How to write for HSE digital services - Planning content

We plan all our digital content to make sure it is:

  • relevant and meets the needs of the target audience
  • organised and well maintained

This helps us to create relevant and up-to-date content. It also helps us avoid turning our websites into a storage space for content that might not be relevant to the target audience.

Planning your content

There are a number of things to consider before you start working on HSE content.

User needs

When you are planning content, start with user needs.

Do research to find out what your audience needs to know about the topic you are working on.

If you are writing content for About.HSE.ie, there is a user needs bank for many sections of the website. Your content might help meet some of these needs.

Information:

Rule of thumb - if it doesn't meet a user need, it doesn't belong.

It's best to do research and discovery to ensure user needs are based on data and evidence.

Interviews, surveys and workshops are great ways to get this information first hand. Desk research is also very helpful.

Writing user-centred content

Organisational needs

User needs always come first.

Sometimes though, there is an organisational need to publish certain information.

Example of a user need

  • As a… person living in Ireland
  • I want to… get a medical card
  • So I can… get the medical services I am entitled to

Example of an organisational need

  • As... the HSE
  • We need to... increase uptake of the flu vaccine among eligible groups this winter
  • So that... we reduce pressure on emergency departments

Language, voice and tone

When you are ready to write your content, follow the guidelines on:

Following the guidance ensures content is consistent and easy to understand. This builds trust with our readers.

Once you are familiar with our guidance on writing clearly and in the right tone, you are ready to write the first draft of your content.

Measurement and success

Define how you will measure success for the content and the value it brings to users and the organisation.

How you measure will depend on the type of content you are producing. Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the content will help you understand if your content is meeting user needs.

Success for your content could be:

  • length of time spent on page - in some cases, a short amount of time is a good thing
  • user knows what to do next
  • number of times a phone number is tapped
  • number of times a form is filled out
  • user feedback scores
  • social media engagement
  • email opens
  • link taps on email or social media