I still remember my first project for a MedComms agency.
After the initial interviews and being brought on as a freelancer, I started receiving emails containing a wall of unfamiliar language.
Brief. Kickoff meeting. Stakeholders. Deliverable.
Coming from academia, it all sounded very formal and business-like. I had no idea what half of it meant, and I was too new to know what questions to ask.
The medical writing field can feel intimidating from the outside, and not knowing what to expect is one of the main things that stops people from making the leap. The work is unfamiliar. The vocabulary is unfamiliar. The process is unfamiliar.
But here’s what I’ve learned after ten-plus years on the other side: every experienced medical writer remembers their first project and the particular terror of not knowing what they didn’t know. The fear is universal. The way through it is just information.
If you made it through a PhD, you have already spent years being thrown into unfamiliar territory and figuring it out under pressure. This is the same skill, pointed somewhere new.
What follows is a walkthrough of what a typical medical writing project actually looks like from start to finish. No two projects are identical, but the basic stages are consistent enough that knowing them in advance will make the whole thing significantly less intimidating.
The brief
This is the document that defines the project: what you’re writing, who it’s for, the key messages, and the timeline. If a project is rushed or the team is stretched thin, the brief may arrive vague, incomplete, or not at all. If that happens, politely but firmly ask for one before you start. A clear brief is your most important tool for delivering work the client actually wants, and it protects you if the scope starts to drift.
Pro tip: once you have enough experience, don’t wait for the client to send you a brief. Offer to write it yourself based on initial conversations and send it for confirmation. This will instantly show that you’re proactive and also helps protect against scope creep.
The kickoff meeting
This is typically a call with a few different people: someone from the accounts team managing the logistics, a senior person from the medical content team who is effectively your supervisor on this project, sometimes another medical writer handling a different section, and occasionally someone from a creative team responsible for design elements like graphs or slide formatting.
Your role as the new freelancer is mostly to listen. The kickoff is where timelines get finalized and feedback milestones get defined. Take notes, absorb as much as you can, and ask clarifying questions about anything that will affect your ability to do the work. Basic questions are completely appropriate here. It is far better to ask now than to deliver the wrong thing three weeks later.
Pro tip: ask for examples and existing resources early. A lot of medical writing is repetitive by design, and there is often no reason to start from scratch. A slide template, an existing visual, or a folder of references can save you hours and keep your work aligned with what the client is expecting.
Research and resource review
Before or shortly after the kickoff, you will receive the materials you need to do the work: clinical data, reference manuscripts, existing content, brand guidelines. This is where your PhD training earns its keep. You know how to read a clinical paper, synthesize evidence across multiple sources, and identify what actually matters. Do exactly that here.
Pro tip: this phase is where you are expected to be independent. If something critical is clearly missing, ask for it. But fill gaps in your knowledge yourself wherever you can. Resourcefulness is one of the things clients are paying for when they hire a freelance PhD.
The draft
Write to the brief, stay within scope, and deliver on time. The first draft does not need to be perfect. It needs to demonstrate that you understood the assignment and can execute it at a professional level. Everyone in medical communications is busy, and a draft that requires a heavy rewrite costs the client time they don’t have.
Pro tip: deliver on time, every time. Deadlines in this industry are relentless, and missing one can create problems that cascade quickly. As a freelancer especially, you are brought in to solve deadline problems, not create new ones. Your reputation for reliability is built one on-time delivery at a time.
Feedback and revisions
Revisions are not a sign that you did something wrong. They are a standard and expected part of every project. Before you start work, clarify who will be providing feedback, how it will reach you, and how many rounds of revisions are included in the scope. Knowing this upfront sets professional expectations and protects you if the revision process starts to expand.
Pro tip: wait for feedback to be complete before you start incorporating it. Partial feedback leads to conflicting edits and wasted time, and diving in too early is a common first-timer mistake.
The invoice
Confirm payment terms before the project starts, not after you deliver. Know what you agreed to, invoice promptly when the milestone is reached, and follow up professionally if payment is late.
Pro tip: drama-free payment is one of the things that tends to distinguish medical writing from other types of freelancing. If a client is consistently difficult about paying you, treat it as a significant red flag, not a minor inconvenience.
By the time you have been through this sequence once, it stops feeling unfamiliar. The vocabulary clicks. The process starts to make sense. The second project is easier than the first, and the third easier than the second.
The thing you were afraid you couldn’t do turns out to be something you can do.