How can you write informative and empathetic copy about health issues?

As with any copy directed at other human beings, start with empathy - start with them. They are struggling with an issue and you are looking to help them. Write like it. Your words might be all they need today to feel relief about their current condition... or to take action and fix something they're doing wrong.

If we want to persuade people to make healthy behaviour changes, we need to understand them as people. Our background, experiences, environment, preferences and many other things influence how we respond to health messages and so understanding these things is vital in order to develop the right content to instigate behaviour change. The COM-B Behaviour Change Wheel is a great tool for uncovering and organising audience insights that should include information on things like health literacy, expectations and other factors.

To write empathically you need to understand specifically who you are writing for which will enable you to imagine yourself in their shoes. When I worked at IPC Media every magazine (all 100 of them) had a persona which we kept in our minds when writing copy. For example one of the persona's I used to write for was '46 year old male, married, two children, member of a golf club, enjoys socialising and sport, educated to degree level, driven and competitive, reads The Telegraph, has a senior position, earns 80K+ a year, travels internationally, enjoys good food, good wine, luxury holidays. Develop a persona will develop empathy.

In my work, the proposals I work on are intended not for patients but rather the professionals responsible for providing healthcare services and, crucially, developing the facilities that support those services. While this means a more technical type of writing in proposals, and a specific focus for the "pitch" that is different than patient-centered copy, it's nevertheless critical not to be limited to the purely informative aspect of the messaging. So, my approach to making sure that messaging is also empathetic - which I think applies generally - is to remember the shared "why." (Cue Simon Sinek.) Why do we want to work with our clients? What are our common goals? How does working together express shared values?

in my experience, when writing it is important to have a clear target, that means understanding the target demographic: who are they, where do they hang out, what is their age, their likes and dislikes etc. understanding the demographic helps dictate the tone, language to use, examples to use etc

Most of the time, a simpler language is the best option, especially if you are talking to common people and not to med students or professionals. Also, add examples of symptoms and define all the technical terms and acronyms.

in my experience the use of simple language is important since not every one is familiar with the jargon in the medical field, also the aim is to pass a message to the audience not to look smart

Be specific. Instead of "a lot" or "many" say "twenty out of hundred". Like that, the readers get a clear picture of what you're talking about.

Simple language makes health information more accessible to a broader range of people, including those with limited English proficiency or cognitive impairments. It ensures that crucial health information reaches as many individuals as possible.

When writing crisis comms during the pandemic, we wanted to support our community through lockdown, acknowledge the fears and confusion people were feeling, and give some guidance. We knew our audience well but identified key issues that people were struggling with such as mental health, not just physical health. We used empathy, compassion, 'we' and 'us' - not 'you' statements to show that we were one community. We asked people to get in touch with us if they were struggling and we'd do our best to help. We were all in it together.

validating the readers feelings is important as it help to connect with them, let them feel heard, understood and validated, this can be achieved by the choice of words the writer choses

Be tolerant of the opposing beliefs of others - provided those beliefs are not harmful. Tolerance is the root of many problems in global society today and, as we repeatedly see, the downfall of previously prosperous empires where anyone was able to flourish. You don’t have to agree but we must accept the beliefs of others, if nothing else, to justify our own.

While it's always to write with empathy; to underline opportunity instead of highlighting fear (i.e. "you will be able to" as opposed to "if you don't you'll...") it is even more important when it comes to health issues. Focus on the positive side, make it easy to understand and hopeful to read. Say after me: Empathy and Ease, Always

Simple language is empathetic as it demonstrates respect for the audience by avoiding jargon and complex terminology that might intimidate or alienate readers. It creates a more relatable and supportive tone, making it easier for individuals to engage with the information and take appropriate actions for their health.

There's a delicate balance between giving enough information and too much information. My little formula is: What do they NEED to know? Write about that What would be NICE to know? Write that if you have room What would be OVERWHELMING to know? Leave that out.

Behaviour science says that if we want to persuade people to change their (health) behaviour then we need them to have the opportunity, motivation and capability to make that change. Credible sources, data and evidence are vitally important in ensuring best quality advice and increasing people's trust in the information.

It is very important to stay current with the latest scientific information on health issues. Also to be credible I am very careful about not making blanket recommendations on products. It is tempting to generalize and oversimplify the issues, but I believe that is a disservice to our readers and our industry.

Most people skim text so breaking up the content with headers, dot points and lists makes it easy for the reader to identify the key information they want to know. If you're writing about a health condition, a good formula to follow is: What is x? What are the causes? What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed? How is it treated? What are potential complications? What else can you do? (e.g. lifestyle measures, home remedies) Can you prevent it? When should you see a doctor?

Your writing style can also determine if people will read your copy or not. The attention span of social media users these days is very short so a headline that stops them in their tracks is what you need to get them to stop scrolling. Afterwards, a well broken down body to explain the facts and the figures is important. The use of numbers or percentages helps get people’s attention too. Use this to your advantage and watch the audience consume your content wholly.

If you want someone to take a positive health action based on the information they read then you need to engage them. Narrative frameworks can help, as can precise language, clear structure, good presentation and visual aids such as graphs or illustrations. Ultimately, you want the reader to feel motivated to change their health behaviour in line with best practice advice and to understand how to do it.

Consider consulting subject experts and sensitivity readers about your writing (depending on the subject) and compensating them for their work. Or, even consider collaborating with experts from the start.

Since there is so much conflicting information on health issues, we have an obligation to our audience to help empower them to be savvy consumers of information.

Talk to real people with the condition if possible. Often, you’ll learn more than simply reading medical pages. Also ask someone to sensitivity check, some language you may think is fine can mean something different to a person with a health condition.