Health and Wellness Copywriter — How to Hire One the Smart Way

Last Updated 5th March 2024 by Declan Davey

Google’s #1 Health and Wellness Copywriter

Clear, creative messaging is a must. Your brand needs a pro who can write AND sell — not one or the other.

Want to grow your business in the next 6 months?

By reading the guide below, you’ll feel sure of what to look for in a health and wellness copywriter. We’ll focus on:

• Experience they should have

• Suitable skills

• Personality traits

But first, let’s quickly cover one point that some businesses get stuck on…

What’s the difference between a…

Health and wellness copywriter

Holistic health copywriter, and…

Healthy living copywriter?

The honest answer is… not much! 

They all describe (roughly speaking) the same role — helping to promote health and wellness brands through the power of words.

Sure, a ‘‘holistic health copywriter’’ may only write for the natural health sector, whereas a “health and wellness copywriter” offers more flexibility…

But in truth, the differences here are likely going to be marginal. If you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to ask the writer what types of copy they specialize in.

1. Experience

1.1. What professional experience should a health and wellness copywriter have?

Practical experience is more important than a ton of writing credentials.

Somebody may CALL themself a healthy living copywriter simply because they like the concept of healthy living. But pay attention…

Have they actually served clients and/or patients in the health sector?

Scan their website homepage. Check their social media.

Do they have experience working in fields such as healthcare, sport, or nutrition, prior to becoming a copywriter?

These are all professional backgrounds that lend well to writing for health and wellness companies.

The reason being, the writer you hire will have seen (first-hand) the real-life problems health consumers have. 

Business is all about solving problems for consumers, after all…

If the copywriter has knowledge of the sort of issues your typical customer might deal with (e.g. anxiety, skin disorders, gut conditions), this will be to your advantage.

1.2. What kind of qualifications should they have?

While a health and wellness copywriter doesn’t need any specific qualifications, per se, certain degrees could be helpful:

• English

• Psychology (like me!)

• Journalism

• Medicine

• Business

To find out more, you can check out a summary of common education requirements for copywriting jobs here. 

1.3. Do they have experience reading scientific research?

Okay, now this one’s vital!

As a health business owner, you’ll need scientific backing to support claims you make about how effective your products/services are…

Particularly if you want to keep the authorities happy, such as the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) in the U.S. or the DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care) in the U.K.

A copywriter should be willing to get stuck into the data and help with research if this has been included as part of the project scope...

That means reading journal abstracts from organizations such as the NCBI and BMJ, and summarizing key findings from studies.

If the copywriter is creating blog articles for your website then, ideally, there should be at least 3-5 references included to support your points.

1.4. How to distinguish the experience of a copywriter from a content writer?

Unlike the differences between types of health copywriters, the difference between a content writer and a copywriter is much easier to explain.

The ultimate distinction between content and copy is the purpose of the writing.

A content writer’s job is to produce content. Often, this content is intended to inform or entertain.

The content writer will need to research a topic and write the information in a succinct style.

Copywriters need to write with clarity too. However, they’re ALSO tasked with the art of convincing people to buy. 

Sounds a little manipulative, right? 

Maybe so.

But if you think about it, people are convincing each other all the time. Grocery stores like to convince us with those ‘‘buy one, get one free’’ offers…

And “manipulation” happens in our personal lives too. For example, someone might convince a friend to go to Rome on holiday next year, rather than their friend’s preference — Paris.

It’s how we convince people that’s important here…

Nobody likes click-bait headlines with bland content inside. And nobody likes false promises. 

With this in mind, a copywriter has to think carefully about how to make your brand engage readers and move the sale process along WITHOUT being too pushy.

1.5. Can they show you a portfolio of past work?

A copywriter doesn’t need to have every piece of work they’ve ever done on display — that would make for one cluttered web page! 

But there should be a range of at least three pieces on their website portfolio for you to view.

This way, you can establish how capable they may are of bringing a project goal to life. 

You can take a look at my portfolio here, or view a couple of other examples from The Original Wordsmith.

Some of a copywriter’s work may be withheld from public view due to confidentiality.

But if they can’t provide specific examples of past work, they may be able to offer a piece of sample copy for your brand, so you can see if they’d make a good fit.

2.  Skills

2.1. Which tasks can a health and wellness copywriter help with?

Here’s a list of tasks that a copywriter for health and wellness brands often helps with:

• Ads

• Articles

• Brochures

• Email marketing

• Landing pages

• Sales funnels

• Social media

• Video scripts

• Website copy

As you’ll know, keeping your website up-to-date with new, useful content is a must if you want to grow.

Websites with a blog get at least 55% more traffic. The top three Google search results get almost 60% of the traffic and articles with over 1000 words rank higher on search engines.

Pumping out content isn’t easy to keep up all by yourself, so outsourcing some of the work can make a lot of sense…

Not only will they create the kind of content you need, but they’ll also promote your brand without being too pushy.

It’s worth checking whether the copywriter has more experience with digital or print marketing, depending on the tasks you want them to complete. These types of marketing require slightly different skill-sets.

Also, keep in mind that some health or wellness copywriters offer monthly packages, which can provide discounts on certain tasks.

2.2. Which topics can they write about?

A copywriter may have certain specialties, such as writing about organic recipes or stress management, but generally, they should be able to write about any topic within the health and wellness field.

A few examples include (but isn’t limited to!):

• Brain health

• Chronic disease management

• Dietary guidance

• Fitness

• Lifestyle

• Mental health 

• Nutrition

• Relationships

• Self-care

• Sleep

• Spirituality

The great thing is that many of the foundational principles of health cross over from one topic to the next. 

A copywriter who’s had experience working in the health sector will have already built up a solid knowledge base they can refer to. Still, they should always be willing to keep on learning!

