Health Writing: Why Knowing Your Audience Matters
Creating health content isn’t just about delivering accurate information—it’s about delivering it in a way your readers will understand, trust, and act upon.
Defining your audience is crucial, as communication styles used with medical professionals differ dramatically from how you engage with patients or the general public. Without understanding your audience, you might as well be speaking into the void.
But when you tailor your approach, your message not only reaches the right people but also resonates with them and drives meaningful action.
Struggling to understand your audience? Here are the three key questions I always ask when considering target audiences for my health writing projects.
Defining Your Audience: Who Are You Talking To?
The first question you must ask is who you’re trying to reach.
Before I start any writing project, I spend considerable time researching my target audience. You want to be as specific as possible—the clearer the picture, the more accurately you can tailor your health writing to your readers.
Below are the key areas I consider, allowing me to improve my health writing and craft content that truly speaks to the reader:
Demographics: What is the age, gender, and education level of your audience? Are they young adults, elderly patients, or maybe middle-aged professionals? Understanding this will help you tailor the language, examples, and references in the content.
Health Literacy: How much does your audience already know? Are they healthcare professionals? Are they familiar with basic health concepts, or do they need everything explained in layman’s terms? Knowing this helps you gauge the complexity of the content you create.
Emotional State: Consider your audience's emotional state. Are they likely to be stressed, anxious, or fearful when reading your content? Health topics can be sensitive, and addressing your readers with empathy can make a difference in how your message is received.
Cultural Background: Different cultures perceive health information differently. Understanding your audience's cultural context helps create culturally sensitive and inclusive content. This is especially important when writing for diverse or international audiences.
Identifying Barriers: What Might Be Stopping Your Audience?
Having a well-defined audience should make it easier to identify barriers that may prevent your content from having the desired impact. Even then, some challenges might not be obvious.
Here are some of the most common barriers to effective health communication and ways you can tackle these challenges:
1. Language and Terminology
Complex medical jargon can alienate readers who aren’t familiar with it. Words that seem simple to you might confuse someone without a medical background. You need to use appropriate language for your audience’s understanding.
However, simplifying language doesn’t mean “dumbing down” your content.
It’s about translating complex medical concepts into language that is both accessible and accurate.
When writing for patient groups, caregivers, or the general public, I follow the principle of “always use the simplest term possible.” This means breaking down complex ideas into everyday language. For example, rather than saying “hypertension,” you’d use the phrase “high blood pressure.”
Stories are also powerful tools for conveying complex information to a lay audience. You can use stories in health writing to help demystify the information, making it approachable without diluting its scientific value.
2. Accessibility
Ensuring your content is accessible means making it easy for everyone in your audience to engage with it, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.
This consideration goes beyond just the content itself and includes factors like visual impairments, hearing disabilities, and other accessibility needs. Simple things like font size, colour contrast, and video captions can make a big difference.
For readers with visual impairments, consider using alt text for images and ensuring that any visual data is described in text format. Including captions or transcripts for videos ensures that those with hearing disabilities can access the information.
3. Distrust in Information
Health misinformation is a big issue in today’s digital age—the internet is riddled with false news and inaccurate health claims.
As a health writer, it’s our job to ensure readers trust the information we are providing. Everything we write should be credible and backed up with scientific evidence. But if your audience is particularly sceptical of health content due to past experiences, building trust is even more essential.
Establishing credibility by citing reliable sources, being transparent about your intentions, and avoiding sensationalist language can help build trust.
Choosing the Right Format: What Will Your Audience Respond To?
The format in which you deliver your content can also significantly affect how it’s received.
Here’s how I determine the best format for my clients’ needs:
Written Content: Articles, blog posts, and reports are ideal for audiences who prefer to absorb information at their own pace—just remember the audience's reading level. You can use readability tools to help you adjust your writing accordingly.
Visual Content: Infographics, charts, and videos can make complex information more digestible. This is particularly useful for audiences with lower health literacy, as visuals can help bridge the gap between health information and understanding.
Interactive Content: Quizzes, surveys, and interactive tools can engage your audience and make learning more enjoyable. These formats are great for younger audiences or those who might be more sceptical about engaging with health content.
How Audience Understanding Shapes Your Writing
Understanding your audience isn’t just a preliminary step—it should influence every decision you make as a health writer.
From the language and tone you use to the structure and format of your content, everything should be tailored to meet your audience where they are.
Without this understanding, you risk producing content that misses the mark entirely. It could be too complex, too simple, or just not engaging enough to hold your readers’ attention.
But when you get it right, the impact can be profound. You can inform, educate, and inspire action—ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
Need help crafting health content that hits the mark? My health writing services have helped countless clients create clear, effective, and impactful communication that truly resonates with their specific audience.
Contact me today to see how I can do the same for you.
