Top Benefits of Membership Communities for Freelance Medical Writers and Editors
Being part of membership communities gives you a sense of belonging and support, and helps you deal with challenges and grow your freelance business. Here’s how 4 freelancers benefit from being part of 3 membership communities for medical writers and editors—and how you can too.
Freelancing can be lonely and challenging. Being part of membership communities has given Sandra Toogood, Alex Lowe, Núria Negrão, PhD, and Kathy Adamson, DVM, a sense of community and a supportive environment for networking, learning, and growing their freelance businesses.
“Membership communities can reduce the isolation many freelance writers experience. They provide access to resources, expertise, and reassurance that there are many ways to make a freelance medical writing business work,” says Alexandra Howson, PhD, CHCP, FACEhp (Alex H.). Alex H. is the founder of WriteCME Pro, a professional development and resource hub for medical writers who specialize in CME writing, and host of the Write Medicine podcast.
Gaining a Sense of Community
Sandra, a freelance medical writer, pharmacist, and artist specializing in mental health advocacy and creative therapy, is a member of The Anthill, a virtual coworking community for medical writers run by freelance medical writer Abigale Miller, MSc.
“Being part of a community allows me to regain a little more of the social aspects of medcomms I enjoyed when I worked within an agency,” says Alex Lowe (Alex L.), a freelance medical writer who focuses on medcomms, publications, and med eds. “It’s also useful for getting other perspectives and the general pulse for work in the sector.”
Alex L. is a member of Freelancers in Pubs, run by Lisa Baker, PhD, CMPP. This free community helps freelancers who work in industry-sponsored medical publications “find their tribe and flourish professionally.” Lisa is an HEOR publication consultant, freelance medical writer for HEOR pubs, and publication professional.
Núria, a freelance CME writer and a speaker on AI strategy & implementation for medical writing and science communication, is a member of all three membership communities.
Conquering Freelance Challenges
All freelancers face challenges in dealing with clients, doing our freelance work, and running a freelance business. And we all make mistakes.
Freelancers in membership communities learn that these challenges and mistakes are common. And they get guidance and practical advice on conquering challenges and avoiding mistakes.
“Every medical writer will run into situations they’ve never seen before, or will make mistakes,” says Abigale. “It helps a lot to get reassurance that you’re not the only one facing these situations, and to find out how others have handled them.”
Kathy Adamson, DVM, finds reassurance and answers as a member of WriteCME Pro. “Being part of this community makes me comfortable asking questions, knowing I will be helped without judgment,” she says. “Alex and other members freely share their experience and wisdom.” For example, when Kathy had a payment issue with a client, Alex provided advice that enabled her to solve the problem and retain the client. Kathy owns KMA Veterinary and Medical Writing LLC, which provides meticulous, insightful, and dependable veterinary and medical content.
While some of the benefits of membership communities are clear, others are intangible. Learning about the reality of running a freelance business and medical writing is a key intangible benefit. “It’s easy to find out how things should be done in courses, podcasts, or articles, but it’s harder to find out what it’s like in real life. Being part of a community helps you find out what has worked and what hasn’t for others,” says Abigale.
“Medical writing often presents unexpected challenges,” says Kathy. “Almost every job has a new aspect where I need insight from other writers, and WriteCME Pro consistently delivers.”
Sandra and another member of The Anthill worked with the same client. The other member mentioned that the client had a habit of paying invoices late. “When the same thing happened to me, I was able to discuss the issue with the other member and I subsequently decided not to continue working with this client,” says Sandra.
Getting Support
Membership communities provide support “through the ups and downs of running a freelance business,” says Abigale. “Whatever someone is worrying about or having difficulty with, you can find that others are having similar struggles, or have in the past. It helps to hear others’ career journeys, to realize that everyone started from somewhere and learned along the way.”
“In The Anthill community, there are many opportunities to ask questions and receive support,” says Sandra. “Many members are very experienced, and Abigale is so helpful with her advice and support.”
Growing a Freelance Business
Getting referrals, learning about new freelance opportunities, and building skills all help freelancers grow their businesses. Referrals are the easiest way to grow a freelance business.
Núria has built her freelance business on referrals. But these referrals didn’t just happen. “I put a lot of work into networking, building community with other medical writers, and providing value whenever I engage with other medical writers,” she says. “People like and trust me.”
Trust is crucial, because freelancers want to refer work to other freelancers they can trust. “Members get to know each other far beyond what’s in their online profile and develop trust. We know that people are more likely to refer work to colleagues they know and trust,” says Abigale.
Also, membership communities help freelancers learn about different opportunities. “By talking to other members about what they do, people can find out what the day-to-day work of another area of medical writing is like, which may help them decide whether to pursue that for themselves,” says Abigale. She regularly shares freelance opportunities with her members. Sandra has gotten referrals through The Anthill and learned about new types of work and clients.
