Coming up with blogging content week after week can put you off the idea of starting an orthodontic blog on your practice website, but here are some tricks to writing engaging content.

By Ella Wilson

This article is part of a three-part series on starting a blog on your orthodontic practice’s website and producing content.

Having a blog is a colossal injection of orthodontic marketing that will help you get new patients and build relationships, too. But let me tell you, as a professional blog writer, the hardest thing about blogging is coming up with content week after week.

So, this blog is dedicated to helping you jumpstart your creative juices—so you never run out of blog topics that will deliver good ROI on the time and energy you invest. These are content-creating tips I use every day, and they work. Plus, at the bottom, you’ll find some example blog topics you are welcome to use as your own!

Two reasons to write a blog

When you’re writing a blog, you’re generally doing it for two reasons:

  1. To increase your search engine rankings. When you input the right keywords in your blogs, your site will show up higher in Google’s search engine results—ultimately leading to more people landing on your website.
  2. To build relationships with patients. When you write blogs that help people, they naturally grow to trust you and your expertise. In fact, 47% of buyers view three to five pieces of content marketing before engaging with a company.

So, whenever you’re brainstorming topics for your orthodontic blog, filter your ideas through these two points. If an idea doesn’t do one or the other, toss it.

Here are some of the tried-and-tested tricks I use when writing blogs:

Snoop on your competitors

Now that you know WHY you’re writing, you need to figure out WHAT to write about.

The #1 best place to come up with new ideas for your blog is the check out the blogs of other orthodontists. No, it’s not stealing. It’s called research. It’s always a good idea to know what your competition is up to.

No, you cannot copy and paste their blog posts. That’s plagiarism and your 8th grade English teacher taught you better. But what you CAN do is use their blogs as a starting point to write your own.

Talking to patients

What questions do your patients ask you? Answer them in your blog! Here’s a case study we’ve talked about in other articles because it’s just so darn inspirational. Marcus Sheridan turned his business around by starting a blog where he answered: “literally every question a consumer could possibly have about buying a fiberglass pool.”

Helping people answer their questions is a powerful tool! After all, isn’t that why you’re reading this blog right now?

Pull from outside your industry

As an orthodontist, there’s a good chance your content marketing efforts target moms of kids who need braces. What are women age 30 to 50 interested in? Parenting (obviously), career, local popular hobbies like hiking or sports, fitness, beauty? Get creative and see if you can work these topics into your blog.

Word to the wise: Cater your content to this demographic with care. There’s no need to “pinkify” everything to appeal to women. You don’t want to end up like the Bic for Her debacle.

Keyword research

Writing about things people are actually searching for is great for SEO on your site. How do you find out what people are searching? Keyword research!

Keyword research can be really complicated, but I found this great free tool that tells whether your idea is getting a lot of searches. Ubersuggest also gives you other options related to your original search.

Orthodontic blog ideas you can steal

Well, not STEAL. They’re my gift to you! Feel free to use any and all of these when writing your own orthodontic blogs.

5 ideas for blogs about braces

Notice how these are titled in a way that mimics what someone would type into Google. That’s for SEO purposes.

  1. How much do braces cost?
  2. What age do kids get braces?
  3. How long do I have to wear braces?
  4. What you should know about getting braces. Here’s a great blog from Blue Ridge Orthodontics called 20 Things to Know Before Getting Braces to kickstart your brainstorming process.
  5. Is it worth it to get braces? This would be a good place to showcase before and after photos and patient success stories.

5 Blog ideas for young patients

  1. Cool ideas for decorating your Invisalign case. Lots of great photos will make this one eye-catching!
  2. 5 Tips for not losing your retainer. I still remember how mad my parents were when I lost mine.
  3. Fun color combinations for elastics
  4. Preparing to get your braces. Here’s a great blog from Orthodontics Australia for some inspiration: Top Things to Do Before You Get Braces.
  5. What your favorite celebs looked like with braces. With any pictures you can find of famous people wearing braces

5 Blog ideas for adult patients

  1. Does insurance cover Invisalign?
  2. Does insurance cover braces?
  3. Financing for braces
  4. Am I too old to get braces?
  5. Braces versus Invisalign: Which is better?

Blogging IS worth the time and effort! And it can be a lot of fun once you get the swing of it. OP

Ella Wilson is a veteran word wrangler at Thrilling Results, a marketing agency that helps orthodontists book more qualified starts. In her 15-year career, she’s written captivating copy for travel guides, newspapers, magazines, superstars and thousands of small businesses across the globe. To grow your business, subscribe to Thrilling Results’ That’s a Great Idea! Newsletter where we share our latest marketing experiments.