Niching Down — How to Use Your Nursing Expertise to Land High-Paying Freelance Clients
By Claire Bonneau
Photo by Hannah Olinger
To continually grow as a freelance medical writer, you must identify a clear niche. Yes, I know it is counterintuitive, and yes, it works!
Turning away potential paying clients can seem like a lose-lose situation, especially if you are starting out as a new nurse writer. But, by the end of this article, you will understand the benefits of choosing to narrow your scope — and once you specialize, you will see an improvement in the quality (and often the number) of clients interested in paying you top-dollar for your services.
The power of a well-defined niche
It can be incredibly tempting for newbie medical writers to define their services broadly, hoping to land as many clients as possible. And, while I understand that mentality (and I was there myself during the earliest stages of my freelance career), this method of self-marketing is less lucrative than you may expect. Allow me to explain.
Your services — whether you do regulatory research, patient-facing blogs, SEO web copy optimization, or any other form of medical writing — are desired by your clients because of your expertise and value.
Great clients want to work with specialized experts who convey their value rather than generalists who make them spend extra energy and effort to figure out if they have the skills to do their job.
Knowing this, let’s explore an example from a client’s perspective. Imagine you are looking to qualify two freelancers to write for your women’s health blog. Which of the two following options are you likely to want to work with?
The generalist freelancer talks about being a high-quality medical writer. They have a lot of great writing samples, ranging from a blog article about hypertension, a guest post on a dietary website, and some regulatory research for a larger pharma company. You can tell this writer is experienced and knowledgeable but are also unsure if they have the knowledge or expertise to create high-quality and niche-specific content. This ambiguity leads to confusion, quickly making you (the client) move on to another option.
The specialist freelancer markets themselves as a content writer for women’s health brands and medical providers. They share blog samples about various women’s health conditions, and in their pitch, they speak directly to unique struggles that their other clients in the same niche often experience. When reading this proposal, you feel heard and valued and have no confusion about how the freelancer will help you bring your vision to life. This is the freelancer you will choose to work with.
Your unique training as a nurse gives you an advantage (if you choose to use it)
As a nurse, you have worked incredibly hard and have gained valuable experience as a frontline worker in your unique field. Because of this, your knowledge, expertise, and learned wisdom are all marketable (and highly desired) skills your clients are willing to pay for — as long as they know what you bring to the table. It’s time to tap into your niche and start reaping the rewards of your training and experience!
Use your insider knowledge to create a competitive edge
By clearly labeling yourself as an expert in a specific area of medicine or nursing, you instantly gain points of authority and experience with potential clients.
Great clients want high-quality medical copy that connects with their target audience — and as a nurse who works on a specialized care unit, you have hours of experience working directly with the people they are looking to communicate with.
As a highly-trained expert in the needs, wants, and experiences pf this audience, you now have a competitive edge over other freelancers — and when properly communicated, this is one of the best ways to land high-quality writing jobs. Use your skills to your advantage (I promise, it will make you stand out in all the right ways!)
Attract clients by writing compassionate and caring medical content
To be a great nurse, providing compassionate care is one of the top requirements. And as it turns out, this skill is also a great resource for your freelance medical writing business.
When clients need to convey complex medical information to patients, hiring an experienced nurse is a clear win. A knowledgeable client knows that nurses have extensive experience providing care and education to their target audience, and your training is a massive benefit for their content. Being able to convey empathy while transmitting accurate medical information is no easy task — One of the best pieces of feedback I’ve received is that I write, “as though you have cared directly for patients.”
Whether you are creating patient-facing content that oozes empathy and compassion or breaking down complicated medical terminology for a broader audience, your nursing experience is an asset you need to communicate to land great clients.
Charge higher rates to better-quality clients who value your work
Freelance writing isn’t all about the rates or the money — but working within a defined niche is one of the best ways to ensure you get paid what you deserve.
As discussed above, a great client wants a specialized expert who knows the ins and outs of their unique industry. No matter how good your writing is on other topics, it doesn’t entice them — because they want to work with medical experts that know how to write about issues in their specific medical field.
As soon as you tap into your specific niche, you get the opportunity to become that expert resource for your clients — and as an expert, it is your job to ensure that you are paid adequately for your knowledge and expertise.
Can you imagine working with clients who, instead of arguing about the price, don't even bat an eye and are willingly pay your desired rate? Working within a chosen niche gives you access to a smaller number of higher-quality clients, which in turn will result in more money for more fulfilling work.
Market yourself as an expert and land high-paying clients
To niche or not to niche — I hope the answer is quite clear!
It may be scary to quit being a generalist freelancer and choose to become deliberate with your services. But, you’ll soon find niching down to provide more specialized services is a winning decision. When you market yourself within a specific niche, you convey authority, build a strong sense of brand, and your freelance business will continue to grow year after year.
So don’t delay — get out there and specialize!
Claire is an operating room nurse turned medical content writer specializing in patient-facing medical blogs, web copy, and email marketing campaigns. To learn more about your work or to hire her for your next project, please visit her website at www.clairebonneau.com or check out her LinkedIn profile.
