Answering patient questions in your health content is essential for several reasons, but how do you find out what they want to know?
As a health and wellness content writer, one of my top priorities is creating work that resonates: content that doesn’t just inform, but genuinely serves the people reading it. But how do you know what your audience really wants to know? Not what you think they might want to know, or what everyone else is writing about, but their real questions. The kind they’re typing into Google at midnight. The kind they’re too embarrassed to ask their doctor or too overwhelmed to find clear answers for.
That’s where audience research tools come in. Not the stiff, keyword-only kind, but tools that help you uncover authentic audience curiosity. In this post, I’m sharing my favourite tools for finding real questions from real people.
1. AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic is one of the most visual and intuitive tools out there for understanding the questions people are actually asking. It scrapes autocomplete data from Google and presents it in a radial map of “who,” “what,” “when,” “why,” “how,” and “can” questions, plus prepositions and comparisons.
How I use it:
I type in a seed topic like “rosacea cream” or “HRT side effects” and get dozens (sometimes hundreds) of natural-language questions that people are searching for. These form the basis of FAQs, subheadings, or even whole blog posts. You’ll often find gems like “Can you use metronidazole cream around the eyes?” that would never show up in a generic keyword planner.
2. Reddit
Reddit is like a free focus group made up of people being brutally honest, especially in health, wellness, skincare, and lifestyle spaces. Subreddits like r/SkincareAddiction, r/ADHD, r/PCOS, and r/AskDocs are packed with real-life concerns.
How I use it:
I search within relevant subreddits for terms like “confused about,” “what’s the difference,” or “worried about.” I also look at upvoted comments and discussion threads. These posts are goldmines of phrasing, emotional nuance, and misunderstood topics you can turn into patient-centred content. Plus, you’ll see the answers people trust, or reject.
3. Google’s ‘People Also Ask’ and Autocomplete
Sometimes the most powerful tools are right in front of you. Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) boxes are filled with highly searched questions pulled from real user data. And because the follow-up questions expand dynamically, it’s easy to dive deeper into niche concerns.
How I use it:
I start with a base query and keep opening PAA boxes until I’ve mapped out a mini FAQ tree. For example, if I’m writing about fluticasone nasal spray, I might get: “Can I use it every day?”, “What happens if I miss a dose?”, and “Does it cause nosebleeds?” These are real questions I make sure to answer in plain English.
4. Quora
Quora often gets overlooked these days, but it’s still a treasure trove of real questions, especially for niche health and lifestyle topics. People share detailed concerns, and the responses help reveal how well (or poorly) those questions are being answered online.
How I use it:
I search for my topic, filter by “questions,” and then look for those with multiple upvotes or lots of engagement. It’s a great way to spot common anxieties or areas of confusion. For example, someone might ask, “Is it safe to use podophyllotoxin cream during your period?”, a question that likely won’t appear in a keyword tool but is extremely valuable for product guidance.
5. YouTube Comments and Titles
YouTube creators often title their videos as questions or problems (e.g., “How I cleared my adult acne”), and the comment sections are full of follow-up concerns, clarifications, and “but what if…” style questions.
How I use it:
I search for relevant health topics and pay close attention to both titles and pinned comments. For example, under a video about intermittent fasting and women’s hormones, you might find viewers asking about cycle syncing, supplements, or hair loss: topics that can fuel entire blog posts.
6. Facebook Groups and Online Communities
As someone who moderates a Facebook lifestyle group, I know just how many questions go un-Googled. People turn to their communities for answers they trust, especially when it comes to health, beauty, parenting, and wellness.
How I use it:
I observe trending questions, the language people use to describe symptoms, and where confusion or disagreement arises. These give me insight into what kind of content needs to be created to meet real needs, not just fill a keyword quota.
Why Finding Real Questions Matters
Real questions tell you what your audience doesn’t yet know but wants to. That makes your job as a writer less about guessing and more about guiding. When you answer genuine concerns:
- You build trust.
- You boost SEO naturally.
- You create content that gets shared and bookmarked.
- You stop wasting time writing things no one needs.
Whether you’re writing for a pharmacy, a health app, or your own blog, these tools let you get closer to your audience’s thoughts and pain points.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need expensive SEO platforms to write effective, empathetic health content. You need curiosity. The willingness to listen in the right places. And tools that let you eavesdrop, ethically, on what real people care about.
When you base your content on real questions, you stop guessing and start helping. That’s where the magic (and conversions) happen.
Need Help Turning Questions Into Quality Content?
If you’re overwhelmed trying to turn your audience’s real questions into content that converts, I’d love to help. As a freelance health and wellness writer, I specialise in creating trustworthy, human-first content that answers the questions your audience is already asking.
Ready to give your content real purpose? Book a discovery call or email me today.
If you’ve found this useful, feel free to fuel my caffeine addiction at Ko-fi
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