How Do I Become a Freelance Healthcare Writer?

I never planned on working at any place for eight years.

But then, I started working for myself.

And I stuck around.

This month, I’m celebrating my eighth anniversary of running my freelance writing business. I happened to take a call from a former colleague who is thinking about striking out on her own. Though a lot has changed since I first started as a freelancer, I’d still give her the same advice if we would had talked nine years ago: Try it! And if you don’t like it, quit.

But during my conversation with her, I realized that saying, “try it” needs to come with some tangible tips on how to actually “try it.”

Although we say we live in a society that values entrepreneurs, we don’t give them any kind of a backbone to start something new — say goodbye to your cushy healthcare plan, 401K and built-in work friendships — if you do your own thing.

However, during my time as a freelancer, I’ve learned there are ways to mimic the stability that your 9-5 job offered, plus opportunities to re-imagine what your life could look like without having to clock in.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a freelance healthcare writer, I hope you find these tips helpful:

Don’t jump in

Got the itch to leave your job? Keep itching. If you can avoid it, don’t start Day One as a freelancer with a blank slate. Here are some things you can do to establish yourself before taking the plunge:

• Develop a business plan. You don’t have to get your MBA to start a business, but you’ve got to have a decent idea of what you’d like to do. What writing niche are you targeting? What does your pricing structure look like? How will you measure success, both personally and professionally?
• Will anybody hire you? Ask around. As a former editor healthcare editor at Ragan Communications, I had a lot of contacts in the healthcare marketing industry. I felt comfortable asking hospital communicators for work, but that’s because we’d already established a relationship. Do you have some names of people who could hire you? You might get a few bites on some cold pitches, but a strong network is key to your success.
• Build your website. You don’t have to launch anything yet, but now is a good time to get your website squared away. Write some evergreen blog content now because once your business starts going, you’ll want to focus your time on your clients. Don’t forget to order your business cards, too.

Make some freelance friends

Your family, friends and former colleagues might be excited about your new endeavor, but ultimately, they aren’t going to understand the ups and downs of your new career.

Any time you complain or get worried, their immediate response might be, “Why don’t you get a real job?”

You’re going to need to build relationships with other freelancers who understand what you’re going through. You want people on your side who you can share ideas with, people who offer a listening ear when you want to vent about a difficult client and even better, someone who can celebrate your joy of scoring a big project.

And not everybody has to be a freelance writer — get a mix of videographers, graphic designers and web designers in your freelance group. If a client asks you for a referral for a non-writing project, you can do your friend a favor by passing along their name (and maybe they’ll do the same for you someday).

Get your finances straightened out

You’ve got to be comfortable with financial instability if you want to be a freelancer. I haven’t met any freelancer who makes the same amount of money each month. Yet, it’s more than being able to tolerate the ups and downs: It’s about having emergency funds available to get you through difficult times (ideally, I recommend having at least six months of living expenses saved up). A few other financial tips to share: ?

• Hire an accountant. Shameless plug for Taxlink Incorporated, which I’ve been using since a freelance friend recommended them to me.
• Open up a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP)-IRA. I missed my 401K, so opening up a SEP-IRA was the next best thing. It’s specifically geared for self-employed people who want to stash money away for retirement.
• Get creative about earning extra money. One of my favorite things I did to earn a little extra money on the side was being a food tour guide for Chicago Food Planet. This blog explores 5 savvy investment tips for healthcare freelance writers and in this one, I share 7 ways healthcare freelance writers can earn extra money.

You’ve got to outsmart AI

AI wasn’t on my radar nine years ago. But it’s something that I think about now. I wonder if my career path would be more secure if I had a full-time writing/editing job. But one expert said that by 2025, 90% of online content will be generated by AI — so really, is any full-time writing job secure?

As a freelancer, you have to figure out what writing services you can offer that AI hasn’t figured out yet. Here are mine:

• Live conference editorial coverage (live-tweeting the event, blogging about sessions and video recaps)
• LinkedIn makeovers
• Physician interviews to add flavor to blogs or physician biographies
• Patient stories
• Podcasting
• Ghostwriting blogs or managing social media accounts for the C-suite

And my newest one? Offering one-on-one coaching sessions to aspiring freelance writers. Let me know if you’re interested.