5 Reasons Why Nurses Make Great Medical Copywriters
But First…. What is a Medical Copywriter?
Copywriters are experts in connecting you with your desired audience. We write to educate, persuade, or influence your audience to take a desired action. Often, this action is the sale of a product or service- which adds up to more revenue for you. It can also be making a donation, clicking on a link, or subscribing to an email list.
Copywriters are pros at forging a genuine connection and building trust. This is done by writing with real emotional connection and using ethical persuasive techniques. And persuasion isn't always harmful or misleading– especially if used truthfully and with care. Literally everything on the internet is competing for your client's time and money. In today's world, you need excellent copywriting to set yourself apart.
You won't find cringy, old-school sales techniques or icky-feeling marketing tactics that make your skin crawl here. Great copy is honest, factual, and inspires action without sounding over the top, fake, sleazy, or sales-y. It sells your product or service- without your clients feeling like they're being sold to.
Why Does My Business Need a Medical Copywriter?
You're busy. And you work hard. Your time is valuable. You didn't build your business to spend endless hours behind a computer figuring out how to explain what you do and why people should choose you over your competition.
Hiring a copywriter frees up more time in your day. It allows you more time to:
Build and run your business
Work on causes that are important to you
Spend time on your hobbies or with your family
What do copywriters write? We write copy- which is a term for writing that compels a reader to take action. There are many different types of copy. And all kinds of copy can help your business grow, depending on your needs. Just about anything on the internet can be considered copy.
Copywriters write blogs, websites, sales pages, landing pages, product descriptions, social media ads, email sequences, newsletters, and more. We create sales funnels, white papers, and case studies to build trust and provide success with more complex or costly sales items.
Compelling and persuasive copy attracts clients to your business. It helps you meet your goals– whether that's making a sale, providing education, booking a service, growing your email list, or ranking higher on Google. Or all of the above. Excellent copy continues to nurture your relationships with your current clients. It further builds and solidifies your business.
I incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in my copy, which helps you increase your Google Ranking in search results. It also helps you establish authority and credibility in your field. Great copy helps you make more money, saves you valuable time, and grows your business. It also allows you and your business to have a greater impact on the world.
Here are five main reasons why a nurse's unique background and skill set helps them excel at copywriting.
1. Communication
Words are powerful. And the right words can make all the difference. They can create trust, explain complex information, allow for understanding, and bring comfort and peace. They can save lives. The wrong words get you nothing. Or worse.
The wrong words can cause someone to lose trust– which you might never get back. They can create confusion and chaos and even lead to resentment or anger. Every day, nurses have to skillfully communicate with many different people from many different backgrounds to do their jobs effectively.
We meet people where they are at. We are experts in knowing our audience and knowing who we are talking to. A good nurse can quickly and calmly explain a critical situation to a doctor over the phone at 3 am and get orders for the action needed to help save a life.
We can de-escalate that angry family member. We can skillfully advocate for our patients and help them navigate a healthcare system that is often difficult and frustrating. We can earn the trust of someone who is scared and offer sincere, kind, and compassionate words to offer comfort after a loved one's death.
We use excellent communication skills to help people make it through some of the worst times of their lives, as well as to help celebrate some of the best.
2. Empathy
You may have heard the saying, "People buy based on emotion and justify with logic." Humans like to think we are always analytical and factual. But there are too many choices to make in a day to adequately research each and every decision we make or product we buy. That is where our emotions take over.
Our emotions help us make quicker decisions based on what feels right– a shortcut we all use out of necessity. And this saves us valuable hours of thought, time, and effort each day.
The subconscious mind and emotion are what genuinely drive purchasing power. Facts and statistics are necessary and should be used to support your business and product. But if you want to sell your product or service, you need an emotional connection with your audience. And if you want to connect effectively with your audience, you need empathy.
Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand and share the feelings of another. It isn't just a feeling of pity for another person or situation– but a genuine compassion and understanding for those involved. And nurses nail this. Nurses use empathy every day to establish trust with their patients.
Empathy is crucial in identifying and connecting with your audience's pain points. Pain points are particular problems faced by a customer in the marketplace. If you can sincerely connect with and offer a viable solution to your audience's pain points– you will be more apt to see them take action.
3. Persuasion
Nurses are, by necessity, masters of persuasion.
Get that child to take their medication? Been there.
Get that adult to take their medication? Done that.
Convince that disruptive, drunk guy to sit down and wait his turn? Check.
Encourage your patient's exhausted husband to finally go home to sleep and recharge? Absolutely.
Each circumstance is different, and nurses skillfully navigate these situations and adjust their approach based on the people involved. And despite each situation being different– the end goal is always the same. We skillfully use persuasion to get the individual involved to make decisions that solve problems and are best for their health and well-being.
Ethical persuasion is beneficial not only in nursing but in business as well. Remember– everything on the internet is competing for your client's attention. Can you set your company or product apart from the rest?
4. Trust
In January of 2023, Nursing was ranked as the Most Trusted Profession for the 21st year in a row. When nurses establish trust with a patient or family member, they set themselves and the entire healthcare team up for success.
Honesty, empathy, and effective communication are all valuable tools for establishing trust. Families trust nurses to care for their loved ones. Doctors trust our judgment and listen to our input. If I cannot establish trust, I cannot effectively do my job. And creating a trusting environment is as beneficial in business as it is in nursing.
My clients trust me to use words to elevate their businesses, and my words create trusting relationships between clients and business owners. If clients trust you and are confident in what you provide, they will likely choose to work with you in the future. They are also more likely to recommend your products and services to others.
5. Knowledge
Education is one of my favorite aspects of being a nurse. It is where we can truly make a tangible difference in the lives of our patients. Nurses are pros at meeting patients where they are at. We can explain complex situations in any terms necessary, depending on the learner's needs.
Explain diabetes to a five-year-old child?
And their non-English speaking parents?
How about a complex and life-changing diagnosis to someone who has never completed a high school education?
What about cancer to a teenager?
Breastfeeding to a new mom?
Changing a diaper to a new dad?
Simple to complex, nurses are here for it and have you covered.
Nurses are also experts at researching complex subjects. Medications, treatments, diagnosis? We look them up all the time. As a copywriter in the Health and Wellness niche, I come with over 15 years of experience in the medical field. I'm both a writer and an expert in a technical field.
When providing copy for my clients, I use PubMed, scientific journals, and other trusted and factual sources to support your mission, product, or service. Not only do nurses research these subjects daily, but we translate this knowledge in a way that your audience can truly connect with.
Remember that all the facts and knowledge will only get you far if you can put them into words and terms that your client can connect with and understand.
A Note From the Copywriter
I began my career in Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing and have worked within this specialty for over 15 years. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to kick nursing completely, and I still work part-time in the field. Caring for critically ill children and their families has taught me more about myself, humanity, and life than I ever imagined possible. This work has been some of the best, hardest, and most important work that I have ever done.
Writing has always been a passion of mine, and it is gentler on my body, mind, and soul than traditional nursing. I now use the power of words to uplift products, businesses, and services that I believe in. I love working with clients whose missions I support, and I work hard to help these businesses succeed.
I take the qualities that have made me a great nurse and use them to write great copy for clients and businesses with similar values. By doing this, I continue to form a genuine connection with people from all backgrounds and remain a force for good in this world.