Did you know that businesses that blog get more leads? It’s true. And that happens to include service providers like coaches and consultants – in this case, lactation consultants. There is a huge misconception that blogging is “dead” or a “waste of time” for certain professions, which is simply not true. So, to prove that blogging still works, we’re going to break down how to write a blog for lactation consultants.
Blogging is one of the most profitable marketing strategies when done correctly, it’s actually one of the few that hit and tend to surpass the 5:1 golden ROI for marketing. The downside is that it can be both time consuming and requires an expertise or thorough knowledge of how to write for your audience and search engines.
Here’s what to expect when you’re writing a blog post as a lactation consultant:
How to Write a Blog Post for Lactation Consultants
There is a certain anatomy to follow when writing a blog post, even more so when you want to write an seo-friendly blog post. Before you even get started writing your blog post, you need to identify which content pillar it should be associated with – or which main topic that you want covered on your blog (motherhood, breastfeeding, mental health) that the blog post will fall under.
Next, you’ll want to do some keyword research. Ideally you’ll find a low-competition long-tail keyword that you can use as your primary keyword for the blog post. This will give you the best chances of ranking on Google and driving long-term traffic to your website.
Finally, you should also identify what offers or resources you can place in your blog post. Ask yourself if it associates best with one of your signature services, if a digital product would match better, or if you have a lead magnet that would suit it better. This is key to ensuring that your blog post is going to convert to more leads rather than just extra traffic.
*Pro tip: have a way to track where your leads originate from (as simple as asking in your contact form) before focusing on blogging. This will let you know when your blog starts converting and if your SEO content creation is working!
Let’s look at what you need to include in your blog post as a lactation consultant and some of the best practices for each section/part:
#1. Your Title
A good rule of thumb when you’re learning how to write a blog for lactation consultants is to use your primary keyword as your title or included in your title. For example, if your keyword is “best nipple shields” then your title should look like “10 Best Nipple Shields” or “7 Best Nipple Shields for Breastfeeding Moms”
#2. Your Intro
This is where you want to hook your reader – and Google. Google has this section called a “Google Snippet” which is typically the first thing you see when you look something up on Google. Lactation consultants have a huge opportunity to grab that placement by creating a thorough one paragraph answer to the question or prompt. For example, if you’re writing about the best nipple shields, you would include the complete list in the beginning and use the rest of your blog post to elaborate on why they’re the best.
#3. Your Body
Typically, you start the body section of your blog post with a H2 header that also includes your primary keyword and an image related to your topic. Overall, the body of your blog post may include multiple H2 sections with 1 – 3 short paragraphs. You want to keep sections short for readability.
#4. Your CTA
Your final paragraph typically includes a restatement of your primary keyword or an alternative keyword that is very similar and begins, again, with an image. The final paragraph is VERY important in the overall function of your blog post as it is where you will include your CTA or call-to-action for your service, product, or lead magnet. If you do not have one that relates to the article, your call to action could include following you on a different platform like Instagram, commenting on the blog post, or reading another, similar, blog post on your website. This is the final part of your blog post.
What to Remember to Write a Successful Blog Post as a Lactation Professional
Just because you write a blog post does not mean it will be a successful blog post. Choosing the wrong keyword, keyword stuffing, too short or too long of content, writing for the wrong audience, not including the information your audience is looking for… all of this can cause your article or blog post to lay useless on your website.
Writing a successful blog post means you’re looking at the process as a whole – you’re looking at a marketing effort that, when done correctly, can easily scale your business and establish your brand online.
Of course, there are a few ways that you can write optimized content that leads to a successful blog post. Here are a few things SPECIFIC to the industry that can help your blogging:
- Speak to moms, get on their level. You need to balance the professional and the relatable. As a lactation consultant aiming to work with mothers, you need to speak to mothers in an informative, trustworthy way that doesn’t shame and still feels relatable. Save the science for other lactation consultants.
- Include the finer details. Mothers are looking for solutions and, in some cases, breastfeeding or simply feeding their baby is a new, very different experience. Sometimes touching on the finer points (think “why do my armpits tingle when I breastfeed?” and “are my nipples normal after breastfeeding?”) can help connect with your beyond surface-level.
- Optimize your blog pages/posts. Sadly, your content is not the only determining factor in ranking. It’s imperative that your blog pages are designed for consumption. They should be mobile friendly and easy to navigate as well as read.
You should also remember no keyword stuffing. While your keywords should be placed throughout your blog post, mentioning it too much can have the opposite effect. Keyword stuffing can lead to your blog being marked as spam.
How Long Will it Take to Write a Blog Post?
While there is no specific time frame for writing a blog post, most beginner writers will notice that it takes around 4-5 hours to write a lengthy, informative post. While the actual word count of a blog post varies, it should be a minimum of 500 words, with 1,200 words being ideal – which is why it takes so long to write.
Pre-planning your blog post using a blog post planner will drastically improve your time spent on blogging and keep you organized. You can use a printable planner or opt for one that utilizes a tool like Airtable.
How to Write a Blog Post for Lactation Consultants That is Results-Driven
There are three main issues that lactation consultants tend to face when you start blogging:
- You don’t know where to start.
- You want the benefits of blogging, but you don’t want to blog.
- You know you need a blog, but you don’t have time.
This is actually the case for MOST business owners. They know the benefits, they might even know the how, but something is holding them back from completing the work. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to streamline the process. Personally, outside of keeping a blog/content planner, I like to create a project dedicated to my business that allows me to track the different tasks I want to do (like blogging) and helps me stay on top of things.
If you want to write, but don’t know where to start, you can look into a personalized SEO blog strategy. If you want to completely hand-off blog writing and strategy, a batch of quarterly SEO content is the perfect option. Connect with The Comma Mama Co. and plan your blog strategy today!
