Writing Smart Advertising Copy for Health Topics

As an advertising sales copywriter in health, you may be part psychologist, teacher and scientist all at the same time. Although most products and services can use words that incite engaging mental pictures and highly seductive imagery, the health writer must rely on their sensitivity and compassion to convey the appropriate benefits of health-related products and services. Writers must teach and inform their readers to promote the reasons that chiropractors, acupuncturists or a product description can enhance the quality of their lives.

Research Studies Support Information

With clinical studies and research papers, writers can make a point about a product or service that can benefit their readers. For example, "in a recent research study in 2014, over 100 participants who used Hoodia daily reported a weight loss average of 33 pounds in less than two months." You cannot claim that the research study proved, cured or any other absolutes that make clinical research unequivocal proof of efficacy. Research studies only suggest or promote more questions for more research; they do not prove anything.

If possible, include two or three studies that include the health product or service to strengthen your supportive research. In addition, ensure your research articles are reputable with resources such as:

• A peer-reviewed journal
• Free to public access from scholarly websites for links in your article
• Reviewed studies for ethical and acceptable practices
• Reported study results that are easily interpreted by the layperson

Investigate Your Target Population

When promoting the benefits of a product or service for health, ensure that you spend some time researching the population that may find it useful. Obviously, if a product or service is designed for a specific disease or condition, your research articles can help you provide useful information to that target group.

However, a specialty skin cream that prevents chapping and drying can be promoted to diabetics, post-menopausal women, psoriasis sufferers and for those who live in cold climates. A series of informative articles for each member of the targeted audience can benefit from the product.

Information is King

Unfortunately, much of health copywriting is convincing a potential customer of "why is this important to me?" Although you must match the level of sophistication the healthcare consumer has arisen to, you cannot talk over their head and lose them in the translation. For instance, it may be important to include that "polyphenols" in green tea may prevent cancer, but it is equally important to explain "what they are" in the simplest of terms.

Using Amazing is not Amazing

While informing your reader of the benefits of a product or service, ensure you provide useful information that they can trust and find engaging. Avoid describing products with groundbreaking, amazing or innovative. You may be tempted to use these types of words but they just slow your reader down. Use short sentences, bullets and avoid wordy or lengthy paragraphs that make your reader work too hard to continue. Provide useful and engaging information that they can trust and find useful to reach their goals and increase the quality of their lives.

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