Digital health copywriting: the 42group perspective

Digital health copywriting is a core part of a complete digital health marketing solution. Digital health copywriters promote healthcare innovations, including new digital tools and technologies, healthcare apps, AI and more. 

Specialist health copywriters develop the tone of voice and messaging frameworks before creating copy and content that creates connections with your core audience. The best digital health SEO copywriters work across multiple channels, including web content, online advertising, SEO copywriting, ads, and more – using creative copy to increase awareness, capture attention and build your audience.

Digital health copywriters, like the 42group team, combine persuasive writing expertise with deep industry knowledge to create copy that educates, engages and inspires audiences for those in the health and wellbeing sectors.

In this detailed article, we’re going to explain what digital healthcare copywriters and content experts do and why they’re critical to the success of your healthcare innovation. 

What is digital healthcare?

Digital healthcare is a catch-all term for a wide variety of tools, technologies and solutions. Digital health solutions can include:

• Medical software applications 
• Mobile apps
• Utilisation of AI and ML within medical software
• Digital security measures
• Software functionalities in devices, encompassing mobile health apps
• Healthcare technology
• Data systems for medical devices
• Interconnectivity of medical devices
• Remote medical services
• Devices with wireless medical capabilities

Some digital health solutions can combine several of these elements into one system. Digital pathology, for example, combines advanced software, hardware and AI algorithms into one system. Tech-solutions like Zoe provide a complete system combining hardware, software and apps.

Digital health solutions use new technologies to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. New solutions can optimise workflows, helping clinicians do more with limited resources. AI and machine learning could transform healthcare, powering a new revolution in personalised medicine. Apps can provide people with accurate information in real time, enabling them to make the best choices for their health and well-being.

Alongside opportunities, digital healthcare demands changes in behaviours, culture and systems. Individuals and organisations must adapt to embrace opportunities and embed change.

Digital transformation isn’t easy, but it is worth it…

What does a digital health copywriter do?

Communicating around digital health is more than describing new technologies or innovations. Marketing digital health is about providing a picture of a future for patients, clinicians, providers and stakeholders – acting as a bridge between medical innovations (and innovators) and consumer understanding. 

They (or rather, we) are responsible for crafting clear and compelling content that demystifies complex health concepts and makes them accessible to a broader audience. 

This can include writing for websites, blogs, product descriptions, patient education materials, advertising campaigns, films and animations and more.

The ultimate goal? To raise awareness and inspire actions that enhance health outcomes. (And to make your company sound cool, obviously.)

How to create engaging digital health content

Engagement is key in digital health content and copywriting, whether you’re writing for patients, clinicians, commissioners or other key people.

We know that audiences want informative content that’s relatable, compelling and written with authority. It should be functional and focused, but where appropriate, to be personal and relatable. We want people to understand what you, believe in you and – critical in healthcare – to trust you. 

Healthcare copywriters are experts at translating dense and complex medical terminology and jargon into content that resonates with people’s lives and experiences. The core copywriting challenge lies in maintaining accuracy while ensuring the content is digestible and engaging.

Healthcare copywriters can help you tackle a range of tasks, including:

• Website content
• Ad copy & content
• Landing pages
• Blog posts
• White papers
• Email marketing campaigns 
• Social media posts
• Tone of voice guidelines
• Style guides
• Product descriptions
• Animation scripts
• Brand storytelling
• Copy editing
• Workshops & training

How does the copywriting process work?

For example, let’s consider the task involved in launching a new medical app. A copywriter can help your company to:

• Create a messaging framework
• Build personas and flesh them out
• Write copy for your website and app
• Apply the same TOV to your collateral
• Contribute to the creation of a content strategy
• Write healthcare-specific blogs
• Generate SEO-optimised headings, titles and meta
• Edit the work of others in the team (including technical documentation)
• Build email marketing campaigns
• Provide PPC ads (Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and other social channels)

These are just a few things a digital health copywriter can support you with. You’ll likely have several other specific requirements a copywriter can help with. Adaptability is all part of the package, with the writer becoming part of your team (at least for the duration of the project or until you stop paying them).

Each piece of content must be meticulously crafted to align with your goals, whether it’s raising awareness, educating the audience or driving sales. 

The quality of any copywriter’s work is based on the understanding between them and the client, which is why we invest significantly in building the foundations of a partnership which is codified through tone of voice documentation, briefs and planning documents. It’s a lot of effort, but the outcome is much higher quality content that creates connections. 

At 42group, we have a structured process including on-boarding and immersion phases where we don’t pick up a pen or touch a key but learn about you and your solution. We ask questions, probe for answers and point out issues to bring clarity to the copywriting challenge. At this point, we kick into the briefing and commissioning process (and yes, we talk about money, too), sharing the price you’ll need to pay for a total copywriting package. 

What can’t digital health copywriters do?

Digital healthcare copywriters typically aren’t medical professionals, which means they can’t help you with clinical documentation, technical information and patient journey information. These require the input of clinicians and healthcare experts. Don’t worry, if this is part of your project we can point you in the direction of several partners who could help.

