How to Be a CME Writer: 3 Lessons From My First Freelance Writing Gigs
Article Overview: I became a CME medical writer the way most people do — sideways, with no roadmap. When I started freelancing, I was a former clinician and academic who needed to work. I cycled through substantive editing, book manuscripts, whitepapers, and general medical writing before landing in CME writing — not because someone pointed me there, but because I ran out of wrong doors. Now, years into building a CME writing career, I created WriteCME Pro so no one else has to wander the way I did.
If you’re a new(er) freelance CME writer, or just stuck in a gig drought, one question may be haunting you: how do I get that first — or that next — gig? When you’re trying to break into a new type of medical writing, or transition careers altogether, the first gig is the most daunting. Once you land it, you gain confidence and experience that help you build momentum. So, what can you do to find that first coveted contract?
From applying to potential gigs on job boards to having a client-ready portfolio, there are plenty of tips to help you on your way.Today we’re going to take a look at what we can learn from my first freelance writing gigs — from how I entered the freelance landscape to how I set my first rates.
But first, a reframe: becoming a continuing medical education (CME) writer isn't just about landing a gig. It's about understanding how to position yourself as a strategic partner in a field that values education design and clinical judgment — not just the ability to write clean copy. That distinction shaped my entire career, even though I didn't recognize it at first.
My Path to Becoming a CME Medical Writer
My earliest freelance work was academic and substantive editing, not CME. After a decade as a nurse in the trauma OR, followed by a decade as an academic, I signed on as an online academic editor with ScienceDocs and another editing service, where I edited dozens of academic manuscripts. This was followed closely by coaching academic writers and editing book manuscripts and white papers for academics, lawyers, and entrepreneurs. These gigs led to designing and teaching a professional development course in substantive editing at UC Berkeley, then finding medical writing and CME. Like most CME writers, I started adjacent to the field.
How I Landed My First Medical Writing Gig
Gig platforms (eLance/Upwork, Guru.com)
Online academic editing services
Cold outreach, including Yellow Pages searches for local organizations publishing research reports and white papers
One cold-calling effort led to a research consultant role with Resource Development Associates, which became a meaningful early anchor client.
My entry point to medical writing in general was scrappy, exploratory, and opportunistic.
How Medical Writing Led Me to CME Writing
Freelancing is often a combination of very hard work and serendipity. It was the same for me. Intentional steps I took to set myself up for success as a freelancer included reading resources like Free Agent Nation, putting in the hours searching on job platforms, looking for work, and actively reframing how I saw myself from “job seeker” to “free agent.”
I didn’t intend to end up in CME when I first started out. Coaching academics and editing their work led to consulting. Consulting led to medical writing at large. Medical writing led to attending AMWA conferences, where I connected with Eve Wilson PhD, took her CME workshop, and instantly knew I’d found my sweet spot. What clicked wasn't just the content — it was that CME writing required something fundamentally different from general medical writing. It demanded an understanding of how clinicians actually learn and change practice, how accreditation works, how educational design intersects with clinical evidence. It was a specialization, not just a topic area. That distinction changed everything for me.
One thing I didn't expect when I found CME was how much educational design would matter. Writing for CME isn't just translating evidence into plain language — it's understanding how adult clinicians process new information, what motivates them to change practice, and how to design content that actually closes performance gaps. These are core competencies for CME writers that I had to build deliberately, and they're what separate CME specialists from general medical writers.
The process of finding my own freelance groove and medical writing niche was never driven by a single goal; it was non-linear. However, that’s what I liked about it. Each project gave me space to use skills I already had. I could see the potential for autonomy and flexibility with each new project, and for income growth outside of the constraints of the systems I had always worked within. Freelancing became a way to work without permission, and I could demonstrate the immediate value I brought to the table without having to prove fit.
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What Freelance CME Writing Rates Look Like When You're Starting Out
Most medical writers will tell you that their first projects were priced at rates they would never take today. I would say that, too. My early rates were low-stakes — and low, in general — because I was still trying to get a sense for if I could do the work at all and if it was a good fit for me. The more I did, the more confidence I gained, and the more exposure I had to what people paid for accredited CME outside of gig platforms. The value of those early — albeit low — rates was not initially their monetary value, at least not primarily. It was to build my confidence, to establish a workflow and to learn the basics of running a business. I had to learn skills that are now second nature, like how to invoice, and to get proof of viability for my newfound career path. For all of these reasons — and many more — early under-earning is not uncommon.
The Early Years: Building Core Competencies for CME Writing
If you know me well, you know I hate the term imposter syndrome. I notice it’s common for early career freelance medical writers to feel what others call imposter phenomenon. So I’ll offer a reframe of my own. What if, instead of taking a sense of uncertainty or a feeling that you don’t quite belong here as a sign that this isn’t the career path for you, you looked at those feelings as a normal part of career exploration?
