Marketing for Medical Writers 101: Defining Your Core Services as a CME Writer
What do you want to be hired for?
Many freelance medical writers spend all of their energy chasing clients before ever stopping to ask themselves one very important question: What do I actually want to be hired for? Without a clear answer, every LinkedIn post, email, or outreach message can feel disjointed, and marketing your work becomes overwhelming rather than strategic.
The truth is that taking the time to define your core services will help boost your focus and confidence. It doesn’t mean that you have to lock yourself into one box forever — it just means that you’re creating a clear direction that you can use to stay focused, build traction, attract the right clients, and establish yourself as a trusted partner in CME writing.
Inside WriteCME Accelerator, you’ll get step-by-step support to test, refine, and package your services. Join the Black Friday waitlist to start building a CME writing business that is strategic and sustainable.
Why Defining Your Core Services Matters
One of the biggest fears that most writers have is that choosing a specific set of services will lock them into that niche forever. The truth is, your services can grow, shift, or even narrow over time. What you define now is just your starting point; it doesn’t have to be a permanent decision.
So why define them at all? Because having a clear set of core services gives you direction. Instead of having marketing feel like a guessing game, you know exactly what you’re promoting, who you want to reach, and what kinds of conversations you should be having with potential clients.
When you can say, “I write needs assessments,” or “I create CME slide decks,” you instantly allow your position to be conveyed a lot more clearly. Even if you only define a few services, that focus gives you an end goal to focus all of your outreach, networking, and marketing on.
Plus, once you really know what services you want to offer right now, you can start talking about them with a lot more confidence and exploring them in depth in your marketing materials. That confidence and expertise is what’s going to attract the right clients directly to you.
How to Define Your Core Services
Defining your core services should start with a bit of reflection, and it’s important to remember that it may take time to understand what you truly want to focus on. That’s okay – it’s all part of the CME writer’s journey.
Ask yourself these questions:
What are you genuinely good at?
What do clients consistently compliment or pay you for?
What do you enjoy writing most?
In an ideal world, what would you happily write all day?
Your answers to these questions will help uncover the sweet spot where your skills, what you enjoy most, and what the market demands meet. And if you’re a medical writer still struggling to pick a single niche, grab the niche discovery checklist to explore which one best suits your skills and interests.
Don’t worry if you’re unsure right now–that’s completely normal. Many freelance CME writers begin by offering a broad range of services and refine their offerings as they gain more experience. Experimentation is an integral part of the process, and your service menu will likely evolve as you continue to discover what feels most rewarding and resonates with your clients.
It’s also completely okay to remain a generalist CME writer if that’s what feels right to you. Some writers thrive by working on various formats, from video scripts to needs assessments, and therapeutic areas rather than narrowing their focus. The important part is being intentional. You need to know what you’re offering today, even if it changes tomorrow. That clarity will give you a stronger voice in your marketing and more confidence in the conversations you have with your clients.
Want a CME writing mentor in your inbox once a week? Get Write Medicine Insider for tools, tips, and tactics on how to build a thriving CME career.
How to Market Your Services
When you start marketing your CME writing business, the sheer number of options available out there can feel overwhelming. Website, social media, SEO, and networking events — it can really start to look like a full-time job. But the truth is, you don’t need all of them.
Start by defining your core services. Once you know exactly what you’re offering, choose one or two marketing channels where you can consistently show up. Consistency across a few channels is more effective than spreading yourself too thin across multiple channels.
Here are a few marketing options that you can consider:
Website: Create clear service pages, share blog posts, and use basic SEO so that clients can easily find you.
LinkedIn: Post insights, connect with peers, and message potential clients.
Outreach: Send cold emails or DMs on LinkedIn, follow up with past clients, or check in with your network.
When you define your services, your marketing gets a whole lot easier. Suddenly, LinkedIn isn’t a guessing game; it’s a place to share insights like, “Here’s what I learned while working on a needs assessment.” Every post, email, or blog connects back to the services that you’re proud to deliver.
This is how you move from scattered to focused, and from a generalist to a trusted expert.
Alex’s Outreach Tip: Cold outreach often gets a bad rap – but you may have already discovered that it can be highly valuable it’s essential as a CME writer. Try this reframe if you struggle with cold outreach: Move from “I'm bothering someone” to “I’m offering someone a service they need.”
How to Niche Without Boxing Yourself In
One of the biggest fears that most writers have about niching is that it feels like you are shutting the doors to new and different opportunities. In reality, the opposite is true. Defining your core services or choosing a niche doesn’t mean that you’re stuck there forever; it actually creates a new sense of freedom.
When you decide what you want to focus on right now, you give yourself the chance to go deeper into your expertise, build up your authority, and attract clients who know exactly what you can deliver. That clarity makes it a lot easier for clients to trust you. And if you want to expand, pivot, or add new services down the road, you can do so – with a base of clients at your fingertips, too.
The truth is, clients aren’t looking for endless flexibility. They value confidence, clear direction, and the sense that you know your craft. A well-defined niche positions you as a partner that they can really rely on, not just another freelancer.
Build Your CME Writing Business with Clarity and Confidence
The services you offer form the core of your business. When you define them clearly and share them consistently, clients understand what you do best and why it matters.
This is a good moment to step back and assess: What do you enjoy? Where do your strengths lie? What kinds of projects do your clients respond to most? Bringing those answers to the front of your business helps you grow with more direction and confidence. And remember, your services can evolve over time. What matters is setting a clear foundation now.
If you’re ready to strengthen that foundation with strong community support, join the waitlist for WriteCME Accelerator this Black Friday to build a CME writing business that’s sustainable, profitable, and aligned with your goals.
Looking for more resources on defining and marketing your services? Explore Alex’s suggestions:
Nourishing Your Niche: The Secret to Thriving as a CME Medical Writer — Write Medicine Podcast
Ilise Benun a.k.a. The Marketing Mentor — Should You Pick a Niche?
Lori DiMilto — Attract Your Ideal Clients with a Clear Specialty
