Others - Writing and Speaking

If you're a freelance writer, then you are probably abhorred at the rates offered nowadays - especially for web content.

BUT, as I advise freelancers all the time, what clients are willing to pay you is based on your value to t

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

hem - not your talent.

Following are three reasons freelance writers are underpaid, and what they can do to turn the tide.

1. Everyone Can Do It: "If you know your ABC's you can write, right?" This is the attitude of ma

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

y when it comes to freelance writing.

"What's so hard about it?"

"Why does it cost that much for a simple brochure?"

"My secretary can do that for me."

You may have run across these - and many other sentiments - about freela

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

nce writing.

So, how do you combat this "anyone can do what you do" attitude?

Solution: Do a freebie. I know many freelancers are against this, but when I say freebie, I don't mean an entire project - but a sampl

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

version.

Clients with this type of attitude are ones you've probably solicited; they probably haven't sought you out simply because they don't realize how much they need your services.

As for doing a freebie, you might take o

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

e page from their website and rewrite it. There's nothing like comparing a professionally prepared piece of copy to a amateur's version. The difference will be clearly visible.

I've gotten many clients this way. I'd approach th

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

em about redoing their web copy, for example and have gone on to rewrite a lot of their sales aids - primarily brochures and direct mail pieces like postcards.

Even if they don't realize the value of your work right then, trust

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

me, they will store that nugget away for future use. I've been contacted by clients two or three years later who've kept my samples on file.

2. Misjudging Projects: As in, most freelancers don't know how to judge a proje

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

ct, so they make the mistake of undercharging - usually for fear of losing the assignment altogether. This happens to experienced and inexperienced freelancers alike. Why?

It can happen for a myriad of reasons, eg, because clie

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

ts sometimes change the parameters of a project in mid-stream; it's a type of writing you've never done before in-depth; clients request add-ons (eg, a newsletter in addition to the brochure), etc.

Rather than offend a client,

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

isk losing a project or stopping to renegotiate mid-stream, many will just finish the project and vow never to work for that client again.

Solution: Get as many details about the project up front. For years I used

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

a spec sheet for my projects. What is a spec sheet? Simply a questionnaire for each type of project that comes in.

If it was an editing project, I might ask the following:

What style of editing?

How many pages?

Are changes

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

o be made on hard copy or right into the electronic document? If on hard copy, should they be transferred to the electronic copy?

Due date?

This is a basic, general overview. Some projects can be really detailed, especially wr

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

iting projects. So you want to find out as much as you can.

Sometimes you'll get a client who has no idea what he wants, so ask for samples of sites/writing/graphics, etc. that they've seen that they like.

TIP: Let clients kno

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

that while your intake may seem a bit tedious, you've found that the m ore information they provide up front, the better you can deliver what they want without a lot of back and forth.

I've found that pre-qualifying clients in

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

this manner does three things: i) it lets them know that you're a professional; and ii) it helps them clarify what they want; and iii) it shows (without you saying a word) how much work actually goes into what you do.

3. Fea

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

r of Losing a Client: As I alluded to above, many freelancers fear that they will lose a job if they quote a price too high, so what they often do is undercharge.

Most small business owners suffer from the same problem - th

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

s is not a freelance writing problem, it's a small business problem.

Solution: Show clients your worth. How? For example, if they contact you and want a brochure done, you might ask:

"Will this also be in downloa

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

dable form on your website? The reason I need to know is that writing for the web is different than a direct mail piece. Knowing how you plan to use the piece will help me optimize its uses to fit your purposes."

It's up

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

o you to prove your worth to clients, not for them to be intrinsically aware of it. This means constantly selling you and your worth -- which has less to do with your writing ability, than your sales ability.

Good luck

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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