Medical publishing has been the mainstay of communication in the healthcare communications industry for the last 50 years.

The majority of the publications – and the marketing spend, is aimed at doctors and pharmacists but as nurse-prescribing becomes more widespread, nursing titles are becoming more important.

The main ‘movers’ within a healthcare publication are the publisher, the editor, the journalists and the advertising manager:

§         The publisher decides on the editorial portfolio and perceived position of the publication in the market (and is also the person legally responsible for ensuring the publication doesn’t breach libel or copyright laws)

§         The editor is responsible for every word that appears in the publication and has to ensure that all content falls within the editorial policy

§         The advertising sales manager is responsible for the main source of income for the publication – paid advertising – and will make sure that their sales teams are constantly in touch with the Media Buying agencies, making them aware of how well the publication is doing and of special editorial features being planned for the future

§         The journalists look for the front page stories

Publication Planning

The list of healthcare journals, books, magazines and other publications available to healthcare professionals appears to be endless. Look at websites of companies such as Elsevier Health www.us.elsevierhealth.com; Informa Healthcare www.informa.com; Wolters Kluwer Health www.wkhealth.com; or Haymarket Publishing www.haymarket.com for a sample of the titles available globally and you’ll see just how big the business is.

Because of the number of publications available to the pharmaceutical industry, publication planning, or ‘pub planning’, is one of the main hubs of the communications process. This allows pharmaceutical companies to disseminate key brand information to their target audience quickly and efficiently before the product is given to the medical representative to sell.

Sponsored Publications

Sponsoring publications is another marketing tool available to pharmaceutical companies. This is effectively sponsoring a publication to be circulated to a particular audience, often those hard-to-reach healthcare professionals who are not visited by sales representatives.

If executed correctly, these publications can provide a platform to disseminate key messages. The right publisher and editor are crucial if the credibility of the product message and the company’s expertise in the therapy area are to be maintained.

Media Buying

Media buyers are usually hired by pharmaceutical companies to buy the space in the publications identified as key to their marketing campaigns. The Media Buying agency will negotiate rates with the publishers, making their profit from the discounts that they can negotiate with the media owners.

Media buying used to be, and in some cases still is, an integral part of an advertising agency’s armoury but over the past 10 years or so it has spun off from the mainstream agencies and is now a huge business in its own right.

A good Media Buyer will work with the planners and creative teams in an advertising agency to come up with a cost-effective schedule for the client so that the advertisements can be seen by their target audiences.

New Media

One of the biggest issues that medical publishing is facing at this moment is how to make the most of new media opportunities presenting themselves through the rapid uptake of digital technology.

Most publishers have their main publications available online and will usually email subscribers when the publication is available. Now readers are able to log onto the website from anywhere in the world and read online without physically turning a page!

Most of the publisher’s sites also have podcasts which are usually interesting topical interviews or dialogues available to download and watch on Windows Media Player.

Getting Started

Advertising in the medical press has traditionally been an essential part of the marketing mix that makes up any brand awareness campaign. However, it is predicted that most, if not all of the campaign spend will soon be given over to digital marketing initiatives and medical publishers will have to compete with the new-media agencies to maintain their share.

If you think you’re suited to a career in medical publishing come and talk to us about the business and we can decide whether it’s going to be right for you. Some junior/entry level positions in medical publishing are:-

Reporter

This job is to write news and conduct interviews with industry figures. Some experience a benefit but not essential. You will probably be a graduate in one of the sciences or a proven journalist eg worked before as a journalist or have completed post-graduate or first degree journalism/media course.

Editorial Assistant

This is an entry level role where you will work alongside the more experienced members of the editorial team to learn the processes involved in producing books and journals. The Editorial Assistant also carries out administrative tasks on behalf of the team. This is typically a graduate role and the first job following university.

Editorial Analyst

This role requires a good 1st degree in pharmacology, biochemistry or other related biological science. You should have genuine interest in the pharmaceutical industry; excellent command of the English language (written and spoken), and have a confident and outgoing manner.  Good attention to detail and exceptional organisational skills. The role encompasses daily scanning, editing and updating of the database from a variety of information sources; maintenance of data on the Top 200 companies via scanning of press releases, pipeline pages on web site, presentations and interaction with contacts at companies; covering both scientific and partnering conferences either via webcasts or attendance; performing research requests for clients and delivering to them informative data and satisfaction with the service.