Becoming a content writer after physiotherapy is a great option for those who are looking for a non-clinical career path without abandoning their whole education. It provides an opportunity to work from home while making a sustainable income. However many of us do not know where to start. This blog post will provide you with a basic overview and strategies to kick-start your journey as a content writer after physiotherapy.
Before we get started, I wanted to highlight the primary difference between health writing and medical writing. To put it simply, medical writers write for medical professionals while health writers write for the general public.
Examples of medical writing include:
- News/ featured articles for medical professionals
- research papers
- Grant applications
- Regulatory submissions
- clinical guidelines
- Clinical manuscripts
- Pharmaceutical products marketing material
Examples of health writing include:
- Blog posts
- Social media copy
- Sales copy
- Brochures
- Patient information
- Product information
- Website content
For the sake of this article, we will be referring to health writing. Medical writing is quite different from health writing and may require specialized medical writing courses.
Skills required for a content writer
Writing skills: This is the basic requirement. You need to be able to write grammatically correct content in a coherent manner while holding the reader’s interest. Being an avid reader can be a plus point!
Touch typing skills: Yes! This one needs a special mention if you are from India. We don’t learn touch typing in most of our Indian schools ( Touch typing means the skill of typing using all one’s fingers and without looking at the keys.) When I first started with my blog I had to work hard to develop this skill.
Attention to detail: As a content writer you are responsible for the accuracy of your content in addition to paying attention to grammar and spelling.
Experience: For most content writing roles, you need to have some kind of experience or writing portfolio to get started. I will discuss steps to gain that experience later in this article.
Creativity: Most often in health writing, you are required to write content for the general public. You need to get creative to explain complex medical information concisely in simple language.
Ability to take feedback positively: Your editors and seniors can and will send the content you created back to you with suggestions and corrections. You need to be humble enough to take that feedback positively and make changes in your copy accordingly.
Pros of becoming a content writer after physiotherapy.
Flexible hours: You can work when you have time to sit down and write. That is why content writing is a good side hustle.
Work from home: Most of the job duties can be performed remotely. You can write and submit content from the comfort of your home while avoiding traffic.
Creative outlet: I can vouch from my experience that content writing provides an outlet for your creativity. Also over a period of time, you can build your portfolio and have something to show for the hours you spent.
Cons of becoming a content writer after physiotherapy.
Monotonous: Writing can get monotonous if you are doing it daily. Unless you are working on totally different projects, writing may feel repetitive.
Desk job: Writing is definitely a desk job. If you are not mindful of the ergonomics of your work environment, prolonged sitting in front of the screen can take a toll on your health.
Technology takeover: It is estimated that new technology such as chat GPT and other AI tools may take over some of the creative writing jobs.
What is the average pay for a content writer?
Content writers’ salaries can vary greatly depending on how you position yourself, the company you work for, and years of experience. While full-time jobs may not offer a lucrative salary package right from the get-go, you can earn a sustainable income from freelance work.
According to Glassdoor, here are the average salaries of full-time content writers:
- Content writer: 3-5 Lakhs
- Senior content writer: 4-8 Lakhs
- Lead content writer: 10-15 Lakhs
How to get started as a content writer after physiotherapy?
Step 1: Educate yourself:
Get used to common terms used in writing. Learn about the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and social media copywriting. You can find several courses on Coursera or Udemy on these topics.
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Step 2: Get experience
As I said earlier, it is hard to find a high-paying job without prior experience. But there are several ways you can build your writing portfolio. You can start with freelance work on websites such as Wittypen, pepper content, or Upwork. Reach out to the websites, and e-magazines in your niche and request to write a guest blog. Finally, you can start your own blog or publish your content on platforms such as Medium.
P.S: I wrote an entire article about starting a blog as a physiotherapist, you can read it here!
Step 3: Tweak your resume and cover letter to match job duties
One of the common mistakes made by job applicants is not customizing the resume to match job duties. You need to modify your highly clinical resume to highlight the skills you need for your new job. For example, if you are applying to be a content writer for an MSK device company, keep all relevant MSK experience on your resume. But if you are applying for a generic healthcare tech startup, you may want to take out many details about your clinical experience.
Step 4: Start applying
Once you complete all of the above steps, start looking for jobs on websites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed. Study the job description carefully and prepare yourself for the interview. Continue with your freelance work until you find the job you love!
Transitioning into a content writing career after physiotherapy can be an exciting and fulfilling path. Embrace the unique perspective and expertise you bring from your physiotherapy background, and let your passion for writing shine through. Remember, success in content writing takes time and effort, so stay persistent, hone your craft, and embrace the journey ahead. Get ready to embark on a new chapter as a content writer, where your words have the power to educate, inspire, and make a meaningful impact in the digital landscape!
Hello, My name is Tejashree Limaye. I am a physiotherapist with 10+ years of experience. I help you go from being stuck in your career to finding a job you love! I provide career guidance about clinical and non clinical PT career in India. I also help you with US PT licensing process. Welcome to my blog, I hope you find the exact guidance you have been looking for!