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!

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