Being part of Freelancers in Pubs has helped Alex L. do more networking and become comfortable reaching out to potential clients. “I’ve pushed myself little by little out of my comfort zone to the point where commenting on posts on LinkedIn and contacting potential new clients feels like second nature,” he says.
Also, Alex L. has learned about resources to help him market his freelance business from Freelancers in Pubs: The Mighty Marketer and High-Income Business Writing, and kept up with industry trends. Since taking The Mighty Marketer’s online course, Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve, he has been able to access new freelance opportunities. He also learned about key takeaways from the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals 2024 Annual Meeting, which he wasn’t able to attend in person, during one meeting.
Building Skills
While all 3 membership communities help members build skills, WriteCME Pro focuses on this. “CME is a specialized medical writing field that can be challenging to navigate without a guide and company,” says Alex H. “WriteCME Pro provides both and lays the foundation for understanding compliance, accreditation, adult learning principles, outcomes assessment, and other topics that CME clients expect writers to know and use in their work.” Members:
- Learn about CME deliverables and how to develop them
- Learn how to create strong portfolio samples with confidence
- Get expert guidance on all aspects of the freelance CME writing business, from marketing and negotiation to improving their writing.
3 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Membership Communities
Get the most out of membership communities by following these tips.
Be Generous
Giving more than you take, or helping others without expecting anything in return, works much better than aggressive, self-promotional networking. “Start by offering something to others, and asking how you can help,” says Abigale. “Contribute, offer advice, and make the community the welcoming place you would like it to be.”
“Think of networking as making work friends,” says Núria. “I always share my experiences and perspectives freely, and I share all opportunities that I know of.”
Be Genuine
“You don’t need to always be on and showing your best face. Just show up, be yourself, and let people get to know the real you,” says Abigale.
Núria agrees. “Show up, be friendly, and provide value,” she says.
Be Active
The more active you are in your membership communities, the more you’ll benefit. When you first join, spend some time learning “about the group’s mission, communication style, and offerings,” says Kathy. Attend meetings and events and participate in discussions. Ask questions, answer other freelancers’ questions when you can, and share your experiences and perspectives.
Kathy, Alex L., and Sandra all recommend attending as many events as you can. “By being an active member of the community, strong relationships are forged,” says Sandra.
If the membership community involves work, like WriteCME Pro does, do it. The reflections, exercises and activities reinforce learning and the sprints enable freelancers to develop skills and samples for their portfolios.
Investing in Membership Communities
Being part of membership communities takes an investment in time and for most communities, money. But it’s an investment that pays for itself.
“The time that I invest in the community is time that I would have spent anyway, networking and working on projects during the online work sessions. The annual fee is very reasonable considering the work opportunities that present themselves,” says Sandra.
“Networking, peace of mind, professional education, and the comradery of belonging to a community—these are the benefits of WriteCME Pro. For me, the value far outweighs the membership fee,” says Kathy.
“Membership communities are a way to make work more fun and fulfilling,” adds Abigale.
Learn More About Membership Communities
WriteCME Pro
Membership in WriteCME Pro provides strategic guidance, a clear framework for success, and a deep understanding of the CME landscape through ongoing support, access to industry experts, and practical skill-building sprints. Members meet at least three times a month for group coaching, portfolio building, and expert perspective sessions. Members also get personalized guidance from Alex H. via Voxer.
Other resources include:
- Free CME RoadmapI
- The Write Medicine podcast
- Write Medicine Insider, a twice-monthly newsletter with tips, tools, and tactics to help you confidently create CME/CE.
The Anthill
The Anthill is a tight-knit group of members who support each other through the ups and downs of running a freelance business. We celebrate, commiserate, and troubleshoot. And it’s fun! The community includes:
- An online platform for questions, resources, and chats
- Regular calls for discussions about issues in medical writing and freelancing
- Events like weekly planning, and book club
- Coworking time.
Freelancers in Pubs
Freelancers in Pubs shares opportunities for freelancers at the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals, creates community among freelancers including through a monthly Zoom meeting, and shares useful resources.
About the Freelancers in the Membership Communities
Kathy Adamson, DVM
Website
LinkedIn profile
How Kathy Turned Fear to Fun and Grew Her Freelance Business
Case study: Making the Impossible Possible
Alex Lowe
LinkedIn profile
Núria Negrão, PhD
LinkedIn profile
Website
How Nuria Gets Referrals by Building Trust
Case study: Investing in Freelance Success
Sandra Toogood
LinkedIn profile
About the Leaders of the Membership Communities
Alexandra Howson, PhD, CHCP, FACEhp
LinkedIn
Abigale Miller, MSc
LinkedIn
Lisa Baker, PhD, CMPP
LinkedIn profile
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