When I start working with a new life science client, one aspect of digital marketing that will be required in some form is content marketing.
I have previously written a post outlining life science content marketing; the different forms, examples and benefits of it. But in this post, I am going to discuss some of the factors that clients don’t always know about – or consider – when they start working with a life science content marketer.
In this post, I will include my own personal experiences and insights working as a life science content marketer, but also a select few scientific content writers from around the world.
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Let me introduce them to you:
Elie Diner
Elie is a Bioengineering Ph.D. graduate with 12 years of research experience in microbiology, synthetic biology and immunology. Realising he had a passion for communicating research, he started giving more presentations and blogging, before deciding he was better suited for a career as a professional science and content writer. With 6 years experience in the field, Elie recently launched his own content and SEO agency for the Life Sciences, based in San Diego, California.
Sheeva Azma
Sheeva is an MIT and Georgetown graduate, and has been a science, health, technology, business, and policy writer and reporter since 2013. She is now the founder of her own science writing company, Fancy Comma and has her own personal blog – sheevaazma.com.
Nidhi Parekh
Nidhi is a London-based science writer with a degree in Biomedicine from the University of East Anglia. After graduating, she moved into a career in law, practicing as an occupational disease paralegal at a top insurance firm. After realising how much of a problem health literacy was, she decided to start her own blog, before deciding to write about science and health full-time.
Paul Naphtali
Paul Naphtali is the founder of GenoWrite, a life sciences communications agency.
GenoWrite provides copywriting to help companies market new approaches to study science, develop therapeutics, and create a more sustainable world. From blog articles and case studies to technical and application notes, GenoWrite provides the platform to write in many formats and for diverse audiences.
What Does A Typical Day/ Week Look Like?
[ED] – My week is typically mixed with a range of activities from digging into scientific literature, outlining a piece of content, doing keyword research, writing SEO-focused blogs or webpages, and meeting with clients. I really enjoy this regular mix of activities and like learning about the latest science going on at different life science companies, from startups to global corporations.
[SA] – I typically write a lot of blog posts, whitepapers, and other science content and copy.
[NP] – I don’t have a schedule I follow per se. Every night I make a list of things that need to get done the next day, and when I wake up, I get on it as soon as possible. I am most productive as soon as I wake up or really late at night, and try to use that to my advantage. I do a lot of research and writing in my role, but also have tons of admin tasks to do, and guest posts to write. When I’m doing neither, I am most likely trying to pitch an article to top publications or waiting by the phone for *any* response really.
[PN] – My typical week can look very different depending on what I’m trying to accomplish. When I have few clients, I spend more time networking with clients and seeking ways to show I can help. When I have more clients, you’ll find me working hard on several writing assignments.
My administrative and marketing activities also determine how my day is shaped. For one, I’m mentoring several writers, teaching them to write copy that engages and sells. I’m also seeking partnerships with other organisations over LinkedIn to expand GenoWrite’s science communication efforts.
Most notably, I finalised a partnership with the Emerging Creatives of Science, a consortium of visual communicators who provide artwork for companies and organization across the life sciences sector. Lastly, I research conferences to attend so I can build relationships with business leads and obtain new clients. All in all, I perform a lot of diverse tasks to ultimately scale GenoWrite up and meet our vision of translating science for the world.
What Types of Content/ Writing Do You Produce?
Content creation is more than writing words. It can be content in any form of media, such as video, illustrations of even podcasts!
But when it comes to life science content writing, there are lots of different forms of writing to consider, as demonstrated by the below answers.
[ED] – I produce lots of “top-of-funnel” pieces of content, which help to educate potential customers about new technologies that they may be unaware of. These can take different formats from infographics, blogs, white papers, and e-books. The scientific topics I tend to work on focus on cancer, immunotherapy, genetic engineering, drug development, and synthetic biology.
[SA] – I have written a lot about COVID and its impacts on the pandemic. Both from a medical sense (e.g., how the COVID-19 vaccines work) and in terms of COVID impacts on the economy (supply chain impacts, for example).
[NP] – I focus on health sciences, and more specifically, on anything that helps with health literacy.
