Top 10 Tips On How To Hire Health And Wellness Writer

If you own a health and wellness blog or product, your messaging needs to be clear and creative to get to your target audience.

This is because the content you create is a reflection of you and your brand. So, to ensure that all your content is written in a unique and professional manner, you need to hire a competent health and wellness writer. 

Here, I will guide you on how to do so, but before then, let’s get to know what health and wellness writers do and why you should hire one .

Stay with me…

What does a Health And Wellness Writer do?

A health and wellness writer is an expert in the field who remains aware of the latest research and newsworthy topics.

He/she has the ability to cover subjects such as health, fitness, nutrition, grooming, mental health, and relationships, and can help you develop ideas (that will come to life through compelling copy).

Basically, an expert health and wellness writer can help you with the following and more:

• Website copy
• Blog content
• Social media content
• Video scripts
• Email newsletters
• White papers

Why Hire a Health & Wellness Writer?

Aside from the expertise health and wellness writers bring, your brand can directly benefit from them in the following ways:

• Health & wellness writers will provide professional content that are of the highest quality. 
• They will help you maximize SEO strategy which can directly impact the volume and quality of traffic that reaches your website.
• The quality content they write can help build trust by supporting your brand’s reputation.
• A professional health and wellness writer can turn your content into a lead generating tool, improving your overall conversion rate.

Tips On How To Hire Health And Wellness Writer

There are several factors you need to consider while hiring a health and wellness writer, but I will just elaborate on ten (10) of them. They include:

• Professional experience
• Qualifications
• Scientific research experience
• Topics they write about
• Customization
• Tone-of-voice
• Work process
• First impressions
• Response to feedback
• Writing outside of work

Now, I will be grouping these tips into on three broader categories.

• Experience
• Suitable skills
• Personality traits

Experience

#1 What Professional Experience Should a Health and Wellness Writer have?

Basically, having practical experience is more important than a number of writing credentials.

Some persons are health and wellness writers just because they like the concept of healthy living. However, before you hire one, check if he/she has actually served clients and/or patients in the health sector.

1. Scan his/her website homepage; check his/her social media.
2. Do they have experience working in fields such as healthcare, sport, or nutrition, prior to becoming a writer?

These professional backgrounds gives the writer an edge writing for health and wellness companies.

#2 What Kind of Qualifications Should a Health and Wellness Writer have?

Although there are no specific qualifications for a health and wellness writer, certain degrees could be helpful. They include:

• English
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Journalism
• Business

#3 Do the a Health and Wellness Writer have Experience Reading Scientific Research?

Basically, as a health business owner, you will need to support claims you make about how effective your products/services are with scientific backing. (especially if you want to keep the authorities, such as the FDA in the U.S. or the DHSC in the U.K, happy.

So, when you want to hire a writer, get one who is willing to get stuck into the data and help with research if this has been included as part of the project scope. For instance, if the writer is creating a blog post, there should be at least 3-5 references included to support the points given.

Suitable Skills

#4 Which Topics Can the Health and Wellness Writer Write About?

Most health and wellness writers have their areas of specialties, but generally, they should be able to write about any topic within the field.

Some topics include fitness, lifestyle, mental health, nutrition, brain health, chronic disease management, dietary guidance, relationships, self-care, sleep, spirituality, and so on.

If the writer has had experience working in the health sector, he/she will have already built up a solid knowledge base they can refer to. However, he/she should always be willing to keep on learning.

So, as the one hiring the health writer, I will advise that you give as much detail as possible on the nature of your products/services for the writer to familiarize with. This in turn will make the content much better.

#5 Can the Health and Wellness Writer Customize His/Her Approach to Suit Your Brand?

Be observant to how the writer makes his/her proposal.

Do you get a ‘‘one-size-fits-all approach’’ vibe from the writer or a “willingness to adapt to different brands” vibe?

Here is the thing…

Even though a writer shouldn’t be afraid to put forward suggestions and make his/her case, he/she shouldn’t be So fixed on his/her ideas that he/she can’t customize for your brand.

Note: As we forge ahead, I will be using he to represent both genders.

#6 Can the Health and Wellness Writer Write in a Conversational Style?

Every brand needs personality! And this is perceived through the contents you put out, be it a video, copy, blog post, podcast, and so on.

Since we are dealing with writing, you need to take note of the writer’s style. Is he robotic in his writing?

A boring content can be a piss off to the reader or even make them sleep before getting your message.

So, the role of the writer is to make the text as reader-friendly as possible.

Sentence lengths should vary — some short, some long (generally no longer than three lines on desktop). Good grammar is a must, of course.

The health writer should make the language more personal by using inclusive words such as ‘‘you’’ and ‘‘we’’. He should write in an active voice most of the time (rather than passive). You can use Hemingway to check this.

The major goal is for the the content to hold the reader’s attention…

So, be sure to note this.

#7 Does the Writer’s Work Process Make Sense?

While hiring a health and wellness writer, pay close attention to the payment terms

Here are some things to look out for:

Payment Terms

• When and how does he ask for payment? 
• Agreement terms. You need to protect yourself as a business while the freelance health writer needs to protect himself too. Normally, a 50% payment upfront (with the remaining 50% paid upon the first draft or project completion) works for both parties. 
• Payment options. Several payment options can be offered (e.g. bank transfer, PayPal) to make it as easy for you as possible.

Project Plan

• Is there an agreement on a clear plan and timeline between you two before starting a project?
• The writer should state the specific tasks he’ll deliver on, and an approximate time estimate for each project milestone.

Testing

• Are you both prepared to test different versions of copy?
• Marketing is all about testing ideas and seeing which ideas stick. You can try out the customer feedback surveys and email list segmentation. Also, be prepared to make adjustments where necessary.

Personality  Traits

#8 What Impression Do You Get Speaking with the Health and Wellness Writer for the First Time?

The writer’s personality is as important as the skill he may possess or the experience he has especially when you don’t want a one-off transaction.

So, if you run a health or wellness business that needs ongoing written content like blogs and email newsletters, then hire a writer who’s respectful and easy to communicate with.

You can figure this out through a call, be it a phone or Zoom call. Ask questions to get a sense of the writer’s communication style.

Is he a skilled listener? Is there a willingness to show patience if you’re facing a problem?

For instance, if he is talking 80% of the time and listening only 20% of the time, then that’s a warning sign to stay clear.

#9 How does the Writer Respond to Feedback?

Any writer who can’t deal with criticism isn’t going to make it very far.

Although a writer should be proud of his work, he shouldn’t get cranky or over-sensitive when you give him edit suggestions.

A good writer should be looking for clarity after they receive your feedback.

For instance, in a situation where you like the writer’s ideas but feel the tone doesn’t quite fit.  You should be able to tell him without him getting annoyed.

#10 Does the Writer Write for Fun?

You may be wondering why this is a point to consider. The truth is if a writer isn’t writing at all outside of his hours of work, then something’s not right.

This is because a writer who really loves his craft will write for fun, too.

Maybe they’ve written poetry, a novel, or articles on Medium. Or, maybe they just write in their daily journal or on social media.

In fact, the form doesn’t matter so much, but that he write even when he is not getting paid for it, does.

A passionate writer will definitely bring a lot more enthusiasm into his day-to-day work with you.

More Tips

• You can carry out the ‘‘coffee test’’.
• Also, look out for the writer’s ability to set boundaries.

In Summary

The tips above will help you get the best hands for your health and wellness business. 

I hope you’ve found this read useful and feel clearer on what to keep in mind.

All the best!