How to write patient recruitment copy

I believe badly written patient recruitment materials are undermining study participation rates. What do I mean by ‘badly written’? I mean stuff that’s hard to understand – or just plain dull.

Needless to say, poor writing doesn’t inspire people. Or get them to act. That’s true whether you’re selling someone a car - or asking them to join a clinical trial.

What kind of writing will get patients interested in your study? Stuff that’s easy to understand. And a pleasure to read. The following tips will help your copywriter achieve both.

Avoid jargon

Patient recruitment materials are often packed with confusing medical terms. These cause patients to switch off. Therefore, you have to find a plain English way of saying the same thing. If you must use jargon, explain its meaning clearly.

Omit needless words

The less words you use, the easier it is to be understood.

Get to the point

To hold people’s attention, your copy needs to make its points quickly. That doesn’t mean your articles need to be short when there’s a lot to say. But it does mean they should be free of waffle.

Use short words

Long words need more mental energy to process. And the more brain power your copy demands of the reader, the less likely they are to consume it. So instead of saying ‘investigate’, try ‘look at’. And replace ‘prevent’ with ‘stop’. And ‘fortify’ with ‘strengthen’.

Use short sentences

As with short words, short sentences are easier for people to digest. That’s because they only allow one idea to be communicated at a time. Which is much easier on the brain than a long sentence containing multiple ideas. What’s the ideal length? Anything up to about 16 words.

Use short paragraphs

Just as it’s easier to read sentences that contain only one idea, it’s simpler to read paragraphs that focus on only one theme. Also, a short paragraph looks easier to digest than a giant one with dozens of sentences.

What do you think about the state of patient recruitment copywriting?