Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Hanes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
When I transitioned from nurse to writer, I never imagined I’d subsequently make another transition from writer to coach – but that’s exactly what happened.
After several years of wonderful success as a freelance health writer, I started receiving emails from other nurses who saw my byline on the web and would write to say, “Hey, how can I do this??” I created a boilerplate email response that mapped out the basic steps required to set up a freelance writing business, and some nurses took that bare sketch of freelancing and ran with it to success.
Soon the trickle of emails turned to a flood. When the emails reached more than 15 per month on average, it dawned on me that maybe I should take that boilerplate email response, flesh it out, and offer it as a course. That’s how RN2writer was born.
Elizabeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
RN2writer started as a blog about how I – an RN – transitioned to (2) being a writer. But it quickly expanded beyond a blog to a full suite of courses and coaching.
I published an ebook – “Design Your Dream Career as a Nurse Writer” – which I offered exclusively through my own website to build brand awareness. As the only freelance writing program designed by a nurse for nurses, we quickly attained some buzz in the healthcare community.
And we have expanded to serve all healthcare professionals – such as physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers and others – along with nurses at all levels, from LPNs to Nurse Practitioners.
Most RN2writer members start with our introductory course and coaching program, “Passion, Profit, Prestige: How to Write Health Articles for Money,” because writing consumer health articles like the kind you see in major magazines and websites like Men’s Health and WebMD are just an extension of the patient teaching we do as nurses. It’s easy for nurses to conceptualize writing an article about “best fruit choices for people with diabetes,” for example, when that’s something we might actually discuss with a patient in real life.
After they master health reporting, our members move along to our second foundational course/coaching package, “The Complete Guide to Content Marketing Writing for Nurses,” because nurse writers can make serious money doing content writing, thanks to corporate demand for nurses who can write. With the 12 weeks of coaching they receive, many nurses in this program have gone on to create steady income for themselves as writers.
Once they’ve established themselves writers, nurses often join our membership program, RN2writer STAT, where we convene weekly to discuss advanced freelancing topics so that members can take their businesses to the next level. Members also network with others in a private community, learn from new monthly video trainings, and enjoy exclusive member-only events with industry experts like top editors from health websites. Many of the nurses in the STAT Membership program grow their writing businesses to six figures.
We’re particularly proud of the genuinely supportive community our members have built and the success they have achieved. One of our members, for example, sold her first article for $675 and four months later was billing $9,000 per month as a freelance writer. Absolutely astonishing! And our members all cultivate an abundance mindset, generously sharing job leads and helping their fellow writers achieve success – an attitude all too lacking in most clinical healthcare environments.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
RN2writer’s mission is for nurse-created content to become the standard for excellence in healthcare communications of all kinds and for nurses to “own” the healthcare writing space. We believe nurses are the best-positioned writers to create all types of health content, and everything we do as a company focuses on how we can achieve this mission.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
RN2writer languished in obscurity until we pursued self-liquidating offers. We sell our ebook through social media ads and, consequently, have driven thousands of leads and generated more than $1.5 million in sales in just 18 months.
However, the social advertising landscape has changed dramatically since Apple implemented its anti-tracking initiatives, so now we face an interesting new challenge: How do we continue to raise awareness about freelance writing as a career option for nurses? Writing is the best stay-at-home nursing career nobody has ever heard of, so we continue to work our organic social channels, grow our audience, and pursue earned media.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rn2writer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rn2writer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rn2writer
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rn2writer/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rn2writer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rn2writer
- Other: Elizabeth Hanes personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethhanes
Image Credits
RN2writer