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Do This, Not That: Tips for Success
Since physicians are such a specialized and clinical audience, knowing best practices for capturing their attention can be challenging. As the leading professional network for medical professionals, we know physicians. Here are some easy tips for creating useful and engaging headlines for physicians that align with their learning preferences.
Headlines That Capture Attention
Do This:
- Get Clinical and Specific
- Physician audiences value relevant, up-to-date, clinical information. General language that is essential for making content approachable for patient audiences can resonate less with physician audiences. Name diseases, procedures, treatments, or any other key clinical details with specificity.
- Physician audiences value relevant, up-to-date, clinical information. General language that is essential for making content approachable for patient audiences can resonate less with physician audiences. Name diseases, procedures, treatments, or any other key clinical details with specificity.
- Share the Stats
- Capturing the attention of critical, highly educated physicians means building trust and credibility. For clinical updates, cutting-edge research, or even departmental highlights, lead with statistics that provide proof points. While data can be engaging, not all statistics are created equally. Be sure to reference credible sources and data when taking this approach.
- Capturing the attention of critical, highly educated physicians means building trust and credibility. For clinical updates, cutting-edge research, or even departmental highlights, lead with statistics that provide proof points. While data can be engaging, not all statistics are created equally. Be sure to reference credible sources and data when taking this approach.
- Speak to Your Audience
- While physicians have a shared clinical foundation, their interests and knowledge differ by specialty and subspecialty. Generalists might not know the same acronyms that specialists do. Conversely, specialists might lose interest if the headline indicates a more general treatment of a complex topic. Keep your intended audience in mind and segment when necessary.
- While physicians have a shared clinical foundation, their interests and knowledge differ by specialty and subspecialty. Generalists might not know the same acronyms that specialists do. Conversely, specialists might lose interest if the headline indicates a more general treatment of a complex topic. Keep your intended audience in mind and segment when necessary.
- Pique Interest
- Seek out your most innovative and cutting-edge news and achievements. Draw your audience in with active, attention grabbing verbs like “discover” and “explore.”
- Pro tip: Have you considered reframing your headline as a question? This technique is simple and effective for garnering attention.
Not This:
- Relying on Gimmicks
- Avoid being sensational, silly, or incredible. Don’t rely on metaphors or other referential language to convey your message.
- Avoid being sensational, silly, or incredible. Don’t rely on metaphors or other referential language to convey your message.
- Tethering to Technicalities
- There is a balance between being specific and overly technical. After all, a headline is just that. Your full content will go into the details. Resist the urge to cram every technical detail into the headline–include just enough to draw readers in.
- There is a balance between being specific and overly technical. After all, a headline is just that. Your full content will go into the details. Resist the urge to cram every technical detail into the headline–include just enough to draw readers in.
- Homogenizing your Audience
- Don’t assume all physicians are the same. With platforms like Doximity, you can be precise in your reach. Leverage that precision by creating content that’s differentiated for distinct audiences.
Real Examples:
Not This: Would You Prefer to Battle a Frivolous Lawsuit for Years or Settle Quickly With a Small Payment?
Instead of leaning into the gimmick, this alternative headline that leads with clinical language and dives into the specifics led to an 8x CTR.
This: ABIM Defends MOC
Not This: Maintenance of Certification—the Value to Patients and Physicians
A great example of knowing your audience, this alternative headline relies on the fact that internal medicine physicians are familiar with the acronyms ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) and MOC (Maintenance of Certification). Keeping it simple and engaging led to an over 8x CTR.
For more tips on how to strengthen your headlines with real examples, check out 6 Small Headline Tweaks That Speak to Physicians.
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