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Choose healthcare content topics

Generating healthcare content ideas is a systematic approach that uses tips, tricks, and techniques of journalists and expert content writers to identify key themes. Content ideas for healthcare can come from a massive range of sources, including service changes, medical research, health and wellness advice, and diversity issues – but everything should be focused on your audience.

In this article, the healthcare content experts at 42group have created a foolproof guide to help you develop better ideas. These ideas can be used as the basis for generating content, including blogs, web pages, whitepapers, case studies, social media content, infographics, animations, and films. The result is content that builds human connections. 

Healthcare content – what are you communicating about?

The best content has a clear purpose, so before we begin exploring how to generate healthcare ideas, we need to understand the purpose of your content and the people you’re writing for (your audience).

Content marketing is a way to engage your audience with information that they’ll find valuable. In the commercial world, it’s used for brand building (as well as SEO), but for healthcare organisations, there are several reasons why you might want to use content, including;

  • Service access and redesign: Improving awareness and understanding of services, including new services and service closures.
  • Medical innovations: Promoting new treatments, med-tech, apps, research findings, and technological innovations.
  • Public health Issues: Epidemics, vaccination, and health education marketing efforts.
  • Mental health: awareness, treatment, and destigmatisation campaigns
  • Nutrition and wellness: Diet, exercise, and holistic health approaches.
  • Healthcare policy: Legislation, healthcare system changes, and insurance.
  • Diversity and inclusion: Identifying the issues impacting your communities and communicating with marginalised hard-to-reach, or vulnerable groups.

Understanding what you’re communicating is essential at the next stage: audience identification.

If you’re working with a healthcare content agency (like 42group), the ability to articulate clearly the purpose of your content marketing project will have a significant impact on its chances of success. 

Identifying Your Audience

Understanding your audience is essential when generating content ideas. It enables creatives to develop ideas that resonate with this group, adopt an appropriate tone of voice, and structure the information.

Audience identification is also critical to SEO, enabling us to develop a strong keyword strategy to ensure your content ranks well in search engines. 

Some of the core healthcare content audiences include:

  • Healthcare professionals
  • Patients and caregivers
  • Key stakeholders
  • Hard-to-reach groups (including those living with a disability, people for whom English isn’t a first language)
  • General public

These are very general categories, and it’s unlikely that this list will provide any writer or content strategist with the information and insights that they need to generate ideas. While you may have a clear idea of your audience, we always encourage healthcare clients to create personas in as much detail as possible. This isn’t something we can go into here, but we’re going to be making a range of new blogs digging into the details of how to create personas (so watch our Answers page for, well, answers).

Generating healthcare content ideas like a pro

In this section, we will take you through generating healthcare content ideas like a pro. We’re going to assume you’ve identified what the content will achieve and the audience you’re communicating with. Here’s how to generate healthcare content ideas like the pros at 42group do.

Tapping into current healthcare trends and needs

Healthcare, med-tech, digital health – call it what you want, but the world of healthcare is transforming faster than it ever has. While we can welcome innovative new technologies, personalised treatments, and the emergence of AI, we’re seeing the healthcare service struggle to deal with a funding crisis, staffing shortages, and increased demand.

As well as domestic healthcare challenges, the NHS exists as part of a global healthcare system, with ideas for new content coming from anywhere.

The best and most engaging content strategists are keen readers and will scour the press for stories that inspire new content. The press also acts as a critical indicator of public opinion and political priorities, so identifying themes and responding rapidly to emerging issues shows clear content (and organisational) leadership.

Here are some ways you can use current healthcare trends in the media to generate ideas:

  • Global health events: Explore what’s happening around the world. If the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications show anything, it’s how connected we all are.
  • Technological advancements: Explore innovations in telemedicine, digital health, AI in healthcare, and mobile health apps. Look for new technologies and bring them to life through care studies.
  • Societal health concerns: Rising mental health issues, obesity epidemics, and ageing populations are all issues impacting the health service and patients. You can explore the impact of individual conditions (diabetes, cancer, etc.) or take a system view. 
  • Resource and staffing shortages: The NHS is in a perpetual crisis. Use this as an opportunity to create content to raise awareness of issues impacting the health system, innovative ways trusts respond, and new service provisions or solutions. 
  • Research papers and publications: Thousands of research papers are published daily, and every one could be a story. Use Science Daily or another press release-sharing platform to see new releases before they hit the headlines.

Utilising SEO and social media insights to create content ideas

The press and media are great indicators of significant trends, but you can – and should – try to establish connections with your audience. How? SEO, social media, and surveys can provide you with insights that you can use to generate content ideas. 

Here is how 42group uses audience information to create content ideas. 

  • Keyword research: Tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush can help you find trending healthcare topics that can be used to create content ideas. At 42group, we’ll look for low-competition longtail keywords and questions that give us a picture of search intent. As well as knowing what people are searching for, we need to try and understand why – using this to help us create content that engages them.
  • Social media analysis and listening: Platforms like Twitter (now X), Facebook, and LinkedIn can offer insights into current discussion topics in healthcare. Take diabetes, for example. We can join diabetes groups on Facebook, track hashtags on X, and learn what professionals in the field are chatting about. These social listening exercises help us generate content ideas to build human connections.
  • Surveys: Surveys are a great way to generate new content ideas if you’ve got the budget. Even if you’re unable (or unwilling) to conduct your own surveys, you can use surveys performed by others to learn huge amounts about your audience and help create healthcare content ideas.

Bridging gaps in information

Childhood vaccinations are an emotive topic for parents and a big problem for the health service, with previously under control conditions like measles affecting a growing number of children. The NHS has done an incredible job of challenging perceptions and correcting misinformation in a positive and supportive way. 

Basically, they’re bridging information gaps – and it’s a powerful approach to generating content. 

  • Myth-busting: Content that addresses common health myths and misconceptions can be highly effective in engaging your audience and delighting algorithms. If you’re working on new and timely content, you could find yourself capturing a snippet text.
  • Underreported issues: Some conditions take all the headlines (and the healthcare funding). Highlighting lesser-known health conditions or healthcare challenges in certain populations can be a great way to create content that makes a positive impact.
  • Challenging preconceptions: The childhood vaccination example is a good one. Many people find it hard to deal with miniformation online, particularly on social media. Content that challenges preconceptions and provides answers with authority is always valuable. 

Collaborating with Experts

Google – and your audience – wants content with authority. It wants healthcare content written by experts with the latest information – you can provide it. 

Experts within your organisation can provide a valuable source of content ideas, but they also get involved in the content production process. At 42group, we regularly work with healthcare leaders, with our editors and content writers supporting them to create content that captures everything they want to say.

  • Interviews and Guest Posts: Enhance credibility and provide firsthand insights by interviewing key clinicians, stakeholders, and patients. This is an easy and effective way to generate ideas and create content.
  • Expert Opinions: Seek expert opinions on complex topics and opportunities to create content. You can ask them to write content for you, or you can author it on their behalf. Either way, you’ll have a great way to generate healthcare content ideas quickly.

Generate healthcare content ideas like a pro

By looking for ideas and inspiration in a wide variety of places, you can ensure your blog and online content remain relevant, engaging, and informative. Remember to identify your audiences and their preferred content channels before generating ideas.

Use every one of these tools and techniques to generate content ideas, and your content calendar will fill up faster than ever before.

The easiest way to generate healthcare content?

Work with 42group. We’re creative healthcare content leaders who can help you to generate content ideas for every audience and every channel.

Want to chat about a healthcare content marketing project? Get in touch.

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