5 Tips for Writing About Covid-19

It seems like everywhere I turn this past week, someone is writing about Covid-19. And I get it, there’s a lot to figure out and understand in this unprecedented time. People’s lives are being changed, whether they now have children at home and are figuring out virtual school or they are working remote or their college classes are  online or they are quarantined or worse, they’re sick. It is a lot of change and everyone is trying to figure out and write about what comes next.

As bloggers and writers, we have a few things we should keep in mind. Here are my five steps to writing about Covid-19.

1. Fact Check

One of the most important things to do right now is fact-check your posts. (Something that should always happen, but especially for this.) If you are writing about statistics, accounts, cases, reactions, or ways to prevent, make sure you are using reliable sources. Right now is not the time to be using questionable resources to try and drive new followers. (There is never a good time, let’s be real.) Your followers will be implementing the ideas you write about, or telling these stories to friends, relatives, and acquaintances. You want them to be spreading true and helpful information, not something that could get someone sick or worse. Bonus points for linking all of your sources!

2. Keep your audience in mind

This is not the time to be dumping loads of information on your readers that is not relevant to their lives. Trust me, they are being overloaded this year. Make sure your articles are targeted specifically to your niche and audience. If you write about parenting, talk about activities parents can do with their kids while doing virtual school. If you write about food, talk about meals that can be made with your regular staple ingredients (or bread, everyone seems to want to make bread during the pandemic). If you write about travel, talk about ways to travel nearby while following social distancing rules. Stay in your niche, as tempting as it is to post about anything and everything coronavirus related.

3. Share your story

Don’t be afraid to tell people that this is affecting you as well. People want authenticity and ideas. In blogging, it tends to be helpful if your audience relates to you, but especially now. Covid-19 is affecting you somehow. Don’t whine, but be factual and relatable. It can be a single post or it can be small tidbits to sprinkle in a bunch of posts, whatever feels natural.

4. Don’t try to break news

A blog or website is not the place for breaking news updates about Covid. People are receiving this through news sources and your posts will quickly time out. There is little re-read value for these type of posts so you will see little traffic on them after the first few hours. Instead, write articles for your readers about what they can do in regards to the news being brought. If you’ve just been informed that restaurants are closing, talk about what other ways there are to support local businesses. This will be what people are searching for after they’ve heard the news and drive more views to your articles.

5. Don’t make every article about Covid-19

Yes, Covid-19 is impacting many areas of life, but if the only thing your blog is talking about is Covid-19, people may stop listening. We are being inundated with information and that can be overwhelming. Try instead to have it be a single piece or something mentioned within your articles, rather than a focal point of all or most of your stories.

I hope these tips help as you write and continue to think about writing about Covid-19. If you have any other tips or thoughts, please share below in the comments!