by Kriss Smolka

Guides on health and wellbeing topics have always been popular and continue to remain popular today. The scale of the diet, fitness, and wellbeing industries demonstrates this. How do you write a guide on a health and wellbeing topic? Here are 12 key tips.

 

1. Go Deep with Your Research

You always have to conduct extensive research when writing a guide, but the importance is even greater when the guide is on a health or wellbeing topic. So, go as deep as you can with your research even if you already have a good foundation of knowledge on the topic.

 

2. Plan Out the Guide’s Structure

It’s important to lay out the structure of your guide early in the process. This will keep each section and chapter focused to prevent repetition and avoid sections that feel like they are there as filler pieces.

Having a proper structure will also ensure you comprehensively cover the subject, plus it will help the reader read, process, and retain the information.

 

3. Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience is essential when writing a guide. For example, is your guide for beginners, for those who already have an understanding of the topic, or a bit of both. The direction you take, the information you present, and the way you present that information will all depend on the definition of your audience.

 

4. Explain Different Perspectives

Some guides, like technical how-to guides, are straightforward as “a” is followed by “b” which is followed by “c”.

Many health and wellbeing topics are more nuanced, however, and opinions can differ.

Too often, though, authors writing guides on health and wellbeing topics present only one perspective. Even if you passionately believe your perspective is the right one, your argument will be stronger, and your guide will be better, if you also explain the alternative perspectives.

 

5. Don’t Sensationalize

Leave the sensationalism about health and wellbeing topics to the chaos that is social media.

Instead, use a rational and thoughtful tone with, where necessary, carefully considered arguments. Treat your readers like grown-ups and provide proper explanations, warts and all.

 

6. Reference Your Sources

Don’t make a claim or quote a statistic without referencing the source. You don’t have to necessarily justify every piece of information you include in the guide but by providing your sources, you give the reader the information they need to get further clarification.

 

7. Write for Your Audience… And Solve Their Problem

Avoid using jargon and be generous with the way you write. Remember, those reading your guide will have a problem they want to solve. Help them solve it.

 

8. Make the Guide Easy to Read on Any Device

The usual rules apply here:

  • Short sentences and paragraphs
  • Everyday language
  • Informal, conversational tone
  • Bullet point lists
  • Straightforward sentence structures

 

9. Use Attractive Photos and Well-Designed Images and Illustrations

Your guide needs good writing, but it needs to be well designed visually as well. Plus, illustrations and images can often help present information in a way that is more concise and easier to understand than words.

 

10. Avoid Content that is Promotional

The guide you are writing is about the reader, so don’t try to sell them something every few pages.  Even if the purpose of the guide is as a marketing tool for a product or service, there are better ways to achieve your goals than blatantly including promotional content in the guide.

 

11. Have a Publication and Marketing Plan

Once you have finished writing your guide a whole new process starts to get it published and to get people to read it. Put a plan in place and then act on it.

 

Getting Started with Your Guide

You can write a guide as a saleable product or for use in a marketing campaign. The above tips will help in your writing process.

 

 

About the Author:

Kriss Smolka is the creator of the award-winning health & fitness app WaterMinder. WaterMinder was named Apple App Store Editor’s Choice in 2019 and has been featured by The New Yorker, Women’s Health, Glamour, Business Insider, BGR, Venture Beat, Apple, and more. Based on his own experience and extensive research, along with numerous real-life stories from those who have been affected by dehydration, Kriss started work on Water Wellness, a hydration book with the goal of educating everyone on the importance of staying hydrated.

For More Information Visit: hydrationbook.com

 

 

 

Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.