Why science publishers need freelance content writers more than ever

As the expert economy grows, science publishers have a huge pool of talent to tap into. The availability of independent domain experts and PhD-qualified science writers has made it possible for science publications to source high-quality content across niche subject areas.

Publications ranging from Science to the New Scientist are hiring freelance science writers for feature articles and fresh content ideas. Niche, smaller publications focusing on specific industries or research areas like lab management (Lab Manager) or medical device innovation (MedTech Innovation) are also increasingly working with on-demand writers. Why are publishers across the globe hiring freelance science content writers?

The need for top-quality content 

The digital publishing industry is highly competitive, and relies on the one thing that we all know can make or break a business these days: content. Putting out digital engaging, verified, factually-accurate content is at the very heart of science journalism and writing. Therefore, it’s even more important for this content to be sourced from experts who are established in their academic disciplines.

It is no secret that online publications have several things to take care of to enable them to grow their audience and build a community of loyal readers.

• One, quality of content. What sets a publisher apart from another? With several free online resources available for learning and awareness, the need for specialized, authoritative content on specific topics is increasing every day. High-quality content sourced from experts, aimed at a specific reader persona, is of benefit to both publisher and consumer. Science writers now need to specialize in specific topics and styles of writing. For example, hiring a science journalist who typically covers science news is not the ideal candidate for writing a white paper for a biotech company. Science publishers not only need to churn out high-quality content, but they also need to churn out high-quality content regularly. The need to keep articles updated and fresh, while producing new content, without losing focus on awareness, innovation and research, is key to the success of a science publication.
• Two, technical and maintenance issues on the website. Publishers need to have a team of technical experts who can make sure that the website meets hygiene and sanity guidelines. Page speed optimization, broken links and sitemap structure are just few of the things that have an impact on the quality score of your website. Most importantly, SEO is one of the key drivers of traffic: that doesn’t just mean placing the correct keywords in your article but also means that your titles, bylines, author bios and intro paragraphs should all help your article be easily discoverable. Seeing this as an opportunity, we now have SEO medical writers and life science content writers.
• Three, online reputation and credibility. Publishers have to be extra-careful about publishing any information that may be misleading in any way. Poor quality content in turn affects search engine rankings, and you may quickly be penalized, causing a drop in traffic and ultimately, business. The better your content is, the higher it will rank on search engines, and the more likely that it will be shared.

A revolution in the publishing industry

The science writing industry has changed drastically. Gone are the days when science writers could expect to be employed full-time by one publication only—a science magazine, science journal or science news site.

The growth of online publishing encouraged many science publications to move their content online. At the same time, these developments also led to science writers being outsourced to science writing firms.

Today, science publications depend on science writers who are prepared to work for them on an ad-hoc basis. Their needs have changed from hiring science writers full-time or part-time to outsourcing science content as required.

Technical expertise is now more accessible

Let’s say you’re a publisher covering the latest advancements in CRISPR and gene editing technology. It was previously quite difficult to find qualified experts who could write about the latest research and developments in such as specialised area. You would have to contact a scientific department in a university or a research organization. You may have to spend hours and days searching for a PhD-qualified experts, and in many cases, you might have to wait weeks for a response, only to hear that they are unavailable to help you! However it is now much easier to contact scientists who have voluntarily opted to offer their services on a freelance basis on platforms like Kolabtree.

The role of Kolabtree in sourcing science content writers

It is now no longer to jump through hoops to contact an expert in a specific field. Kolabtree makes it easy to contact experts across a wide variety of domains ranging from astrophysics and data science to biotechnology and cancer research. Access to a diverse range of experts under one roof means that you can easily build a pipeline of topics under your content pillars, without having to worry about resource for each. Freelancers on Kolabtree are pre-vetted and verified, and you can view their client rating, reducing the time it takes for your to recruit writers through a jobs board. Content managers and editors around the world are hiring Kolabtree science writers to create content on a regular basis, building a sustainable and scalable solution for content production.

It’s free browse experts, contact them and get quotes. View science content writers on Kolabtree>>