[PN] – I primarily work with copywriting. Copywriting is a craft. It refers to any written form that aims to persuade potential customers to engage with a business. You can see this in the life sciences whenever a biotech company promotes itself as a solution provider or when a pharmaceutical company produces brochures about its therapeutics. Copywriting also comes in many forms. It can be published on the internet, such as a blog or a website page. It can also be shared offline with hardcopy documents like a brochure or a white paper. It can also be as short as a single sentence on a social media post.
Lastly, copywriting can be educational, declarative, or promotional. So long as my writing draws my clients’ audiences towards them, I’ve conducted copywriting. That should give you a picture of the wealth of content I write as a copywriter.
What Is The Best Way To Find A Content Writer?
If you are in the position of seeking out a content writer, fortunately, there are many places to turn to.
Freelance sites such as Upwork, PeoplePerHour and specialist site, Kolabtree, all offer a great platform to find a writer for your requirements. However, social media is also a great opportunity for freelancers and those looking to hire.
Never underestimate the power of somebody’s own website; where they can provide a vast portfolio of their work and previous working experiences.
[ED] – I get found through my own personal network and on LinkedIn. I spent quite a bit of time on my LinkedIn profile, soliciting colleagues to write recommendations and endorse me for skills. I think it really paid off because I’ve had several big projects come in from people who were searching for science writers on LinkedIn and found me.
[SA] – I love Upwork!
[NP] – I use my website, Upwork, social media and cold emails.
[PN] – Finding the best science writers for a job depends on the company’s needs. That’s a big contributor to why so many science and medical writers exist. Recognising this, we at GenoWrite train our writers to adapt their writing styles to match a client’s desired style. Additionally, we believe that the best writers share several common characteristics that help them tell their clients’ stories best. These include:
- Strong research acumen: Freelance science writers regularly encounter topics outside of their primary research experience. They must conduct literature reviews, identify research trends, and organie the information to write engaging and accurate content about various topics. Moreover, writers must learn research jargon and explain complex concepts without using terms that confuse or alienate their audiences. Accomplishing all that requires a strong ability to understand and apply research concepts.
- Keen sense of prose: A good science writer must appreciate not only the content of their writing but also its structure. With any given idea, you can string words for it in endless ways depending on who you’re talking to. This goes beyond writing in an active voice as opposed to passive voice. It means finding your unique style while tailoring your writing for the clients you work with. To get an idea of what diverse prose looks like, I highly recommend reading novels from various periods.
- Eager to learn: Science evolves based on new insights researchers obtain. Thousands of research papers are being published every day and scientists are conjuring new experiments to try. The best science writers can perform high-level research to become knowledgeable about their clients’ research. That includes research outside of their fields of expertise.
What Is The Biggest Misconception About Science Writers & Content Producers?
‘Science’ encompasses an awful lot of different topics and is an incredibly vague term.
Yes, a science content writer might be able to produce some general, top-level content, but when it comes to specific or niche topics, do remember that you will likely require a specialist writer!
[ED] – Because I have a Ph.D., a lot of clients will think that I just know everything about science, everything from physics to biology. In reality, I can dive into most scientific topics and write intelligently about them, but it can sometimes take months. If you want me to chug out a blog on quantum computing in 2 days, that just isn’t in my wheelhouse.
[SA] – That we’re not necessary. That could not be more false. Science is complex and people need to be able to read and understand scientific concepts they may need to know to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
[NP] – I think the biggest misconception is that we need to know it all. We forget (myself included) that there is help out there if we just ask.
[PN] – Quite a few people I’ve encountered believe they can accomplish their copywriting solely with language learning models (LLMs) such as Chat-GPT. I wholeheartedly disagree. Any form of writing with LLMs features a model stringing a series of words most likely to come after each other given a series of datasets. Modelling your writing after that without proper checks does three things:
- LLM writing takes away creativity: The point of copywriting is to distinguish companies from each other. Readers encountering a company will most likely read their website or see an ad online first. When LLMs place words most likely to come after one another, that creates an average document based on all others written on a topic. That kind of writing won’t cut it when a company tries to stand out amid a sea of others working on similar products.