It’s also worth considering that the early work you do isn’t just filler while you build the confidence to find “better” clients. The work I did in the beginning of my freelance career may not have been aspirational, but it was transitional. It served a very important purpose: it helped me find CME. I also still value highly parts of my early freelancing experience: substantive editing, mentoring and teaching, and research-driven writing.
What I didn't have during those early years — and what I think slowed me down the most — was a community of CME writers to learn alongside. I was figuring out pricing, scope, and client expectations in isolation. Every lesson was hard-won because I had no one to compare notes with, no one to tell me "that's normal" or "you're undercharging." The professional isolation was expensive in ways I couldn't see at the time.
3 Takeaways for Anyone Learning How to Be a CME Writer
Your identity as a CME medical writer follows evidence, not confidence. I didn't feel like a freelance writer before I became one. This process took years.
CME writing was not my starting line — it was a destination. I reached it through layered skill transfer from editing, consulting, and general medical writing.
Your first CME writing clients won't be dream clients — they'll be proof-of-concept clients. This distinction matters for anyone figuring out how to be a CME writer.
When I look back on my first freelance projects, what strikes me isn’t how different they were from CME, it’s how close they already were. I didn’t lack expertise. I lacked a roadmap. By the time my UC Berkeley role ended, freelancing wasn’t something I was trying on—it was the work. I was no longer employed, and every project I took on mattered.
I didn’t need to become a different kind of writer. I needed to understand how my existing skills translated into a system that values education, judgment, and impact, not just words on a page.
That’s the part many aspiring CME writers get stuck on. They’re told to “break in,” but not shown how the field actually works. They’re encouraged to build portfolios without clarity on what counts as meaningful experience. And they’re often made to feel behind when, in reality, they’re standing right at the edge of a field that needs exactly what they already bring.
CME became viable for me when I could see the ecosystem—how funding flows, how programs are designed, where writers contribute real value, and how confidence grows from clarity.
WriteCME Pro exists because most writers shouldn't have to wander as long as I did — and because the cost of wandering is higher than it looks. Every month spent figuring out CME in isolation is a month your competitors are building credentials, portfolio samples, and client relationships you don't have yet. The field won't wait. WriteCME Pro Catalyst is a structured path for medical writers who want to understand how the CME system actually works, build credible experience through Practice Labs, and grow into this work with intention — without pretending they're starting from scratch.
If This Sounds Like You…
You might be well-suited to CME writing if you:
Have a strong clinical, academic, or scientific background but aren’t sure how to enter CME
Know how to write, yet want to contribute at a more strategic, educational level
Feel drawn to work that blends evidence, judgment, and real-world impact
Want a clearer path than “build a portfolio and hope”
If my story sounds familiar — the sense that you're close to something but can't quite see the path — here's who tends to thrive in CME writing:
WriteCME Pro is designed for medical writers ready to move from “CME-curious” to capable—by learning how the field actually works, practicing the skills that matter, and building a sustainable path forward. Take the WriteCME Readiness Index to find out exactly where you stand — and what to focus on next. It takes two minutes and it's free. If you're ready to go deeper, explore WriteCME Pro Catalyst to see the full curriculum, Practice Labs, and community.
FAQs: How to Get Started as a Freelance CME Medical Writer
Do I need a portfolio to become a CME medical writer?
A simple portfolio with a few pieces of work is always fantastic to show potential clients. However, you can also build your portfolio as you go. In WriteCME Pro we encourage members not to wait for perfection before you start building for your portfolio — or anything else.
How do I find my first CME medical writing client?
It’s going to be different for everyone, so here are a few of my top tips. Use LinkedIn, but don’t count on it to bring you clients. Consider it a way to build your professional credibility instead. Go to where your potential clients are — reach out and introduce yourself to decision makers at companies you’d like to work with. Use professional networks like WriteCME Pro to scout for opportunities. Not only do we have a job board in WriteCME Pro that’s updated with freelance projects and employment postings, we have built a curated referral network with selected clients for eligible writers (i.e., those who have completed the CPD-certified ROADMAP curriculum).
Remember: that first yes will come. You just have to keep showing up.
How do I set rates as an early career writer?
It’s tempting to check what the “market value” of your work is by looking at what medical education companies are offering, salary-wise, or by comparing yourself to your fellow CME freelancers in the American Medical Writers Association latest salary report. However, I’d encourage you not to think this way.
Instead, ask yourself how much you’d like or need to earn in a year and how many projects you can realistically tackle. Don’t forget to factor in freelance-specific costs, like insurance and tax savings. Then, do some math. What will your project rate need to be to meet your goals? We provide resources and direction in WriteCME Pro to support this process.
Rate-setting is ultimately about what works for your business - not about how you stack up compared to everyone else.
