When I first started as a freelancer in health writing, I knew that writing wasn’t the only thing I’d be doing. In my full-time role as a writer and editor for an academic institution, authoring stories for department magazines and progress reports was one of the highlights of the job. I spent considerable time thinking of story ideas, preparing expert interviews, and then weaving them into the piece, which would then lead to the writing part. When you’re an in-house writer, this process can be comfortable and familiar. You can ask your supervisor for help any time during the process, and you may have access to an established team of people who can assist with getting quotes or edit your work. The story is, however, quite different when you’re a full-time freelancer.
The social aspect of health writing is less established in freelancing.
Many of the people I interviewed for stories in academia already knew who I was. If they didn’t, I’d either reach out to them directly or ask my supervisor or my colleagues to make introductions. If responses were delayed, I could always ask for support. Things are a bit different when you’re a freelancer though. You may have to reach out to experts who don’t know you at all, which can feel a little cold, mysterious, and even uncomfortable. You’ll also need backup experts if the people you wanted to interview don’t respond (and trust me, it’ll happen). But don’t despair. As you connect with people and develop resilience, you’ll build a network of trusted experts you can go to or even consult for recommendations (I had to do that not long ago).
Research also means researching people.
As an in-house writer, you may already be familiar with the research or clinical practice of an expert. As a freelancer, you need to thoroughly research and vet your sources. Who are they? What are their credentials? Are they the right people to provide insight into the topic? You’ll spend plenty of time reading studies, checking statistics, and figuring out what the evidence says, but also researching experts and making sure they’re providing the right perspective for your piece.
You need to learn how to reach out to prospective clients.
Coming up with a good story idea is the key aspect of publishing as an in-house writer. I used to really enjoy this step when we brainstormed ideas with our little team of five. As a freelancer, though, convincing an editor who doesn’t know you that your story is worth publishing is something else entirely. Pitching can feel intimidating when you’re starting out but working on reaching out to editors and introducing yourself, suggesting ideas, and learning how to deal with rejection are conducive to building confidence and getting better at it. And when an editor likes your work, they may come back to you with other assignments, which is one of the best ways to build lasting relationships in this area of writing.
Sounding smart isn’t your first goal.
One of the main goals in health writing is to make health information understandable, so resisting the use of jargon is one of the first best practices to be successful in this specialty. Taking intricate scientific mechanisms or turning complex disease information into something people can understand, process, and apply is one of the hardest parts of the job. For me, it’s certainly been one of the most rewarding.
You’ll be your own first editor.
Even when credibility and trust have been established, the organizations you work for may not have an editorial team in place to thoroughly review or edit your work. Also, freelance deadlines don’t always leave much time for someone else to clean up your draft, meaning you’ll often need to catch the confusing sentences, missing information, awkward transitions, and factual errors yourself.
Build an editing process you can rely on. The Editing Essentials Package includes practical guides, checklists, templates, and bonus resources designed for editors working in science and medicine.
Building authentic relationships and creating a network of trusted fellow writers who can provide advice, support, feedback, and opportunities are crucial aspects of working as a freelance health writer. So, my last bit of advice is to make networking a priority from the start.