A Guide on How a Nurse Blogger Can Create a Blog

Nurse Blogger Nursing is a fulfilling job but it isn’t the most financially rewarding career you can get. In fact, some nurses feel unsatisfied with their job because of low compensation and lack of pay raises. If you are feeling the same way and thinking of quitting your job- don’t do that just yet. There are tons of side jobs you can get to add extra cash to your monthly salary, like a nurse blogger.

With the Internet becoming a mass medium of expression, and individuals resorting to blogging to pen their thoughts, nurses have done the same. In the start, there was no particular direction, and people were not actually aware of what they were doing. Moreover, nobody was sure whether blogging would actually stick around or just vanish into thin air like other fads. With the passage of time, everyone had their own blog. Be it non-profits, private firms, media houses, etc. all wanted to live up and meet pace with the norms of the digital world.

Why Nurses Should Blog?

Nurses are often overworked and require motivation to refuel and pace back. Reading blogs is a great way to get inspired. It also exposes you to the different experiences, untold stories, and first-hand accounts of nurses enabling you to gain valuable insights and learning from others. Moreover, the news and journals available today also play an integral role particularly if you wish to stay abreast regarding nursing trends and practices.

In today’s time, nurse bloggers have become extremely popular where blogging has now become synonymous with nursing similar to all other professions. So now, if you intend to start your nursing blogging career, it is relatively easy to do.

A step by step Guide on How to Create a Blog

  1. Come up with your name.

Maybe you want to write tips for nurses new to your specialty (transplant nursing, flight, OR, whatevs), encouragement and inspiration, patient education… Pick one and stick to it. Don’t make the mistake of being way too general… the more narrow your niche, the better.

  1. Try WordPress.

I promise you don’t need to be a super tech-savvy person. I taught myself how to do all of this over time. This nursing blog post from The Nerdy Nurse gives 3 practical, easy-to-follow steps to starting a nursing blog.

  1. Ensure your content is good.

Think about blogs you like and why you keep coming back to them and try to emulate that yourself with your own spin. Don’t forget to link to other great nurse blog posts at the end of yours – that will help you and the author of the other post get better rankings on Google.

  1. Maintain the integrity of the profession.

The public listens to nurses. If you put RN behind your name, people pay attention to what you say and it carries weight. Keep that in mind as you write and post pics of yourself. Your patients, colleagues, leadership, grandma, everyone… they can all look at what you’re writing, even if they’re not the intended audience. Once a patient’s family member pulled up my Instagram while I was giving a bed bath. Yea… that was surprising to me, but I was okay with it because I keep my IG as squeaky clean as I made that patient #proatbedbaths

  1. Do not violate your social media policy.

This means not violating HIPPA, not engaging in lateral violence online (yea, complaining about a coworker on your blog may come back to bite you), and not posting at work. These policies can differ widely, so make sure you know what yours says and abide by it.

  1. Interact with other nurses on social media.

Twitter has a great active nursing and medical community.

  1. Follow other bloggers.

Find bloggers you appreciate and enjoy to stay up on the latest trends and techniques – even if they’re not nurses. I stay clued into Jon Acuff, Gary V, Michael Hyatt, and basically anything the Social Media Week crew puts out.

  1. Schedule yourself to write and post regularly

Manage your time on your blog like you manage your time at the bedside. Be prepared for everything to go the exact opposite of how you planned it. One of the biggest mistakes bloggers make is not posting for a while and then unloading a ton of information at once. In blogs and on social, people want regular posting not sporadic.

Bonus! Check out the free 30-min webinar on time management for nurse bloggers by myself and the Nerdy Nurse.

  1. Cold call/email your nurse idols

Not to hang out! But see if they’ll be featured in an interview, want to guest blog, or whatever. What’s the worst they could say… no? That’s how I got some of my writing on bigger sites – just emailing them!

  1. Get some good images to go with your post

Pixabay is a great resource, make sure you buy photo rights and don’t just snag things off Google. People tend to click on posts with a nice feature image and stay engaged in the post isn’t too long.

  1. Disclose

If you’re working with a company for affiliate sales, ads, or have a professional relationship you MUST always disclose that within the posts that have links and have a disclaimer page. If you’re posting on social, you must include #ad #spon or #sponsored. Seriously. The FTC requires it and just sent out 90 letters to different Instagram influencers to warn them about their non-compliance. Plus it’s also just good business to make sure people know your relationships and if you’d make any money off of something.

So if you intend to start your blogging career as a nurse, here’s exactly what you need to do:

  1. Decide the niche and name of your blog

When you intend to start your blogging career as a nurse, you will have to first decide on a name that is attractive and descriptive of your passion. Then, decide upon a niche that you wish to focus on. For instance, you can write tips for new nurses for a specialized field, or enlighten readers regarding patient education or motivate and inspire others with your experience. No matter what you intend to do, just pick a niche and stick to it. Just keep in mind that the niche you choose is not too generic and rather focused.

  1. Focus on delivering good content.

When you plan to start your blog, start thinking about the blogs you follow and why do you keep on coming back to them. Once you have the motivation that you need, try to revamp the same content with your take on it. Moreover, make sure to link your content to other amazing nursing blogs. This way, you and the other blog will be able to get better rankings on Google.

  1. Post Regularly

You need to ensure that you manage your blogging calendar similarly and post regularly. While things may not go exactly how you want them to, but that is alright. One common mistake of bloggers is that they stop posting for a while and then bombard their blog with an overload of information. Try to understand that your readers will appreciate regular posts instead of sporadic ones.

4. Think before you post

Always make sure you are not posting in anger or frustration. This will not enhance your platform; this will make it seem like you are not in control of yourself. There is a difference between posting about something you are passionate about and posting because you are upset. Take some time away and collect your thoughts first if you are really fired up about something and wait to post it for a few days.

And please, do not use your blog as a ranting zone.  People hear enough complaining at work no matter the profession and there is enough of that online as well. They won’t stay at your blog long if it is posted after post complaining about work.

Another important reminder when starting a nursing blog is to always remember to maintain the integrity of the profession.

Many nurses are burnt out and have strong opinions on how they have been treated poorly, and may be tempted to vent upon the negatives of the profession. But don’t. Remember that patients, family members, and employers can all see this once it is posted online. Keep that in mind as you post content and images.

If you are interested but don’t know how to start, this step-by-step guide is just what you need. In case you have any questions, visit our site.

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