Health Bloggers vs Doctorpreneurs, Content Marketing vs Email Lists
Hurray for the Health Bloggers!
On a personal note, this week I was told by a 'top integrative cardiologist' who is a big celebrity out there, and a man who really should have known better, that there was 'no known therapy' for my condition. Uh? Basically I haven't a hope?!
Well I'm used to that. I was told I'd die 14 years back, and that I 'was unlucky', I'd have no life, be in a state worse than death, no cognitive function, movement, etc, be in 24/7 care, blah blah blah, and that was by the doctors kind enough to speak to me, because all my docs ran for the hills, medical error - boom - we are out of here. So I'm not going to lose sleep this week because 'a doctor', even a famous doctor all over youtube and TV and with a lot of cyber cred in the health niche, tells me there's nothing 'known'.
Health Blogs Saved My Life, Do You Have a Story to Share?!
So here I am, brain ticking over, fingers punching this out having walked for an hour in the forest, and as you can see from my various interactions here at WA I'm having a blast - so where do you think I got help when there was 'none'?
THE INTERNET & YOUR BLOGS!
- The number of times I was online at 3am reading some obscure blog about someone's personal health journey to find alternative ways to do something 'impossible' like save their gallbladder from exploding, without surgery. Often they didn't have the answers but their very quest, the clues they left along the way, the fact they were still alive, all these things gave me the hope to go on and find answers, which I always did.
When I think of it now, those little personal blogs often on free sites, done in the most basic way, were invaluable, priceless, and lifesavers.
Don't ever understimate the importance of telling your story, even on a simple little blog, because you don't know who else could be helped by hearing it or some part of it. And with the resources available to us here at Wealthy Affiliate we have free wordpress sites as well a pro-sites opportunities to do this AS WELL as the opportunity to monetize them now too.
- Thankfully also there is enough freedom still remaining on the internet at the moment for people with alternative solutions to make those known too, including the history of what people have been doing through time. I'd encourage bloggers to look deeper than what's trending and popular sometimes ;)
But here's the kicker
The very same 'top doc' who told me 'there was no known therapy' this week is also part of a very vocal movement to discredit health bloggers, people like YOU with your health websites and personal blogs, reaching out to inform your audiences with vital information often not officially considered 'known'!
Why do Docs Want to Discredit Health Bloggers?
- Money - the top affiliate earners in 2017 in the health niche were actually doctors.
- Doctorpreneurs now pursue passive income not medical sleuthing as their career.
- AND they are now forming paid membership health communities to dispense the sort of health info that we have always being giving out for free, but under the guise of 'doctor approved', and oh btw, where do you think the docs in those communities get their info, YOUR blog ;)
It's official: The docs are now taking our jobs as affiliate marketers and bloggers. They even suck in our leads so we end up recruiting for their huge mailing lists. In the old days Big Pharma was considered the problem for suppressing information on what works for health, these days it's also Brendon Burchard, who is driving the marketing forces behind the current wave of online health niche doctorpreneur marketing.
'Cross Polination' in the Industry: Bloggers vs Doctors
Here is my discussion with the multimillion dollar high commission TTAC affiliate center this week about the problem as I see it with their new commission structure:
What’s changing…
- Leads are subject to being overwritten if a customer opts-in under another affiliate link. Meaning, if you’re actively promoting a launch of ours, there’s a much better chance of your leads staying with you, but if you aren’t, your leads are more likely to be overwritten by someone that is promoting since it will be a last lead in policy. // **Note this is the opposite to WA who have a first in leads policy, which means when you send someone to a TTAC event you'll get the first commission on the first event however they have lots of events in a year and the traffic you sent them is usually immediately picked up by a doctor who then gets all further commissions as they are the 'expert speakers' who sign attendees up sometimes as a prerequisite to viewing the events//
My Response
- one problem is the summit speakers are taking all our leads by getting people we send to you to sign up to their newsletters, even just to enter the events or the discussions, we are working for the docs now and they've all decided to become affiliate marketers and steal our jobs
Their Reply
Hi Mary,
I definitely hear what you’re saying there. There’s a lot of cross-pollination that happens in this industry, unfortunately.
A Glimmer of Hope Remains - The Content Marketing Model @WA
- The marketing model presented by Kyle here at Wealthy Affilfiate relies on expanding our audience all the time with organic searches on our content, that's the content marketing approach of affiliate marketing.
