For doulas who are working independently, part of your role is business. Blogging for doulas is a fantastic way to reach potential and current clients. At the International Doula Institute, we are committed to helping you be prepared to jump into doula work. This means understanding birth and the business.
Blogging for doulas can feel overwhelming if you are just starting out. However, with a few tips, you can easily get started.
Here are the most important tips to know about blogging for doulas:
Blogging For Doulas: Pay Attention to Word Count
One important aspect of blogging is understanding search engine optimization, known as SEO. While there is not a specific word count, search engines (like Google) are looking for quality. Articles under three hundred words are less likely to be seen as quality content.
When writing, ensure your articles are a minimum of three hundred words. Ideally, you would want 600-1200 words. You can draft much longer articles if you desire. However, it is important to note that current trends show people have a bit of a shorter attention span than we once had.
Keeping an eye to ensure your articles are not too short will help you rank well in searches.
Choose and Know Your Audience
When you are blogging for potential clients, know your audience. Think through:
- What services you offer
- Your target demographic
- Your philosophies as a professional doula
- How clients can reach you
- Are you hoping to reach potential clients directly or through connecting with other professionals?
When you know who your audience is, you can better find your writing style. Your audience may change from blog post to blog post as well. Some doulas like to write towards potential clients to help them get to know more about their services, knowledge, etc.
Other doulas like to write to other professionals such as fellow doulas, midwives, chiropractors, OBs, etc. They use their blog as a form of advertising and networking in hopes others will refer clients to them.
Be a Source of Evidenced-Based Information
At the International Doula Institute, you know we value using truly evidenced-based information. As a professional doula, when you share information, it is important to use evidenced-based sources.
While not every blog post requires sources be cited, when you are sharing evidence, it is important to share from qualified sources.
To find appropriate sources look for:
- Sites which are .edu as this indicates an academic website
- Published medical journals, often found on the NIH website
- Sources from NHS which is a UK equivalent of NIH
- Websites ending in .org depending on the organization
- .gov websites often have evidenced based sources
In addition to looking at the site source, it is important to check dates, who is funding the research, and any conflicts of interest. It is also important to watch the language you choose when presenting medical based information. Ensure you are not making any specific recommendations and you are always recommending readers to check with their healthcare providers.
Blogging For Doulas – Easy to Read Posts
Today, many people read blogs on their phones, tablets, etc., Contrary to the writing styles we are often taught in school, blogs use short paragraphs and sentences.
The layout for many blogs has just 1-3 sentences per ‘paragraph.’ This is much shorter than the 3-5 minimum we learned in school.
The shorter sentences and paragraphs make it easier for people to read on smaller screens.
People also find it easier to read when blogs contain:
- Bulleted or numbered lists
- Subheadings at least every three hundred words
- Clear subheadings for those who might scroll for specific information
Take Advantage of Blogging Software
It can take time to learn how to blog efficiently. However, the good news is you do not need to learn on your own. In addition to classes, courses, books, and more, there are plenty of software options to help.
Many bloggers find the Yoast plugin for WordPress to be helpful. For those who use Wix, you might find Wix SEO Wiz useful. Both programs can help you check your posts for how well they might perform in search engine results.
For grammar support, the program Grammarly can be helpful. However, if you use the newest version of Microsoft Word, it has grammar software built in. It can also be used to check your writing for any similarities online. This ensures you have not used too much of someone else’s wording. It also helps with properly citing sources should you use excerpts from another site.
It can take time to learn about blogging. However, it is worth learning to help improve your business website.
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...