How Coaching and Consistent Marketing Helped Addie Build Her Freelance Business One Step at a Time
Adrienne (Addie) Nagy launched her freelance medical writing business, Wordsmith Medical Writing Solutions, with a single client referred by a former colleague. But when that work slowed, she realized she didn’t know how to find steady, high-paying clients on her own. Around the same time, Addie decided to narrow her focus from general medical writing to continuing medical education (CME), which meant she also needed to attract clients who needed those specialized services.
Marketing made Addie uncomfortable, even though she knew it was important. Addie thought marketing had to be pushy and sales-focused and wasn’t sure how to talk about her services in a way that felt authentic or helped the right clients understand how she could help them.
Addie found the guidance she needed in Freelance Flow, a 12-month coaching program for freelance medical writers and editors who want to build a stable, sustainable business. Led by Lori De Milto, who has been a freelance medical writer since 1997 and a marketing teacher and coach since 2014, the program combines personalized coaching with a proven marketing system. Freelance Flow helps participants attract the right clients, communicate their value clearly, focus on the marketing that works best, and market consistently.
Building a Marketing System that Works
Through practical training and monthly virtual coaching sessions, Addie learned the key aspects of marketing a freelance business and received step-by-step guidance to market her business with confidence.
Together, Addie and Lori set clear goals and developed a practical marketing plan based on Addie’s experience, strengths, and the type of freelance business she wanted to build.
During Freelance Flow, Addie:
- Developed clear, client-focused marketing messages and tools that felt authentic and helped the right clients understand how she could help them
- Raised her visibility through networking and LinkedIn, and built genuine professional relationships with colleagues
- Established a sustainable marketing routine she can continue using as her business grows.
Developing authentic marketing
“Lori’s honesty and insights have helped me refine my message and showcase my work in a way that feels authentic and true to who I am,” says Addie.
Addie’s confidence in her ability to market her freelance business nearly doubled, leaving her highly confident by the end of the program. “Marketing is an awful lot less daunting and more doable than it seemed at the beginning,” she says.
The Results of Consistent Marketing
Through Freelance Flow, Addie developed a marketing system tailored to her business. With monthly coaching, personalized feedback, and accountability, she turned marketing into a consistent habit that helped her attract the right clients.
By the end of the program, Addie had seven new clients—most providing steady work and paying rates that reflected her expertise—and had moved from entry-level CME writing into higher-paying CME projects.
Most of Addie’s new clients came through networking, especially referrals from other freelancers. When colleagues introduced her to prospective clients, she followed up promptly and focused on building genuine relationships with the people at those companies. She stayed visible by engaging thoughtfully with their LinkedIn posts and kept in touch through polite, professional emails. As a result, when those companies needed a freelancer, Addie was already top of mind. One client found her on LinkedIn.
“Lori somehow makes the hardest parts of marketing feel approachable and even fun! I am so happy that I invested in marketing coaching,” says Addie.
Making time for marketing
Marketing doesn’t work on demand. Building relationships, earning trust, and finding new clients takes time. That’s why consistent marketing is one of the keys to building a successful freelance business.
“You have to block out time for marketing and understand that your day won’t consist only of client work,” says Addie.
Now that Addie has clear marketing messages and tools in place, she focuses on three core marketing activities: engaging with prospective clients by commenting on LinkedIn posts or publishing her own, adding three to five potential clients to her prospect list, and staying current with developments in CME and medical communications. She makes time for these activities every day, even if it’s only 15 minutes.
As needed, she also works on larger marketing projects, such as writing direct outreach emails, following up with prospective clients, and refining her website.
Getting comfortable with discomfort
“Marketing is part of what I have to do as a freelancer and a business owner. It’s a necessity,” says Addie.
One of Addie’s biggest breakthroughs was becoming more comfortable with marketing. Rather than avoiding the activities that made her uncomfortable, she began to see them as opportunities to grow her business.
Another important mindset shift was learning to focus on the process instead of the immediate results. “We’re wired to focus on outcomes, but marketing doesn’t work that way,” she says. “The metrics here are very different.”
The Benefits of Expert Help
Knowing what to do is only part of the equation. Consistently doing it is where personalized guidance and accountability make all the difference. Working with an experienced coach helped Addie avoid costly trial and error, stay focused on what works, and keep moving forward even when she was buy with client work.
While participating in Freelance Flow, Addie also invested in a six-month CME writing training program, WriteCMEPro Accelerator. She learned about adult learning principles, educational design, spotting clinical practice gaps, how to create CME deliverables, and more.
Together, CME training and marketing coaching gave Addie the expertise to create the CME content clients needed and the skills to communicate her value to prospective clients. “Doing these two programs and having access to marketing and CME experts enabled me to build my business faster,” says Addie. “Without this help, get I would not have known where to start.”
Both programs gave Addie direction and helped her focus on what mattered most. And both programs broke the work down into clear, logical, doable steps.
“Freelance Flow was worth multiple times what I paid for it and has resulted in more confidence in my brand and in my services, as well as increased income.”
About Wordsmith Medical Writing Solutions
Wordsmith Medical Writing Solutions creates the practical, evidence-based, and up-to-date CME content that healthcare professionals need to improve patient outcomes. Addie works with medical education companies, healthcare communications agencies, and hospital systems. Her services include CME content and needs assessments.
Is Freelance Flow Right for You?
Freelance Flow is a 12-month coaching program for freelance medical writers and editors who want to build a stable, sustainable business. It’s part of a proven marketing system that will help you identify and attract the right clients by communicating your value clearly, focus your marketing on what works best, and market consistently.
Every freelance business is different.
Your experience, goals, strengths, and marketing challenges are unique to you. That’s why the first step isn’t enrolling in Freelance Flow—it’s having a conversation.
During a free 30-minute virtual coaching session, we’ll discuss:
- Where your freelance business is today
- The marketing challenges you’re facing
- Your goals for your business
- Whether Freelance Flow is the right fit for you.
After our conversation, I’ll send you a brief written report that summarizes my recommendations, along with ideas you can use to strengthen your marketing. If Freelance Flow appears to be a good fit, I’ll also include additional information about the program so you can decide whether you’d like to move forward.
The coaching session is designed to help you gain clarity—not to pressure you into making a decision.
Learn more and applyLearn More About How Coaching Helps Freelancers
From Too Much Competition to a Steady Pipeline of High-Value Work: Heidi’s Story
How Focus, Consistent Action, and Follow-Through Helped Diana Relaunch Her Freelance Business
You Can Learn Marketing in Weeks. Building a Business Takes Longer.
Last updated September 1, 2026.
Lori De Milto is a freelance medical writer and marketing coach who has helped freelance medical writers and editors get the clients they deserve since 2014. Through her proven process, she teaches freelancers how to market with clarity and confidence so they can build stable, successful freelance businesses.