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Hi Reader,

Today I had the opportunity to cover an advisory board (ad board) for a new client, and it turned out to be a fantastic success. The client was delighted with the final deliverable and immediately expressed interest in more collaboration.

Let me tell you more about it!

The Nature of Ad Board Projects Many Medical Writers Miss

The project wasn’t just about capturing what was said in the room; it was about listening deeply, structuring insights meaningfully, and delivering something that truly served the client’s needs.

So, what made it work for me?

Preparation is everything. Before the meeting, I invested time in understanding not only the therapeutic area but also the client’s internal workflow and goals for this specific ad board. That context shaped how I listened and what I prioritized.

Clarity over complexity. Ad boards can generate a flood of opinions. My role was to distill complex discussions into a clear, actionable narrative without losing nuance.

Think like the client. Every company has its own way of working. Knowing the client’s structure and how decisions flow allowed me to organize the report in a way that made sense to them. This is what turns a transcript into a strategic asset.

Why Understanding Client Structure Matters

Medical writing is never one-size-fits-all. An ad board summary that works for one client might feel unusable for another. One piece of advice I always give new learners is this:

Align your deliverables with the client’s internal structure. That might mean tailoring sections to their strategic pillars, matching their preferred formatting, or highlighting the insights most relevant to their decision-makers. The result is a clear, actionable deliverable that feels tailored to the client’s exact needs.

For me, that was the clearest signal that the effort to really understand before writing pays off.

To your success,

What’s Happening at Guanine Medical Academy

​Advisory Board Course: This course is a good fit if you want to learn the practical tactics of understanding a project from preparation to delivery.

This course is incredibly thorough and a valuable resource for any medical writer looking to break into advisory board work. Colten Peters Experienced Scientist | Biotech & Biopharma | Scientific & Medical Writer

"Beyond the core overview, the course also walks through how to calculate fair pricing for ad board projects and how to draft a professional contract—skills that are easily overlooked but essential for freelancers and early-career writers. ​ Highly recommended for writers who want to build confidence, credibility, and practical skills in ad board coverage."   Colten Peters· Experienced Scientist | Biotech & Biopharma | Scientific & Medical Writer Join the Course Now! Want Coaching Support? Find Me Here: Your Roadmap to Medical Writing A 60-minute 1:1 Zoom session where we walk through your medical writing goals, portfolio, or a specific writing... Read more Schedule your session today! ​ Ad Board Project Fee Calculator Ad Board Project Fee Calculator (with Built-in How-To Guide) Take the guesswork out of pricing your advisory board projects so you can charge confidently – and get every dollar you... Read more Get it now! ​ Thank you for joining the Pen and Parents Newsletter, a resource for freelance medical writers who also wear the badge of motherhood! Nisreen Shumayrikh, PhD Find me on Social Media ​​​​ ​