My advice is to give as much detail as possible on the nature of your products/services so that the copywriter can get familiar.

This upfront time investment on your part will likely make the copy MUCH better in the long run.  

2.3. Can they customize their approach to suit your brand?

Listen carefully to what the copywriter proposes…

Do you get the feeling they take a ‘‘one-size-fits-all approach’’ to creating copy?

Or do you sense they’re willing to adapt to different brands?

There are fundamental principles of copy that withstand the test of time, but each business has its own goals.

For instance, a functional medicine doctor’s messaging with their audience will differ from the style of a beauty company.

A copywriter shouldn’t be afraid to put forward suggestions and make their case, but they shouldn’t be SO fixed on their ideas that they can’t customize for your brand.

2.4. Are they able to write in a conversational style?

Now, this has got to be one of the major points for consideration…

I can’t count the number of times I’ve nearly been put to sleep by a boring piece of health copy…

A brand needs personality!

Not words. that. are. ever. so. very. VERY. clinical. and. dry.

All well and good talking about product features, but it’s no use if the copy doesn’t hold the reader’s attention…

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

To make the language more personal, inclusive words such as ‘‘you’’ and ‘‘we’’ can be used.

Use an app such as Hemingway to check whether the writer uses active voice most of the time (rather than passive).

Text formatting is key, too…

Does the copywriter use headings, bold text, italics, and bullets to break up the text? 

The role of a copywriter is to make the text as reader-friendly as possible!

If they’re giving you a succession of long, dull paragraphs, then you know what my recommendation is?

Move swiftly on!

2.5. Does their work process make sense (e.g. payment terms)?

A few aspects to pay close attention to here…

Payment terms

• When and how do they ask for payment? 

• You need to protect yourself as a business. The freelance copywriter needs to protect themselves too. Usually, a 50% payment upfront (with the remaining 50% paid upon the first draft or project completion) works for both parties. 

• A couple of different payment options should be offered (e.g. bank transfer, PayPal) to make it as easy for you as possible.

Project plan

• Do they agree on a clear plan and timeline with you before starting a project?

• A copywriter should state the specific tasks they’ll deliver on, and an approximate time estimate for each project milestone.

Testing

• Are they (and you) prepared to test different versions of copy?

• Marketing is all about testing ideas and seeing which ideas stick. Options such as customer feedback surveys and email list segmentation are great ways to experiment! Be prepared to make tweaks where necessary.
  

3. Personality 

3.1 What impression do you get speaking with them for the first time?

The right experience and skills are required, but a copywriter’s personality is arguably just as vital. Why?

Many times, writing copy isn’t a one-off transaction…

You may run a health or wellness business that needs ongoing written content like blogs and email newsletters.

Therefore, it goes without saying that you should select a copywriter who’s respectful and easy to communicate with.

The best way to figure this out is to hop on a call, whether that be on the phone or using software like Zoom. 

Many copywriters offer a free introductory call, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. You’ll be able to ask questions and get a sense of their communication style.

Are they a skilled listener?

Are they willing to show patience if you’re facing a problem?

If they’re talking 80% of the time and listening only 20% of the time, that’s a warning sign to stay clear.

3.2. How do they respond to feedback?

A copywriter who can’t deal with criticism isn’t going to make it very far!

Yes, you want a copywriter who’s proud of their work.

But do you find they get cranky or over-sensitive when you give them edit suggestions?

If this is the case, you’d be better off choosing somebody else for the job. 

What a copywriter should be looking for after they receive your feedback is clarity.

For example, you might like their ideas but feel the tone doesn’t quite fit. 

You should be able to say to your copywriter ‘‘I’d like to adjust the tone,’’ without them getting annoyed…

But they should also be digging a bit deeper to get clear on what tone you want them to perfect.

3.3. Do they write for fun?

Some may argue this isn’t as important as the factors above, but I think it is!

If a copywriter isn’t writing at all outside of their hours of work, something’s not right.

A copywriter who really loves their craft will write for fun, too.

Maybe they’ve written poetry, a novel, or articles on Medium.

Heck, maybe they just write in their daily journal.

The form doesn’t matter so much. The fact they write even when they’re not getting paid for it, does.

Chances are, a passionate writer will bring a lot more enthusiasm into their day-to-day work with you.

3.4. Are they able to set boundaries?

A freelance health and wellness copywriter isn’t an employee of any business, so the copywriter shouldn’t act like they are, bowing down to every order.

You don’t want to work with a ‘‘yes man’’ or ‘‘yes woman.’’

They’ll be too afraid to challenge your ideas when a little disagreement could be a good thing to find new solutions.

Professional copywriters set boundaries, such as not replying to email outside of work hours…

After all, it shows they’re able to practice what they preach by maintaining a healthy work-life balance!

3.5. The ‘‘coffee test’’

To finish up, here’s a simple question to ask yourself once you’ve been working with a copywriter for a while:

‘‘Could I grab a coffee with this person and have a fairly nice conversation?’’

If you feel comfortable talking with them and they feel at ease with you, then you’re more likely to be a dream team in the months and years ahead. And as we both know:

More communication = better results!

Conclusion

Whew, we made it :)

In summary, then, the main factors to focus on when hiring a health and wellness copywriter are:

1. Experience

   • Professional background

   • Qualifications

   • Scientific research experience

   • Content writing vs copywriting

   • Portfolio availability

2. Skills

   • Project scope

   • Topics they write about

   • Customization

   • Tone-of-voice

   • Work process

3. Personality

   • First impressions

   • Response to feedback

   • Writing outside of work

   • Ability to set boundaries

   • The ‘‘coffee test’’

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

If you like what you’ve read, feel free to get in touch with me using the button or form below,

Thanks!

Declan

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