Writing for pharma is a bit like following a certain yellow brick road.
You probably know the story, thanks in part to Judy Garland and some ruby slippers. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy gets dropped via a Kansas tornado into the magical Land of Oz.
Off to see the Wizard to find her way home, Dorothy makes several new friends — the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Each of them is looking for something too. To find what they need most — a brain, a heart, and courage — the trio agree to join her quest.
To succeed in writing for pharma, it's helpful to have these three friends with you on your journey.
Take our good friend, the Scarecrow. Like him, you have to use your brain when writing for healthcare providers (HCPs). HCPs want to know the data behind the drug — clinical studies, charts, and numbers. So put on your thinking cap and think deep thoughts!
But to reach the patients and caregivers, you need to have a bit of the Tin Man in your writing. Work past the medical jargon and speak with your heart. It's not enough to speak to patients on an emotional level, you also have to research your audience and know what motivates them to action.
Finally, it takes courage to write in a heavily regulated industry. It's helpful to have a not-so-Cowardly Lion shaping your words. With good research, sources, and attention to detail, your copy will be able to stand up to regulatory scrutiny.
What makes The Wizard of Oz a great story is the fact that each of them had what he needed all along. Without brains, heart, and courage, this unlikely team could never have succeeded. In the end, the trick is to make the content work for multiple audiences.
It doesn't take the Great and Powerful Oz to write outstanding copy. But if you can use your brain, heart, and courage, your pharma copy will dazzle them enough so they will forget about the person working behind the curtain.