That means we are constantly expanding our audience, whereas the docs are relying on paid positioning and large email lists, effectively they are all going after the same people, like shooting fish in a barrel. If you are in the health niche you'll likely be getting the same email in from 20 doctors every day promoting the exact same products and in the exact same words. The training at WA is NOT to shoot fish in the same barrel with everyone else! And that is unlike most other marketing models out there. THAT is why we all help each other in here, we are perhaps competing but we are confident that with 4 billion or whatever it is now out there surfing the internet, we are always expanding the audience ;)
Conclusion
There is plenty of room for success in the health niche, whether you want to run a personal blog or fully monetized website to generate an income there is room for you to be successful today. There is also a need more than ever for people to present their own views and research, and experience, and that freedom is still there.
I'll be presenting more later on those opportunities. And of course the same principles at play in the health niche work across all niches, after all affiliate markerting principles are for all affiliate marketers, and Brendon Burchard's 'Experts Academy' did not start in the health niche, it's a model that he rolled out across all niches and one whose bs has always been exposed on this platform. As for the health niche, I personally believe the application of Burchard marketing principles there has even made many a good doctor lose their way and many people with a good message sound scammy.
Wealthy Affiliate has always provided internet resources for people to succeed online, without the exhorbitant costs, without the spammy tricks, and as it turns out the bloggers and not the doctors will be the genuine ones in the end. However folks, don't hand them ammo by doing sloppy research either ;)
Mary.
Recent Comments
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You tell them. You are right. Old Doctors are there for you. Young doctors are after the money. Many do not say much so they will not be sued. There is an answer out there somewhere.
Young [and older] docs are after the new wave of internet money, but when we see exposed how Big Pharma have been seducing the older doctors with holidays, fine dining and bribes of various sorts, I think the internet was just offered as a substitute but the docs were always in it for the money. Occasionally you hear of someone who put their heart and soul into helping peeps and were on call all hours, but that is rare indeed.
All the kids at school if they have high grades are duped into thinking they should be doctors, even though logically a high grade won't determine the heart and mind when it comes to medical sleuthing and helping.
Hi! MozMary
Thank you for your insight on Health Bloggers vs Doctorpreneurs.
I pray that a blogger on the internet may come up with a solution for your health concerns.
Thanks, it's a very warm community in here for sure!
Well they have helped me genuinely many times, right now it's the vein lining they damaged, they can't fix it, and the old timer Dr. Christopher of the School of Natural Healing is the only one seems to have an answer for that but when professors of medicine and scientists and doctors say there's no answer out there then it's up to us bloggers to show people - hey - look at what this guy did many times, don't wait 100 years for them to get round to a preclinical trial! And then add a big fat medical disclaimer 'for educational purposes only'!
For the past seven years or so, I've had a major distrust of the medical professionals in the United States, especially. It's becoming less about helping people and more about making money.
That's one of the reasons I'm starting a Natural Holistic Remedies Certification program, which I will be blogging about extensively, no doubt, in the near future! :-)
'most current info on healthier living', I see on your blog
I'm not sure what you're vision is with this, or what 'current' could pan out to mean because that can often be trends and fads, or 'clinical trials' biased on one tiny aspect of a well known principle in practice already for centuries
And people are never going to agree, but there'll be an audience for everyone and everything.
Personally I've found the old timers like Dr. Christopher, Ann Wigmore, Max Gerson know more than all the current stuff put together. They may need a little modernization but I've taken doctor level Functional Medicine training, practitioner level Master Herbalism training on two continents, Master Hypnotist level training at the best school in the US as well as other stuff including 14 years experience of beating what is 'known' medically and current - which often comes down to 'the latest preclinical trial says use stevia chewing gum to cure your Lyme' lol
But like I said, I'm not sure what your particular vision is at this point.
I guess what I mostly mean by "current" is "current to me in the knowledge that I gain." :-)
Herbal medicine is, obviously, very old, but not many people these days know about it. I might have to reword that statement to better reflect that.
Interesting to know about this and to be aware. Wealthy Affiliate is really the best place to be.
Hey, I have a lot of respect for medical expertise, but I’m aware of the scandals surrounding the paid promos from pharmaceuticals that docs receive. I would worry, reading the doc-preneur sites, about such biases creeping in. Taking bad medical advice from the intertubez might certainly be dangerous, but then so too might be an unreflective promotion of medical brands.
Like you, I’ve also been grateful for the blogs of people writing about their personal health experiences. Had I listened to the advice of primary care providers and therapists, I’d be in a wheelchair right now. I was in great need of spinal/neuro surgery, but no-one I initially saw was able to honestly acknowledge the LIMITS OF THEIR EXPERTISE and escalate to the appropriate specialists. I had to push for that myself, demand the MRIs, and ask for the referrals.
