By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Feinberg’s Simulation-Based Training Program Wins Innovations Challenge
    November 16, 2012
    ACA Delays
    Top 8 ACA Delays: Blatantly Illegal or Temporary Courses of Action?
    July 7, 2014
    Vegetarina Dental Concerns Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Oral Health Concerns For Vegetarians
    February 14, 2013
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Why Write Boring Health Care Copy?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Why Write Boring Health Care Copy?
Business

Why Write Boring Health Care Copy?

dorothywetzel
dorothywetzel
Share
4 Min Read
medical copywriting
SHARE

medical copywritingLearning to write captivating copy from the halls of journalism:

medical copywritingLearning to write captivating copy from the halls of journalism:

Why doesn’t a patient pamphlet grab you like the first sentence of a New Yorker health care article? I believe that it boils down to intent. Pharma copy is written from the point of view of “I have important information I need to tell you.” Journalistic copy starts from the premise of “I need to capture your attention.”

The aim of a news story is to get eyeballs on the page. The objective of a pharma pamphlet is to impart information to the patient. Or in the worst case, just fill the legal obligation to provide the information.

More Read

cost and value in healthcare
The Problem with Thinking We Get What We Pay for in Health Care
Physician Payments: The Not-So-Secret Secret
Reduce Claim Denials and Recoup Lost Revenue: 7 Steps
The Typical Physician Misses Hundreds of Opportunities to Engage, Empower and Excite Patients Every Day
Why It’s So Hard to Control Medicaid Spending

I gave a journalist friend of mine some pharma copy to rewrite. I was curious about the differences in how it would be written, particularly the opening sentences. Even after removing his expletives, you can see how much more engaging the journalistic version is.

Pharma Copy*Journalism Story
While some people in your life may know what to say when you tell them you have ALS, others may not know how to respond—or worse, may say something off-the-wall, or even hurtfulThe first time John wished he could just say “beam me up Scotty” was when he went to his first Thanksgiving dinner after being diagnosed with ALS. He thought his entire extended family was holding some kind of contest to see who could say or ask the most inappropriate thing.

*Disease state has been changed

The journalistic model of copy writing requires a significant shift. At the end of the day, it is about holding your information to a higher standard—patient engagement. Or as Tony Rogers in his About.com Guide to journalism says, “So when making the rounds of your beat, always ask yourself, “How will this affect my readers? Will they care? Should they care?” If the answer is no, chances are the story’s not worth your time.”

The key concept to extrapolate here is the need to interest and entertain your reader. So here are a couple thought-starters on how to export this idea to development of pharmaceutical information, particularly in the patient space.

  1. Define for your agency “what good looks like.” Gather a few examples of how your product and/or disease state has been covered in the popular and not so popular press. I am riveted by anything that Jerome Groopman writes. Look for good examples of science made accessible. Look for health care storylines that grab people. Compare that to your copy.
  2. Evaluate what is most/least compelling on your website. We have tended to discount “the click” in pharma. But “eyeballs on the page” is the metric used by online media evaluate the success of their endeavors and determine what gets covered in the future.
  3. Hire a freelance journalist to have a “whack” at your copy. Your procurement friends will love you as journalists are about half the cost of pharmaceutical copywriters. And many do a very good job at explaining difficult scientific concepts or MOA’s.

So take a look at your copy. Would you read it if you didn’t have to?

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Is Fee-For-Service Really Dead?

December 13, 2012
Business

Most Dangerous Occupations

November 15, 2011
eHealthHealth careHospital AdministrationMarketing

What To Know About The Importance Of Healthcare Marketing

November 23, 2019

Wonder What Would Happen If A Hospital Near You Closed? Read This.

June 16, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?