- LLM writing may spread misinformation: LLMs can spew out false statements and provide references to non-existent papers. Integrating such copy without checking these references can harm a company’s integrity and truthfulness.
- LLM writing cannot be written on novel topics: LLMs that spew text-based answers cannot be written on topics they don’t have information about. This is especially true for sectors that strive to innovate, particularly the life sciences.
What Are Your Biggest Challenges With Clients?
[ED] – The biggest challenge is having timelines shift and the “hurry up and wait” of certain projects. Client priorities can be constantly shifting and so I have to be flexible and understanding, but it can be a little frustrating sometimes.
[SA] – Most of my clients in the COVID-19 economy are on a strict budget, so that’s been a big challenge. I’ve tried to work smarter to save money for my clients. Saving money for your clients is very valuable for them. Luckily, I’ve never had any horror stories with clients. I have been lucky to work with some great people. Some potential clients I have encountered undervalue the work of a professional science writer. I have had to learn to say “no” to overly demanding and even abusive clients.
[NP] – Most of the time, it is finding clients who will pay well! I’ve had a number of clients come in for a “quick call” where they clearly “pick your brain”, but never hire you! Truth be told, sometimes it feels nice to just chat with someone (considering pandemics and lockdowns), but not getting paid for giving out solid ideas and strategies is not the one! I think once the pandemic is “over”, I will charge for calls too.
[PN] – I spoke with several freelancers and mentors about this question. Amid these discussions, a single question continued to emerge: how do we provide value to potential customers? This was a question I wrestled with over the past year. It made me rethink how I approached new connections on LinkedIn and didn’t immediately lead to a single answer. I tried various approaches, from conducting interviews to building partnerships with various organisations. Even now, I don’t feel like I’ve fully come to this answer yet. Granted, it’s not because I don’t have any idea of what to do. Rather, people have unique needs. With so many of them in the world, I end up brainstorming as many ideas as possible to connect with as many people as possible.
The other challenge I’ve come across is the waiting game. Potential customers could take up to a year after contact to finalise their marketing plans. I can understand why, though. No company should begin a marketing campaign without a proper plan. Those who don’t have a plan are more likely to fail given they didn’t consider what they offered, what their customers needed, and how they could reach their audiences. Even so, the waiting game meant that I had to keep looking for clients even as I received steady work from my existing customer base.
How Much Do You Charge Clients?
[ED] – I typically charge $100/hour
[SA] – $100/hr
[NP] – I charge an average of $60/hour
Any Advice For New Or Upcoming Science Writers Or Content Producers?
[ED] – If you haven’t done much writing yet, look for any opportunity to do it! There are so many science blogs out there and many of them accept guest posts. Find a topic you want to write about and start writing!
[SA] – Get my book – How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing
[NP] – Make contacts with other people in the industry! Reach out to people! And when you have some free time, put out guest posts on other people’s websites (yes, for free!)
[PN] – One of the first people I spoke with as I began my freelance writing career was Brian Krueger. He wrote social media posts about how important it was to have three mentors in your work. They represent people who have already established their business, those who are doing it right now, and those who want to start doing it. I myself have three mentors as well:
- One who’s done it: I have a dear friend who’s led a long career as a salesperson. He
helps me consider the administrative aspects of running a business and helps me keep
a level head when I’m struggling to find new business opportunities. - One who’s doing it: I’ve had several great science writers be great mentors as I learned the trade. They taught me how to identify what my customers were looking for, how to write in an active voice, and how to manage client relations.
- One who’s starting: My business partner and contractor are among those folks despite my being in the business longer. They come up with amazing new ideas for me to mull over and implement, each of which has helped GenoWrite build the foundations for scaling up. It was thanks to Divya Dhasmana for introducing me to Buffer, a platform for writing social media posts across various platforms. Emily Bordeleau has also been indispensable with her creative ideas, such as finding networking events to participate in.
Require Life Science Content Writing for Your Business?
A special thank you to all three guests who have taken time out of their schedules to contribute to this post.
If you need any life science content creation, there are three excellent candidates to get started with, and you can get in touch with them via any of the links in their respective bios at the top of this article.
If you are a content writer and would like to be added to the above list (or future roundup articles like this), then please get in touch with me directly!