I was only emboldened to do this after reading others’ experience online. My surgeon, reviewing my scans and the earlier bad/incorrect advice I’d been given was incredulous. But there you go. Thanks, random internet people.
To all you people reading this, who may have written or vlogged on the topic of their complicated spinal surgery recovery, thanks. You helped me to realistically pace myself through the lengthy and painful recovery. You helped me to avoid stumbling blocks.
To all who might ever have blogged on the topic of research and supplements in the area of nerve regeneration and spinal cord healing, thank you. From my immobile position in a hospital bed I read everything you wrote about the latest discoveries, and ordered boxes of goods that aided my recovery, and resulted in my surgeon remarking how unusually speedy my regain of nerve function was - many months ahead of the typical schedule.
There are good reasons to be wary of the advice we read online, but there are also things to be grateful for. Especially when people are able to pool their personal experience of a procedure or medication: the aggregation of data that leads to safety investigations can happen far more swiftly than when trickling in from disparate surgeries.
That's awesome Ivy!! WOOHOO!
Oh the youtube doc I alluded to is also a professor of medicine, he's big and with a foot in alternatives to a small extent, that one toe dabbled in the water can lead people to expect much more from him if they didn't look around to the sources of the information and history of healing and who else out there is doing what
- the little guys can often know a lot more ;)
Hi, sure, little guys can be great!
But whether one is reading from professional lit or personal experience, ALWAYS read with a discriminating and critical eye.
You and I start on a good footing of academic training and a breadth of experience that helps us to properly weight our evidence. Whether it comes to us via peer-reviewed lit or personal anecdote. We understand what we’re reading, and where it fits into the bigger picture.
Not everyone can do that for themselves! That’s why there is a place for health bloggers like you, who can present all the titbits and explain why some things matter, to the readers who are absolutely new to the information.
You know, I went down so many rabbit holes of research data from my hospital bed. All because of bloggers on health and science! It was funny what a workout I gave my phone. So much frantic tapping.
On the merest suggestion of some new insight (which supp in what dose in the first six months window of spinal rehab enabled... what!? Really?) I would dig up data to either confirm or contest advice. I wasn’t going anywhere from that bed, LOL. And I still had access to all my databases from hospital. All the time in the world. :)
My God, the amount of money they earn anyways, and now, they want to suck up all of your and others hard work. Bloggers need their work to pay dividends! OH Mary - You Gotz to do a serious YouTube video on this Lady, apply your SEO like the Pro you certainly are, and explode that all over the World!
Your story of survival, pitted against your condition and against Doctors advice, has out won them both and there are so many people that need to hear your story.
Include evidences of communication so no one thinks you are traffic hunting on shock value.
Nice Mary :-) ! Really enjoyed this.
Thanks Philip, I'd be hunting you down for your expert advice on how to master all that ;)
yeah, and lots of ill people run health blogs to support their bills for doctors fees - what irony!
Oh come now Mary x we both know you are cracker jack aces with all that, however, your command is my pleasure.
Finally, got more time to spend on WA as busy busy in life at times - frustrating you know.
I just Googled one of my posts - Page 1 of Google, but its not that, its one position under Kyle - WA Kyle!! I am stunned and delighted.
So, yes, if you want assistance with what I know would be an epic video - let us Know Mary.
wowowowsa - WOOHOO - Philip you are a star!!!
Yeah, I'm looking forward to all your training on SEO and video ;)
Thanks Mary - just need the time and I will rock with it for sure!
Oh, cool - you changed your pic = I KNEW you was not that cat!!
Shirley, I added in this explanation on the difference between their leads policy and WA, basically opposite, and how it makes us drive traffic to doctors
// **Note this is the opposite to WA who have a first in leads policy, which means when you send someone to a TTAC event [with their last in leads policy] you'll get the first commission on the first event however they have lots of events in a year and the traffic you sent them is usually immediately picked up by a doctor who then gets all further commissions as they are the 'expert speakers' who sign attendees up sometimes as a prerequisite to viewing the events//
Hi Mary,
Firstly love the info, your blogs, thanks for sharing....
I'm with Shirley thou and not exactly sure how the lead thing works either.
Hi, the leads thing is going to be different with every platform so you have to check carefully each time, for example@
1. WA, has a first-in leads policy, if you introduce someone to this platform your cookie is with them for life, no one else is going to get that commission. So if they don't sign up now but come back later even through another member's website you've got the commission, they were first in through you.
