"Straight to the point!" Master your Pharma content creation

Because the Pharma industry revolves around the delicate issue of health, it is paramount to prepare scientifically accurate content that complies with legal requirements. Medical content creation for the pharmaceutical sector requires significantly more attention and resources than any other industry. The highest quality materials present extensive scientific evidence in a clear, concise, and accessible fashion. Without a verified reference list, both external and internal cross-checks, and appropriate language, your content will be neither substantial nor engaging. As a result, your traffic and reach will decrease.

Whether you’re targeting patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or other occupational groups in the healthcare sector, there is no room for a red herring in the ocean of pharma content. Creating scientifically sound medical content that is engaging and easily understandable will allow you to improve your brand’s accountability and credibility among both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients.

Read more and discover why getting straight to the point is crucial in medical content creation and how to produce high-quality, engaging materials for the pharma industry.

Digital transformation propelled by the pandemic has led to a rapid shift in behaviors both of patients and doctors. Not only do patients search online for care information, but also physicians have started to rely on digital tools to look for therapeutic guidelines. . HCPs are self-educating through digital means, using multiple platforms, online courses, communities, and many more to find the content they trust and can rely on at work. Thus, valuable health-related information, distributed digitally, is becoming an essential part of every pharma content strategy.

Technological advancements have been accompanied by the growth of social media channels and the covid-related misinformation wave. Consequently, pharma and life science companies have to stay alert to the rising amount of inaccurate information concerning diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The fact that patients and HCPs are increasingly using the internet as a reliable source of health information provides a unique opportunity to reach them by offering high-quality medical content.

Medical content creation involves writing different types of materials, including regulatory and research-related documents, disease or drug-related educational and promotional pieces, content for healthcare websites, or scientific news articles [2]. The aim of the content based on the best available evidence is to combine informative, substantial text and clear language, as you want to create understandable, reader-friendly materials.

To conclude, aiming to establish your authority and improve credibility, it is crucial to make your content evidence-based, while keeping it highly engaging and accessible to the target audience. What may happen if you don't prepare your content carefully?

First of all, your recipients won’t be interested at all. Inappropriate language and lack of scientific evidence will decrease the quality of your materials. Consequently, you’ll discourage your visitors from returning to your corporate channels and website.

Secondly, and most importantly, you may significantly weaken your business’s accountability. Considering that the pharma industry is deeply rooted in scientific advancements, a lack of credible medical qualifications to back up the claims may result in incorrectness and inaccuracy. And in this market, mistakes are unacceptable; if they occur, they may considerably damage your brand's credibility. Not to mention that fake news, such as the current state of the vaccine-related misinformation wave, significantly jeopardize trust in the pharmaceutical and biotech market, which the industry has been working so hard to improve [3].

Thus, how to develop high-quality medical content in order to successfully accomplish your business objectives and, at the same time,  increase the trust and accountability of your pharma brand?

In order to provide high quality, the fundamental principle of your medical content writing should be Evidence-Based Medicine. With healthcare professionals being one of the target groups, pharmaceutical companies can’t afford even the slightest mistake when creating the materials. The EBM approach, if employed correctly, will make your texts impeccable.

In other words, the primary aim of the EBM is to base your claims on scientifically proven knowledge – therapeutic protocols coming from peer-reviewed studies and guidelines of international societies. This approach will turn your content into comprehensive, credible material, up-to-date with recent studies. Not to mention that it will go in line with the constant development of medicine and technology.

The process of EBM content creation includes: (1) conducting extensive literature research for the best evidence; (2) critically evaluating the search results for validity and applicability; (3) integrating the assessed evidence with the purpose of your text; (4) writing and re-writing; (5) evaluating your performance and cross-checking (both internally and externally) [5]. 

To read more about High-Quality EBM Content Creation, check out our e-book.

Relying on scientific reports of the highest quality is the recipe to making your medical content credible and trustworthy. Nevertheless, how to make sure your recipients do not get bored and your message is clear?

As we’ve agreed, medical content for pharma has to be based on the best evidence possible to be complete and substantial. Nonetheless, while keeping your content highly educational, it is crucial not to forget about the audience. Regardless of whether you’re targeting healthcare professionals or patients, medical materials must be understandable, accessible, albeit engaging. Thus, you have to keep in mind your audience's needs. 

As the patients and HCPs are increasingly exploring digital space to get health-related information, you must center around their needs, behavior, and expectations. According to recent research, more than 50% of physicians reported they had prescribed medicine from a pharma company they considered more patient-oriented [6]. At the same time, only 44% of patients report their needs are being met [7] by pharma companies. This means target centricity in your content is a must. In order to achieve that, you have to make a connection with your audience through accessible and engaging content.

Thus, while writing, customize! Define the purpose of your text (also including the crucial factors, such as your target audience - whether they are healthcare professionals or patients, media channels, etc.) and then adjust the style, set the right tone, and use the language to your advantage. Only the appropriate way of communicating, combined with reliable sources, will enhance trust-building among your audience. 

Remember that there is no person on Earth that knows everything. Decide which information may be too complex to understand and… simplify! Make use of diagrams or other visual techniques that will turn your content into high-quality materials that go straight to the point!

Last but not least, the content offered by pharmaceutical companies has to meet specific requirements. It has to be evidence-based and in line with internal guidelines and regulations. Thus, before taking up any steps towards publishing your content, go through the process of both internal and external cross-checks. It is the principle you have to follow carefully to ensure that your materials will be impeccable.

Medical topics are an issue of great importance, and preparing them with due diligence is the key to spreading knowledge around society. Without a doubt, by relying on the best evidence available and using the appropriate style, you will get your brand to the next level of business growth and enhance your brand’s accountability in the market. Thus, high-quality medical content that goes straight to the point is your best friend to achieving your pharma business goals. 

In content creation for pharma, there’s no room for a red herring. To strengthen your brand’s reliability, build trust among your target audience and increase your sales, you need to rely on professionals for whom medical content creation is bread and butter. Let us help you go straight to the point and support your pharma business growth. Turn to our Brandmed experts and get full support on executing an efficient omnichannel content strategy. Shall we start?

References:

[1] J. Dress, Google receives more than 1 billion health questions every day, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/google-receives-more-than-1-billion-health-questions-every-day.html [last accessed: 31.03.2022].

[2] S. Sharma, How to Become a Competent Medical Writer?, Perspect Clin Res. 2010;1(1):33-37, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149406/ [last accessed: 31.03.2022].

[3] Percentage of persons with trust in healthcare in select countries from 2021 to 2019, by sub-sector, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071548/trust-levels-towards-healthcare-sub-sectors-in-select-countries/ [last accessed: 31.03.2022].

[4] D.L. Sackett, W.M.C. Rosenberg, J.A.M. Gray, R.B. Haynes and W.S. Richardson, Evidence-based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t, Br. Med. J., 312 (7023) (1996), pp. 71-72.

[5] A. Caitlin Carter, K.D. Houle Sherilyn, Evidence-Based Medicine: An Overview for Pharmacists, Editor(s): Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar, Encyclopedia of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Elsevier, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812735-3.00714-7 [last accessed: 31.03.2022].

[6] Practical hints to set up value and build trust through pharma content and digital assets in 2021, https://viseven.com/news/practical-hints-to-set-up-value-and-build-trust-through-pharma-content-and-digital-assets [last accessed: 31.03.2022].

[7] M. Lubkeman, M. Lee, G. Barrios, What Do Patients Want, and Is Pharma Delivering?, https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/what-patients-want-is-pharma-delivering [last accessed: 31.03.2022].