Writer’s block is the bane of many a blogger’s existence. (Trust me; I know.) Wracking your brain for original material can be exhausting—especially if writing isn’t your full-time occupation. So, I empathize with rehab therapists who’ve thought about starting a blog of their own—only to be discouraged at the thought of constantly coming up with fresh ideas. Well, I have some good news:
- You don’t have to post every day (or even every week) to reap the benefits of having a blog on your clinic’s website.
- Inspiration is all around you—though you have to keep an eye out for it!
- When all else fails, you can always rely on a few blogging staples to get you through.
With that in mind, here are eight blog post ideas to inspire the wordsmith in any physical therapist or occupational therapist:
1. Listicles
Every content consumer loves a good list (just ask the writers at BuzzFeed). That’s because many folks are short on time, and regular ol’ articles are often long on information. Distilling blog posts into short, numbered lists (like the post you’re reading now) makes it easier for readers to digest all the main points in small bites or scan the article for the specific information they’re looking for.
You can turn pretty much any idea into a list, whether you want to write about the benefits of healthy eating (e.g., Top 6 Foods to Speed Recovery from Total Performance Physical Therapy) or how to deal with arthritis pain (e.g., 7 Arthritis Tips for Winter Weather from Athletico Physical Therapy). Plus, they’re pretty fun to research! (Or is that just me?)
2. Questions and Answers
As a physical therapist, you’ve undoubtedly heard the same questions from new patients time and time again. In fact, there are probably some things you wish every patient knew before his or her first day of treatment. These common questions make really great topics for blog posts. This post from Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy is a great example.
If you’d like to address several questions in one article, consider writing a frequently asked questions (FAQ) blog post. You can either compile lots of questions and answers on a variety of topics into a single FAQ post, or you can separate them into smaller groups of related questions and create multiple FAQ articles (e.g., Low Back Pain FAQ, Aquatic Therapy FAQ, or Insurance FAQ). A good FAQ example is this post from Ability Rehabilitation covering the top five questions patients ask before their first PT appointment.
3. Step-by-Step Tutorials
Being a writer, I’m sitting at a desk for the vast majority of my workday, and it definitely takes a toll. I can attest to the associated aches and pains—as well as the tendency to hit up Google for ways to address them. And I’m betting a lot of other desk jockeys are in the same exact boat. This is where blog posts with simple and safe step-by-step instructions really hit the mark. A good example is this article from ATI Physical Therapy, which provides easy stretches people like me can do at their desks. (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t immediately try these myself as I read the article.)
4. Facts Versus Fiction
When it comes to physical therapy, there are plenty of myths to dispel. (Take, for instance, the old “you need a physician’s referral to see a PT” chestnut.) So, who better to set the record straight than someone with firsthand PT expertise (i.e, you)? Here’s an excellent example of a myth-bustin’ listicle from Integrated Rehabilitation Services.
5. Success Stories
Everyone loves a happy ending, which is why patient success stories make such great blog content. Take, for instance, this post from ABC Pediatric Therapy. Just make sure you take the proper precautions and obtain patient consent (as well as meet any other requirements in accordance with HIPAA and your state laws) before posting patient information online.
6. Expert Voice
This simply means providing anecdotes or knowledge from the perspective of someone with firsthand experience. You may share your own expert knowledge on a particular subject—or commission a guest post from someone else in the field who has specialized expertise that would be of interest to your audience. A good example of this comes from Kassandra Jones, PT, DPT, in this blog post for Apex Physical Therapy & Wellness Center in Fargo, ND. In the post, she talks about her own experience with running a local 10K and shares some training and racing tips.
7. Checklists
What do people like even better than lists? Checking things off them, of course! And if the sudden success of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” last year is any indication, people love to get organized. For that reason, we’re big fans of checklists (like this one from Empower Physical Therapy and Fitness), and we think they make excellent, engaging content for any audience.
8. Healthy Recipes
Thanks to the explosion of the wellness market, patients are turning to their physical therapists for more than just aches and pains. And nutrition plays a huge role in physical wellness. After all, the way we fuel our bodies has a major impact on our overall health—and can even help with the management of certain musculoskeletal diseases. So, if you’ve got an excellent recipe to share with your audience, why not turn it into a blog post? Check out this article from Excell Physical Therapy for an excell-ent example. (Please excuse the lame pun.)
So, there you have it: eight blog ideas for your PT or OT clinic. Hopefully, you’re feeling inspired and motivated to put your own twist on some of these. And if you’re looking for other ways to market your PT practice online, check out our newly-updated digital marketing e-book, which you can download free of charge.
