenges become known during the session. For instance, if a client is struggling with overeating during Thanksgiving, we give tips and tools on how to eat more mindfully during the holidays.

One of our dietitians is in charge of setting deadlines and themes for each month. It takes time for all of us to cook the recipes, take photos, and add recipes to our database of recipes. Everyone is busy but we collectively share the value of writing strong blog posts, so we encourage each other.

An added bonus is that oftentimes the person cooking a new recipe brings it into the office to share so we can all enjoy it!

Do you use a set calendar of blogging topics and the types of posts you write?

While most of our blog posts are recipe based, some are self-care based because we believe that self-care is always key, especially when trying to make changes in health behaviors.

Each RDN writes about something she is passionate about, which helps her voice and authenticity come through. Also, it helps her have fresh, new material to share with her clients.

I notice you choose not to date your blog posts. Has it always been that way? What was the thinking behind that choice?

We recently hired a professional branding company to update our website (which is another story). [Note from Linda: Believe me, Rebecca, I can relate!]

When we were updating our website, we decided to do an overhaul of our 400+ blog posts. As a group, we reviewed, edited, updated and removed outdated blog posts. This is when we decided to hide the dates of the blog posts.

The reason behind hiding the dates is that we repost our seasonal and holiday blog posts on social media. Since we are always attracting new followers, it made sense to link to these “timeless” posts. Removing the dates ensures these posts do not look repurposed.

Just because we wrote a great Halloween blog post last year, it does not mean that our all of our current followers saw it last year. The tips and hacks are still useful and the photos and recipes are excellent – so let’s reuse it!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post to learn about the REBEL Dieticians’ early blogging days, the biggest benefits they’ve seen from blogging, and more!

In the meantime, keep reading here for more inspiration and tips for a multi-author wellness blog!

How to Expand Your Food Blogging Vocabulary With Tips From Dianne Jacob and Julia Child

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© Innovated Captures - Fotolia.com
© Innovated Captures – Fotolia.com

A recent episode of the Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek featured a hilarious exchange between actors Catherine O’Hara and Dan Levy. Watch at 1:14 in this video as they try to make sense out of a recipe direction to fold cheese into an enchilada filling.

(Canadians can watch the whole episode at CBC for free, or anyone can purchase via iTunes.)

In a recipe or any blog post, it’s important to choose words your readers can relate to and understand. Using big words or technical jargon may make you feel smart, but it’s not a smart move for connecting with your audience.

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Dianne Jacob, a popular food writer, speaker and author. Her book Will Write for Food is a complete guide to writing cookbooks, blogs, memoir, recipes, and more, and the chapter on food blogging is full of practical tips for any blog.

I asked her how food bloggers can keep their recipes accessible to everyone, even when describing techniques that usually come with more cooking experience.

“You have to know your audience,” she explained. “If they understand the term ‘fold,’ then use it. It’s not about dumbing down the language. It’s about successfully communicating with your readers.”

Yet in trying to keep language simple and straightforward, do we risk bland, boring writing that always sounds the same? This is a particular challenge for recipe writers, says Jacob. “I got frustrated by starting so many sentences with ‘Add’ in the method. I figured there had to be a better way.”

Her solution? She pored over her copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to create a list of 100 powerful verbs for recipes. “It was a pleasure to thumb through Julia Child’s cookbook and see her mastery of language, how she was so specific in her instructions.”

When I notice I’ve repeated the same word in a post, I use the synonym finder in Microsoft Word or the research tools in Google Docs for other ideas. I’ll also type my word plus “synonym” into Google, or go right to an online thesaurus.

(For a fun way to expand your vocabulary while helping people in need, check out Free Rice. Caution – this site can be very addictive!)

Whether you’ve been blogging for years like Dianne and I, or you’re just starting out, challenge yourself to use new and different words in your blog posts. Just keep it simple so your readers stay with you.

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

What Wellness Bloggers Can Learn from Food Bloggers

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© kazoka303030 – Fotolia.com

As a wellness blogger, your goal is to keep your readers healthy, and ultimately to attract new clients to choose your clinic. Food bloggers have a whole other set of motives. Here are three ways you can borrow from their approach to improve your own blog:

Free Your Passion

Food bloggers have the liberty to indulge in deep exploration of their passions, wherever that journey takes them. It’s similar to how when artists pursue their craft as a hobby, it gives them freedom from the creative constraints that may take over if it becomes a business.

Wellness bloggers, take note: It’s easy to get caught up in ROI (return on investment) and how you’re going to transform readers into clients. While you definitely want to think about your ideal clients and what they’re looking for, if you stray too far from your own expertise and passion you will just dilute your message.

Ideally, the answers your clients are looking for are related to what you’re really good at and love to do. Once you’ve figured out what that is, Michael J. Katz says that doing anything else is just “a self-perpetuating distraction.”

So don’t get distracted too much by always trying to blog about the “right” things. Invite more passion into your blog and see who is attracted by that.

As an American living in Paris, chef, blogger and author David Lebovitz is clearly passionate about his favourite city and its cuisine. He’s been blogging since 2004 and says it is one of the most fulfilling, exciting things that he does. Visit his blog now for an example of a food blogger with passion.

Keep it real

Food bloggers are notorious for revealing the good, bad and ugly of their real-life kitchen adventures. Whether the result is poignant, painful, hilarious or even mundane, it gives the reader an opportunity to feel a little more connected to the human race.

Wellness bloggers, take note: Will you lose your credibility as an expert if you share your personal experience? Not at all. Just remember to strive for a balance between experience and expertise.

If you only share experience, your readers may feel more connected with you on a personal level, but may not think of you when it comes to paying for solutions. If you only share expertise, your readers may respect and revere you, but lose touch if they start to feel lectured to.

When food blogger turned author Lisa Leake decided to overhaul her family’s eating habits, she decided to share their process with the world through her blog, 100 Days of Real Food.

She writes honestly about the good, the bad and the ugly of the experience, though always in a very positive way.

Find the story

When you feel free to follow your passions under no pretense of being someone you’re not, it opens you up to more fascination and curiosity.

Wellness bloggers, take note: Look for interesting connections you can make between your daily adventures and the solutions your prospective clients are looking for.

Turn those connections into stories that illustrate a helpful lesson for your readers. Just make sure your stories tie into your business message and stay consistent with your brand.

Passionate, award-winning food blogger and author Deb Perelman of The Smitten Kitchen always offers the interesting back story behind her recipes. For example, here’s how she turned her husband’s love of buffalo wings into a popcorn snack.

Yes, there is a business goal behind your wellness clinic blog, but take a page from these food blogs to infuse some passion, honesty and storytelling into your efforts.

This post was originally published at Build a Better Blog (Denise Wakeman), as a companion piece to What Business Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists.

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