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Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: kfeemster@greenfirecompany.com 

Jam Session for Early- to Mid-Career Freelancers 
Session Moderator
Jennifer Minarcik, MS / Principal, Jennifer Minarcik 
Biomedical Communications, LLC, Moorestown, NJ

By Suzanne Morris, DVM, MWC
About 15 freelancers and freelancers-to-be gathered at the 
AMWA 2022 Southeast Regional Conference in June to share 
their early freelance career experiences. Some of the partici-
pants had just decided to take the freelance plunge and were 
eager for tips on setting up a new business whereas others 
with more experience were wanting to share lessons learned. 
Session facilitator Jennifer Minarcik, MS, started the discus-
sion by divulging some of the assumptions she had when she 
first started her freelancing career. She spoke to the misper-
ception that freelance medical writers are all in competition 
with each other by pointing out the diversity of medical writ-
ing genres represented by the session’s participants.
 Acknowledging that the varied nature of freelance med-
ical writing lends to camaraderie rather than competitive-
ness among freelance medical writers led to a discussion 
of networking. Although making connections with other 
freelancers may not translate to immediate work, network-
ing can develop leads, elevate a freelancer’s marketplace 
presence, and unearth other benefits. One of the more valu-
able of these benefits may be finding a good mentor. The 
more experienced session participants extolled the bene-
fits of mentorship in guiding their early freelancing careers. 
But how does a new freelancer go about finding a mentor? 
Those who had who have benefitted from mentorship 
described a relationship which naturally developed from a 
networking connection.
 Another early career misstep Minarcik discussed was the 
compulsion to take on every project, and the consequent 
erosion of the work-personal life border. Minarcik and the 
other more seasoned freelancers agreed that project selec-
tivity fosters a reasonable work schedule and, potentially, 
better clients. Because part of cultivating a work-life balance 
entails supporting work hour productivity, the discussion 
then turned to productivity strategies. For example, creating 
a schedule with built-in time to respond to distractions like 
emails supports productivity during work hours. Protecting 
work time also may require establishing boundaries with 
clients by responding to clients only during set work hours 
or at set times during the week.

 The conversation turned to some of the other nuts-and-
bolts of running a freelance business. As with most free-
lance medical writing discussions, the topic of contracts 
arose, albeit briefly. The take-home message for new free-
lancers was to carefully review contracts, particularly with 
respect to payment parameters. Some of the freelancer 
participants who were just forming their businesses asked 
for advice on insurance and accounting. The responses 
from the more seasoned participants were mixed—few had 
insurance, and several used accounting services and soft-
ware. But the consensus was that some form of accounting 
assistance was very helpful.
 Inevitably, the discussion turned to what may be the 
most daunting aspect of freelance medical writing or free-
lancing in general: marketing. The importance of presence 
online, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn, was dis-
cussed at length by several seasoned freelancers. For intro-
verts averse to overt self-promotion, a less intimidating 
approach may be simply posting about topics of interest, 
which creates an online presence and can garner attention. 
Another strategy was to investigate companies associated 
with relevant forms of medical writing on LinkedIn and 
make connections with their employees. Whether to solicit 
potential clients through email was a point of debate, with 
the more experienced freelancers advising that if done, it 
should be targeted and could backfire by annoying the tar-
geted client. The discussion of marketing repeatedly circled 
back to value of networking, which can be done online and 
in person through, for example, AMWA events. And in keep-
ing with its overriding theme, this AMWA session ended 
with participants exchanging their business cards.

Suzanne Morris is the owner of Concrete Medical Writing, LLC, 
in St. Petersburg, FL.

Author declaration and disclosures: The authors note no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: Suzanne@concretemedicalwriting.com 

Public Relations in Medical Communication
Speaker
Katrina R. Burton, BS / Public Relations Program Director

By Lisa Kuhns, PhD
According to the Public Relations Society of America, orga-
nizations and their publics use public relations as a com-
munication strategy to build relationships that are mutually 
beneficial. Medical communicators help educate the public 
by sharing relevant health information through their own 
writing, and those with a marketing and public relations 

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