Healthy Writing And Editing For Websites

By Author: Nancy Huchins
Total Articles: 1
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Healthy writing and editing—what could this possible mean? Well, it's a big concept, so I'll begin by explaining that I am a professional Boulder editor and writer who has been involved in writing about the issues of health and well-being for years. My involvement in these issues has always been from the standpoint of writing and editing websites and informational or marketing materials for healthcare professionals wishing to sell their products or services.

The desire to be healthy is a truly universal one that cuts across all social, economic, cultural, and international boundaries. This desire is one of the most powerful basic human emotions, without a doubt—in fact, this one falls in the category of human need.

Because of this, and because it is such a basic human emotion, it's easy to sell into it. All a writer and editor has to do, basically, is research a target market and then address their concerns. Whether it's pregnant women or elderly males with prostate problems, if ...
... the product fits their needs, the business owner can hit payday.

That is, as long as you, as the writer-editor, remember to sell the benefits! I'm not going to go into possible sales copy here—the subject's too vast, but I do want to point out that no matter what problem you're addressing, you need to go into detail about all the possible problems and side-effects anyone could be suffering from. List them all—each and every one—that's exactly what professional copywriters do.

Other emotional drivers, include such common ones as fear, greed, vanity, pride, desire (even lust), and envy—plus, there are many, many more with which we're all familiar. They drive us, and they drive buying decisions, which is where the experienced professional writer and editor enters the picture.

I you take vanity, for example, you will be writing about the desire for lots of thick, beautiful (usually long) hair. No one wants anything but this. It conveys the promise of youth and beauty. So, what I'm talking about when I talk about health and well-being as emotional drivers is very similar. The writer sells the benefit of the product or service in a very similar manner, using many of the same terms—painting a very similar picture in the prospective customer's mind, in fact.