• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Health Writer Hub

Health Writer Hub

Medical Writing Courses & Certification

  • COURSES
    • FREE COURSE
    • Introduction to Health Writing
    • Principles of Health & Medical Copywriting
    • How to Write Patient Education Materials
    • Breaking Into Health Writing
    • How to Create a Medical Writing Portfolio
    • How to Become a Freelance Health Writer
    • Introduction to Medical Writing and AI Course
    • Principles of Medical Editing and AI Course
    • Advanced AI Medical Writing Strategies
    • VIEW ALL
  • DOWNLOADS
  • COACHING
    • Career Coaching for Health & Medical Writers
    • Build Your Portfolio Masterclass
  • BLOG
  • REVIEWS
  • ABOUT
    • About Health Writer Hub
    • CPD Certification and Accreditation
    • Contact
    • Become a Health Writer Hub Affiliate

5 common mistakes in health feature writing

If you can work on trying to avoid these mistakes, you'll be on your way to producing a fantastic feature article.

LAST UPDATED: August 29, 2023 | AUTHOR: Michelle Guillemard

I’ve written and read a lot of health feature articles over the past decade – but there was one time in particular when I worked with health features all day, every day. I was working as an editor, managing a team of freelance health writers, and I used to edit 20 articles every month about ten different subject areas related to health and wellbeing. The content was published on a very high-traffic site and was also sent to almost half a million subscribers every fortnight.

This content ranged from tips for staying healthy in winter to new information about medical research and disease advice. I edited this content with a medical editor, who was also a doctor, and we worked hard to make sure the claims made in the articles were medically and scientifically accurate – yet still engaging and appealing to the general public.

What is a health feature article?

Features are essentially detailed pieces of writing exploring a range of issues, opinions, experiences and ideas.

While a news article may report on one newsworthy item, such as how a new study indicated that taking the Pill can lower your risk of cancer, features explore this item in depth.

If you were writing a corresponding feature, you could look at the body of evidence surrounding the pill and various forms of cancer, interview some relevant health experts and women who take the Pill, and create an article with a specific focus based on what you find out. The focus could be how our perception of the Pill and cancer has changed over time, or how the Pill may be beneficial in the prevention of some cancers but not others.

COURSE OUTLINE: IHW: LOCATION: BLOG POSTS
Enter your email for a free course outline.

Want to enhance your health writing skills?

Our flagship course, Introduction to Health Writing, will teach you how to write health news, features, patient handouts, web content and sales copy.

You'll also get personalised feedback on six weekly health writing tasks plus tons of bonus lessons and extra content.

Enter your email for a free course outline!

You'll also join 22,000+ others who receive our regular emails. Opt out at any time. View our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Loading

Features may not be as time critical as news pieces, though some can be.

5 common health feature writing mistakes

These are some of the most common mistakes that health features tend to have. If you can work on trying to avoid these, you’ll be on your way to producing a fantastic feature article. These are all things that I was probably guilty of when I was starting out, too – nobody gets it right straight away, but with time, practice and effort, these become second nature.

1. Not enough evidence

The main example of not having enough evidence includes making claims that need to be supported by research without any reference to any sort of evidence at all.

At the very least, you should be indicating that research supports your argument, however it’s best if you can somehow indicate where the research has come from, by including a publication year, a journal title and/or reference to the study design. If you’re writing online content, simply hyperlink some of the text to the PubMed abstract.

Including scientific research not only produces a more convincing feature, it also helps you to become a better writer because it makes you take the time to understand what you’re writing about in detail. The more you look into the evidence behind a claim, the better you’ll understand the issue as a whole.

Research and evidence can also be gathered from interviews with credible medical specialists, quotes from peak bodies, statistics. Without evidence, a feature is really just an opinion piece.

2. Poor quality evidence

Further to the first point, simply citing research doesn’t automatically give you points for credibility and quality. Some examples of poor quality research include studies with a very small sample size (though this can depend on the health topic), lab or animal studies and those that haven’t yet been peer reviewed or published in a reputable medical journal.

If you’re interviewing health experts for perspective on medical issues, ensure that they are qualified and have a relevant background to comment. This will always depend on the seriousness of the topic.

Try and find high-quality evidence to support your arguments – and if there is none, perhaps you need to rethink what you’re trying to argue.

3. Weak article structure

A feature that is just a bunch of facts thrown together with no beginning, middle or end isn’t a feature at all. It is going to be difficult to read and isn’t engaging. The structure of a health feature article needs work and attention. Every feature needs an engaging title, a lede to hook in readers, a clear introduction and a strong conclusion.