2. TTAC which is a big platform in the health niche with high commissions, they announced a last-in leads policy which means you can drive peeps to them where they will very likely be taken over by another 'member' ie a doctor, as the speakers are all doctors and all set up to get us on their mailing lists for attending the events, in that way we are driving traffic to the doctors' mailing lists. The doctors are set up for email marketing and will be bombing your traffic now for the rest of the year and even though there are going to be multiple further events with TTAC, the docs pick off the commissions now. In fact, the people running the event will be mailing you, and they'd be last in! ;)
3. There is another big platform in the health niche running a first- in leads policy but because they have at least 15 events a year that isn't really working well for us either. Unlike WA who really runs only 'one event' or sku as Jay might say, and that is membership here, first in suits that better. But with this other platform with the 15 different events in 15 different health niches and the doctors all set up for gigantic email campaigns, it means you in the oral health niche may drive your audience to the oral health summit but if they have ever signed up to an event any time in the past like a detox summit or dementia event then you don't get the commission on driving YOUR audience there. Anyone who signed up to an event before and most often with a doctor, now stays with that doctor, and it is sort of set up for them. Just today I am arguing with that platform asking for a commission that they want to give someone else, though I know I'm not cookied into anyone else.
So the content marketing model works well for us in that we are expanding out to new people all the time and not relying on the same ones like those depending solely on email marketing, though some platforms clearly seem to be using us to drive traffic to them.
And always get people to clear their cache, that helps them be open for a fresh cookie experience ;)
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Great post, Mary! Thank you for sharing your experience.
I regarded you as a respected member of this community before, but now my respect has climbed a notch! I lost trust to the medical system when I lost my grandma due to cancer. It was so obvious that chemo was not going to help, especially an old woman with a weakened body, but the doctors ordered those therapies anyway.
And recently, a huge scandal has emerged in Greece and worldwide, regarding Novartis and how they bribed politicians and people with connections to the pharmaceutical industry in order to promote their products. It's disgusting.
I do believe that there are still genuinely kindhearted people who enter the medical profession not viewing it as a profession, but as a service, because they sincerely want to help people. But as you and other members noted, these individuals are the exception and not the rule. So much dogma in all fields of science nowadays. And old-timers sticking to their beliefs, disregarding alternative therapies or eastern practices as invalid.
And that's why the existence of blogs like yours and others' is so crucial! People that talk based on their own experiences, not on some biased survey or sponsored research. It makes me angry just thinking about all those doctor-preneurs looking to make extra money off the pain of others!
But more and more people nowadays realize that the medical industry is a business, prioritizing profit - keeping you healthy doesn't align with the industry's best interests, they'd rather want to keep you sick so they keep making money. The health sector should be primarily focused on prevention of disease, not on cures anyways. Of course that excludes surgery and therapies due to accidents or genetic diseases etc.
Keep up the good work, have a great week :)
Wow Nicky, very well said! Sorry about your grandmother and yes every single person they lose unnecessarily / kill like that does actually count. It's well known chemo kills before cancer does, and if you've seen any of the TTAC cancer series even the free ones on youtube you'll know there are real alternatives [in fact I used a cancer therapy myself to survive in the beginning] but just like you said: curing people isn't profitable, that's not the way it's even set up, outside of that 1% of medicine that deals with accidents and emergencies.
Well I'm glad they exposed the bribes on the drug, though it's not a one off, it's the rule. People still want to believe that's a one off, nope, bribery and trickery is the norm with the pharmaceutical industry. Even the research is set up in a way that they know how to hide and suppress the real side effects for x number of months until they make billions - virtually all drugs get pulled off the market after a few months, and many are tied up in legal battles due to fatalities. All my friends that died of medications do not have that on their death cert and even my own case they would not put anything in writing 'until I proved it first' so I'm officially a success despite having spent over a decade in a state worse than death and still being told there was no hope and even now 'there is no known cure' despite the fact I've cured many aspects of it - they aren't interested - but that means many bedridden people out there with zero cognitive function and horrendous pain unnecessarily! No profits in fixing them with natural stuff!
I'd never have believed it though if I hadn't seen the other side of medicine, I started out in science, even traveled a bit teaching it like you to various locations [I taught physics at the 'princess wing' of a school in the UAE lol, too hot and dusty though, Thailand sounds better!], I couldn't have imagined the heartlessness of the medical industry and how they treat peeps in the medical bin, or that it even exists - it's all money. I've got bloggers backs now though and there's no such thing as 'alternative' medicine ;)
Unbelievable.