Helpful Strategies for Blog Writing for Key Rehab and Key Metrix

Written by: Key Metrix, April 25th

The main purpose of the Blogs is to build our audience in the communities and appear as experts in the Rehab and Rehab Technology space. We want to be seen as people who have deep understanding of the MVA Serious Injury field, concussions, health tech and solution building.

Our target audience is highly educated in that most will have a minimum of a Bachelors Degree and many will have masters or law degrees.

Many blog writing tips can be found on a variety of sites but I generally find this one the most helpful:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-writing-blog-posts-that-rank-in-googles-top-10/

Key Guiding Principles:

A Blog needs to read like an interesting article that you would want to read in a magazine or newspaper. It is NOT an advertisement for our product in the direct sense. Most of the blogs do not directly mention Key Metrix or Alytx unless it's an event or conference presentation or case study.
We can tie in the product but it should appear organically. No one wants to read an article that's an advertisement. They want to ready something that adds interest and value to their lives. This is backdoor marketing.

This blog is an example of where we have a product tie in that is done effectively: https://keymetrix.ca/auto-insurance/being-watched-3-tips-on-insurance-surveillance/
If writing about Science, then use guidelines for good science communication. Use solid sources, don't plagiarize, use references and make the information accessible to the reader.
Keep the tone of the blog conversational. Have an introductory paragraph that introduces the problem we are trying to solve, it should connect to a pain point in our rehab audience. You will explore this from a standpoint of empathy that draws the reader in, so in the next section, you are presenting perhaps a list of tips and ideas that are helpful solutions.

Format Guidelines:

Have a really dynamite introductory paragraph that grabs the reader from the start.
Keep the sentences and paragraphs short. You'll notice that most articles you read in the news use this format, which is quite different from academic writing.
Use connecting words to make the article flow (however, but, in addition to etc.)
Use humor if appropriate, personalize the article in that you are always connecting it back to the community we are trying to help. How is what you are talking about relevant? What problem are we trying to solve. A great blog keeps your attention throughout
Use High quality Headers (H2 and H3) to break up the piece. People maybe coming to skim or speed read and this gives them a way to follow the piece.

Here is an example of an earlier blog where our headers are not effective and also our paragraphs are too long: https://keymetrix.ca/news/outcomes-for-rehab-families-be-present/

Here is a more recent blog with a more effective format: https://keymetrix.ca/auto-insurance/fair-access-to-rehabilitation-after-an-mva-3-takeaways/

You could essentially follow the format of this blog as a template and then just add the different content.

Add Hyperlinks in the piece, but make sure when you add in the wordpress that you select for them to pop out in a new window, instead of navigating away from the piece.
Have a compelling final paragraph that are thoughts or next steps, what the future holds for this topic area etc.
Length is ideally between 800 and 1200 words
Check for general spelling and grammar. Pick an active voice and have continuity in your tenses.
Reference the blog template to understand all the information that you will need for optimization

https://writer.zoho.com/writer/open/ne0xb1b25af18fd6e430c8491fe2626c2eb59

Use effective Key phrases that are in the H1, perhaps H2 and are repeated 4-5 time in the article itself. Use the Yeost tool in Wordpress to help with this.

Pain Points to Know:

The articles are meant primarily for the traumatic and serious injury/disability community. Lawyers, Health Specialists, Client Advocates, Rehab Company Owners, and perhaps research professionals (if appropriate)

We want that community to feel we have something of value to offer and are authorities in the space. As such, the blog topic should connect in someway to a pain point/need in the rehab community which can include:

- need to fair treatment of accident victims

- timely care and treatment

- getting the best rehab for their injury or impairment

- having a team that communicates and works together

- objective documentation of impairments

- issues accessing resources, barriers to recovery

- unfair insurance practices

- lack of funding for treatment

- need for evidence-based treatment

- bringing innovation to rehab and recovery

- real-time sharing of information about client progress

- learning the latest developments or research that assist with concussion/ABI recovery

Final Thoughts

As a final note, read your finished blog from the perspective of the customer or client. Does it offer value, does it flow, does it keep your interest? Feel free to have a colleague read it and offer feedback! Be patient, blog writing is very different from academic writing or report writing. It takes some time to get the hang of it.

For Added Reading:

This is from an article entitled Best Practices in Science Communication:

https://www.ascb.org/science-policy-public-outreach/science-outreach/communication-toolkits/best-practices-in-effective-science-communication/

Know your audience, and focus and organize your information for that particular audience.
Focus on the big picture. What larger problem is your work a part of? What major ideas or issues does your work address? How will your work help global understanding of some issue?
Avoid jargon. If you must use a technical term, make sure to explain it, but simplify the language.
Try to use metaphors or analogies to everyday experiences that people can relate to.
Underscore the importance of public support for exploratory research and scientific information, and the role of this information in providing the context for effective policy making.