Where this gets a little confusing is research and academic writing. At 42group, we can provide academic content writing and editing services, but only where we (or our extended team) have expertise and can offer value.

The impact of quality content on healthcare marketing

Quality content is critical to effective healthcare marketing. Your copywriter (or copywriting team) will define your tone of voice and bring it to life across all customer or clinical touchpoints. As well as content that’s precise and full of personality, it’s consistent, which ensures there are no breaks in the chain from awareness, interest and action. 

Great copywriting has the power to educate, persuade and inform your audience, turning even casual visitors into trusted customers. In healthcare, where trust is paramount, high-quality, well-researched content can significantly impact your brand’s reputation and boost your bottom line.

SEO strategies for health websites

SEO is a core part of the copywriter’s job. The copywriter works with technical experts to implement search engine strategies tailored to health websites. Healthcare SEO is vital for improving content visibility and ensuring your content reaches the right audience at the right time. 

Creating optimised content involves keyword research, understanding search intent, and optimizing content to rank higher on search engine results pages. 

A well-executed SEO plan attracts more visitors, establishes your site as a credible source of health information and increases trust in your product, service, or solution. 

It’s a huge topic area and something we cover in detail in our healthcare SEO guide (so start there digital marketers…).

Finding the right health and wellness copywritng partner

Each client has their own set of requirements for every project. Ultimately, every healthcare copywriter should be judged on their ability to understand and articulate complex health topics in a way that resonates with their target audience. 

Of course, experience in the health sector demonstrated through a strong portfolio and a keen understanding of content marketing strategies are key indicators of a capable copywriter.

Beyond that, you’ll want to work with an agency that can understand your service, product, or solution. They’ll need to capture its essence and communicate its impact. 

At 42group, we’ve worked with a wide range of digital healthcare clients, including the NHS, private providers, medical app companies, medical device companies and app developers. We’ve created content and written copy for all types of digital health companies and at all stages of their journeys – from start-ups to implementation at a national scale. Work with us and you’ll benefit from our insights, processes and unrivalled professional knowledge. 

We’re also nice people to work with.

Why work with a specialist digital health copywriter?

High-quality digital health copywriting is vital to ensuring that your product, service, solution, or innovation has a positive impact on patient outcomes. 

Agencies like 42group can find the right blend of industry knowledge, writing skills and marketing expertise to ensure every piece of content plays a role in powering change. While other agencies may profess to have the knowledge, it’s unlikely they’ll have developed the deep insights into the NHS that are generated through the experience that we do. 

It’s your brand, business and future, so be confident you’re making the best choice. 

Digital health copywriting questions

Is this a shameless attempt to use questions to improve SEO? Perhaps, but you may have also wondered about these questions, so let us furnish you with some answers.

What is health copywriting?

“Healthcare copywriting describes the process of creating content for healthcare organisations, including web copywriting, advertising copy, product descriptions, and social media posts.”

That’s how we start our healthcare copywriting guide and that’s probably the best place on the internet to start.

What does a digital copywriter do?

Digital copywriters primarily work online, creating content for websites, apps, social media platforms and ads. The skills they need are about building connections with online audiences – which demands a slightly different approach to off-line copywriting. A core part of the digital copywriter’s job is an understanding of SEO. 

What’s a digital health copywriter?

When we use the phrase ‘digital health copywiter’, we mean a person that is writing about digital health innovations. This could be online of offline. Innovations include new digital tools and technologies, healthcare apps, AI and more.

What is wellness copywriting?

The wellness industry is growing faster than ever and includes a broad range of treatments, activities and approaches that aim to improve health and wellbeing (including mental health). Wellness copywriters use their skills to create 

What qualifications do you need to be a digital copywriter?

There are no qualifications you need to be a digital healthcare copywriter, but a way with words is pretty important. All joking aside, digital health copywriters must understand how the health sector works, including the complex relationships between partners (clincians to patients; providers to clinicians; providers to stakeholders; investors to operators, etc.) It also helps if they’ve worked with a wide variety of healthcare companies at each stage of the innovation process. A great portfolio of work and solid references are essential, too. Do you know what, we’ve just described 42group – so message us.

What does healthcare copywriting cost?

Good question. Copywriting companies are normally pretty coy about their charges (and why shouldn’t they?). Expect to pay around £500 per day for a capable copywriter. You’ll need to pay more if you’re creating medical content or want specialist input. 

Can I get AI to create health content and copywriting?

We get asked this all the time and the answer is: yes! (If you want to destroy your business, brand, relationships and future.)

AI content isn’t the future, it’s the past. Why? Because AI writing tools regurgitate existing content into new forms to try and win ranking positions. It’s low-cost, low-quality and highly derivative. 

It’s also easy to spot. 

Algorithms can identify AI content easily enough, and so can your audience. 

If you use AI to create content for your healthcare brand, be sure to keep our details on hand, as we’re almost certain you’ll need the help of a human healthcare copywriter soon enough.