Headlines are important in every context. Your headline should aim to speak to your target audience in a language they resonate with. A headline like ‘Vitamin C and immunity’ is far less engaging than ‘How new evidence is changing what we thought we knew about vitamin C’. Similarly, ‘Fish oil and the brain’ might be specific, but it isn’t as interesting as a headline like, ‘Can fish oil really improve your memory?’

There are few things worse than an abrupt ending to an article you were really enjoying – or an article that didn’t answer the question it was posing. Don’t spend all your effort on hooking in your reader only to underpromise in the body of the article.

Health features can be tailored to the publication medium. Online health features will need lots of subheadings, bullet lists, internal and external links – while printed features can include a few key breakout boxes and even some Did You Know-style interesting facts.

4. Repetition of facts

Articles that repeat the same facts and points, just worded slightly differently, do crop up a lot. Be aware of repetition. Every sentence should be introducing a new idea or fact – it shouldn’t be summarising what’s already been said.

Also, take care with the words you use and check that you’re not accidentally repeating words often – I know I can be guilty of this.

5. Too scientific for the general public

It once took me four hours to edit a 500 word feature about immunity for a consumer audience. The article delved into the science of adaptive and innate immunity. In the end I rewrote the article entirely, yet it was still a difficult subject matter to tackle.

Choose your health feature subject wisely. If there are a lot of biological terms that can’t be written in lay person’s speak, perhaps it’s not going to be a suitable topic for your audience – meaning it can’t be written in a way that ticks all the boxes and engages. Write for your audience first and foremost.

If you’re a writer with a scientific background, you may have the tendency to assume your reader knows more than they actually do. When your writing is more scientific and doesn’t explain key terms or arguments, your audience could feel confused. This could also mean they switch off, aren’t able to engage in your piece, and won’t understand what you’re trying to convey.

How to avoid these mistakes

Simply being aware of these issues when you write will help you to avoid them. Some writers like to have checklists to remind them of what to look for before they submit their finished piece. I also recommend trying to leave some time between your final edit and your final review – 24 hours is ideal, but even a few hours can help. This just gives you a break from your work and enables you to look at your writing with fresh eyes – which can make all the difference.

Are you a health feature article writer? What areas do you struggle with?

Print this page

Filed Under: Health writing

About Michelle Guillemard

Michelle Guillemard is the founder of Health Writer Hub, the Past President of the Australasian Medical Writers Association and a freelance medical writer. Blogging about health & medical writing since 2012, Michelle teaches health writing courses and workshops to students and corporations around the world. Michelle is passionate about creating better health outcomes and changing lives through effective health communication. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

200+ career-boosting AI prompts every health & medical writer should be using

Stop guessing, and start growing. The AI Career Toolkit for Health & Medical Writers gives you the answers you've been searching for – whether you're job hunting, building your freelance career or trying to stand out in a competitive market.

AI Career Assistant prompts

  • Job search prompts
  • CV and cover letter prompts
  • LinkedIn profile prompts
  • Networking prompts
  • Career growth prompts
  • AI writing assistant prompts
  • Buy now for just $29
BUY NOW

Packed with 200+ editable prompts, this toolkit shows you how to use AI strategically to plan your next move, find work faster and grow a career you’re proud of – even if you’re not sure where to start.

Primary Sidebar

beginner's boost bundle

Beginner's Boost Bundle

Jumpstart your health writing career with access to three of our most popular courses: Breaking Into Health Writing, Introduction to Medical Writing and AI and How to Create a Medical Writing Portfolio.

VIEW DETAILS


MOST POPULAR



How to find freelance medical writing work

How to find an entry-level medical writing job

How to build your health writing portfolio

How to write a winning article pitch


EXPLORE TOPICS



Building a medical writing portfolio

Freelance health & medical writing

Getting started in health writing

Health & medical copywriting

Health & medical editing

Health writing

Medical writing and AI

Patient education

Get a personalised course recommendation. Take the 2-minute quiz to find your perfect medical writing course.

GET YOUR COURSE RECOMMENDATION

Footer

Get the latest health writing advice and course news.

Opt out at any time.

SUPPORT

Contact
FAQ
Payment
Disclaimer
Terms
Refunds

ABOUT

About
Become an affiliate
Reviews
CPD and accreditation
Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Courses

Health communication courses for health professionals
Freelance writing
Medical copywriting
Medical editing
Breaking into health writing
View all courses

Health Writer Hub © 2025. All Rights Reserved. I acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where I live, learn and work.