If you’re in the health and wellness industry, you know that finding the right copywriter can be a challenge. After all, they’re responsible for accurately and effectively representing your brand—a task that can make or break the success of your company.
Standout copywriting is one of the most important parts of an effective content marketing strategy. And in the health and wellness space, in particular, your copywriters need to know the ins and outs of the industry, as well as your company—from how to conduct quality research to representing your brand with the right tone and voice.
So, how do you find the best health and wellness copywriters out there? What particular skills, qualities, and experience should you make a note of?
Let’s take a look at the five key points you can use to start your journey to landing the right health and wellness copywriter for your business.
1. Industry Knowledge
Of course, one of the first things to look for in a solid copywriter is their writing skills. Can they craft a compelling narrative? Draw readers in and lead them to your call to action (CTA)?
A seasoned health and wellness copywriter, however, can do much more than put words on the page. You need a copywriter who understands the industry—and, more importantly, the particulars of your niche within it.
The experience required of a health and wellness copywriter will depend on the niche or audience they are writing to. That said, it’s important to have a general idea of what to expect from their portfolio and writing samples.
| If You Are… | Your Health And Wellness Copywriter Should Understand… |
| A health and wellness startup | The value of things like corporate wellness benefits or how data can be tracked to measure and impacts how people take care of themselves |
| A holistic health and wellness clinic | The details of your specific offerings and services, as well as the verbiage used to describe them (and what to avoid). |
| A supplement or wellness product company (prebiotics/probiotics, CBD products, plant-based remedies, etc.) | What clinical studies are and how they are run, the supplements/products you offer (and how they work), what new products are in development, etc. |
| A health and wellness publication | The kind of publication you run, who your target audience is, what types of topics are covered, and recent developments/trending topics in the health and wellness space. |
Note: This is by NO means an exhaustive list.
Keep in mind that a willingness to learn can go a long way. Even if a copywriter lacks writing samples unique to your market or services, strong writing, communication, and organizational skills—as well as a variety of different clients and types of content—can serve as testimony to their adaptability.
2. Content Marketing Chops
Great health and wellness copywriters don’t just understand good writing—they also understand the business of content marketing. Not only can they craft high-quality, engaging content, but they can also get that content in front of your audience.
Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO), inbound marketing skills, and social media marketing strategies are all must-haves when looking for the right health and wellness copywriter.
When sifting through candidates, it helps to have clearly defined criteria for your candidates: what particular skills and knowledge do the position require? If, for instance, you are looking to start a company blog, you should be on the lookout for candidates with experience in content hub creation. This, in itself, requires a number of skills, including SEO/SEM, keyword research (using tools like SEMRush), and content calendar planning.
3. A Standout Portfolio
Without a portfolio or testimonials, there’s no true way to gauge a health and wellness copywriter’s credentials. A wealth of polished writing samples and glowing reviews is the best evidence of their experience, as well as the quality of their written work.
Moreover, a copywriter’s portfolio serves as a testament to their versatility. The right health and wellness copywriter will have a plethora of writing samples. Moreover, they’ll have different types of samples—web copy, blog posts, one-pagers, white papers, and more.
These samples should reflect adaptability not only in form, but also in tone and voice—they should prove the writer can effectively convey different clients’ unique brands and messages. Of course, the quality of their writing should remain consistent across their different projects.
Another important factor to consider is how successful the copywriter’s previous projects were in terms of ROI. Even if their writing was top-notch, did it do anything for their clients?
Most writers will be able to provide metrics that prove the ROI of their past campaigns. You can ask a copywriter for screenshots or reports of:
- Advertisements: What were their click-through rates?
- Blog posts: How did their targeted keywords track over time?
- Email copy: What were their email campaigns’ average click-through and open rates?
- Landing pages: What was the conversion rate of each landing page’s visitors? (I.e., how many form fill-outs did the client receive?)
- Websites: How did a site’s visitor traffic change during their employment?
- Social media: How much engagement did their posts receive? You should look at engagement across different social media platforms (and keep in mind that comments and shares, for instance, may be more important than followers or likes).
- White papers/one-pagers: How many downloads did these deliverables get?
If, for any reason, a writer doesn’t have access to this information, you can use websites like SEMRush to assess how paid or organic traffic changed during their time working with a particular company.
4. Client Testimonials
A copywriter’s portfolio can only say so much. In order to assess what it’s really like working with them, you have to go straight to the horse’s mouth—ask for testimonials or referrals from past clients. After all, any health and wellness copywriter worth their salt will be happy to connect you with satisfied clients.
There are a few things to keep in mind while reviewing testimonials. For one, you should be on the lookout for big-name clients—direct competitors are even better. This both proves that the copywriter has relevant experience and that they possess a standout work ethic and professionalism.
You should also be wary of a lack of testimonials (or unwillingness to provide them when asked). While some of a copywriter’s clients may request confidentiality (e.g., ghostwriting, in which the copywriter themself goes uncredited), a complete lack of references is generally a big red flag. You’re likely best looking elsewhere for a health and wellness copywriter.
5. Ability To Perform Quality Research
A must for copywriters unique to the health and wellness industry is their ability to perform research. Even if your team employs healthcare professionals for editorial review, it is up to the writer to first identify high-quality sources and synthesize their findings.
First, you should ask a writer what their research experience looks like. Have they used resources like Google Scholar or PubMed? Do they know how to properly attribute research to the original authors? (Bonus points here if they have an academic or medical background.)
You should then assess any of the samples in their portfolio that incorporate scientific research. How well was the research utilized? In other words, did the writer simply regurgitate the information they read, or did they synthesize it into a digestible, well-thought-out analysis?
Whether citing clinical studies, literature reviews, or surveys, a health and wellness copywriter should be able to amalgamate information from different sources, process this information as it relates to the topic they’re writing on, and present this information clearly (without drawing their own conclusions on the subject that aren’t supported by the research).
Keep in mind that you should also consider your audience when assessing this aspect of a writer’s experience and portfolio. If your company is a health and wellness publication targeted at Gen Zers, for instance, a copywriter that uses complex medical jargon and writes in a dry, academic manner likely isn’t the right choice.
Ready To Connect With Expert Health And Wellness Copywriters?
Don’t waste valuable hours sifting through applications from freelance writers that ultimately won’t fit the bill. At Tailored Ink, our team of dedicated health and wellness copywriters can deliver on whatever project you’re pursuing—from content hubs for wellness publications to white papers, email campaigns, and more.
The success of your business depends on your voice—so leave it to the professionals.
