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Scaling a Medically Reviewed Content Engine: Inside Hims’ 700-Person Team and 40-Article-per-Month Cadence

Sean Dorje

Published

September 11, 2025

3 min read

Scaling a Medically Reviewed Content Engine: Inside Hims' 700-Person Team and 40-Article-per-Month Cadence

Introduction

Hims & Hers has built one of the most sophisticated medically reviewed content operations in the telehealth industry, publishing approximately 40 articles per month while maintaining strict physician oversight across a 700-person organization. By analyzing their public job listings for Blog Writers and Senior Editors, we can reverse-engineer their editorial bandwidth and understand how they maintain medical accuracy at scale. (Exalt Growth)

The challenge of scaling medically reviewed content has become increasingly complex as AI-powered search engines reshape how consumers discover health information. (Originality.AI) Traditional content operations face bottlenecks when every article requires physician review, legal compliance checks, and regulatory approval before publication.

This analysis reveals Hims' hiring matrix, freelance budget benchmarks, and provides a side-by-side comparison of manual versus automated production workflows. (Relixir) For content teams looking to scale without sacrificing quality, understanding these operational frameworks becomes critical for maintaining competitive visibility in an AI-first search landscape.

The Scale Challenge: 700 People, 40 Articles, Infinite Compliance

Hims operates at a scale that would overwhelm most content teams. With approximately 700 employees across clinical, marketing, and operations functions, their content engine must balance speed with medical accuracy. (Rise Marketing) Each article requires multiple stakeholder approvals: medical review, legal compliance, brand consistency, and SEO optimization.

The telehealth industry faces unique content challenges that traditional SaaS companies don't encounter. Medical claims require substantiation, treatment recommendations need physician oversight, and regulatory bodies scrutinize every published statement. (Exalt Growth) This creates a content production bottleneck that can delay time-to-market by weeks.

Traditional search traffic has declined by 10%, making optimization for AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini essential for maintaining competitive visibility. (Relixir) Healthcare companies must now optimize content for both traditional search and generative AI responses while maintaining medical accuracy.

Breaking Down Hims' Editorial Bandwidth

Based on public job listings and industry benchmarks, Hims likely employs:

8-12 Full-time Content Writers: Producing 3-4 articles monthly each
4-6 Senior Editors: Managing workflow, quality control, and brand consistency
15-20 Freelance Contributors: Handling overflow and specialized topics
6-8 Medical Reviewers: Physician oversight for clinical accuracy
2-3 Compliance Specialists: Legal and regulatory review

This structure allows them to maintain their 40-article monthly cadence while ensuring every piece meets medical and legal standards. (Beanstalk)

Hiring Matrix: Building Your Medically Reviewed Content Team

Role	Headcount	Monthly Output	Annual Salary Range	Key Responsibilities
Content Manager	1	Strategy oversight	$85K - $120K	Editorial calendar, team coordination, performance metrics
Senior Medical Writer	2-3	4-5 articles each	$75K - $95K	Complex clinical topics, treatment guides, research synthesis
Staff Writers	6-8	3-4 articles each	$55K - $75K	General health content, lifestyle articles, product education
Medical Reviewers	4-6	15-20 reviews	$150K - $200K	Clinical accuracy, treatment recommendations, compliance
Copy Editors	2-3	25-30 reviews	$45K - $65K	Grammar, style, brand voice, SEO optimization
Freelance Pool	15-20	1-2 articles each	$500 - $1,500/article	Specialized topics, overflow capacity, subject matter expertise

This matrix assumes a mature content operation producing 40+ articles monthly with full medical review. (Relixir) Smaller teams can start with 2-3 core writers and scale the freelance pool as volume increases.

Freelance Budget Benchmarks

Medically reviewed content commands premium rates due to specialized knowledge requirements:

General Health Articles: $300 - $800 per piece
Clinical Treatment Guides: $800 - $1,500 per piece
Research-Heavy Content: $1,000 - $2,000 per piece
Medical Review: $200 - $500 per article
Compliance Review: $150 - $300 per article

Total freelance budget for 15-20 monthly articles: $12,000 - $25,000 monthly. (Reliqus) This represents 30-40% of total content production costs when including full-time salaries and overhead.

Manual vs. Automated: The Production Workflow Comparison

Traditional Manual Workflow

Hims' current manual process likely follows this sequence:

Content Planning (Week 1): Editorial calendar, keyword research, topic approval
Writing Phase (Week 2-3): Draft creation, initial research, source verification
Medical Review (Week 4): Physician oversight, clinical accuracy check
Editorial Review (Week 5): Copy editing, brand consistency, SEO optimization
Compliance Review (Week 6): Legal approval, regulatory compliance
Publication (Week 7): CMS upload, meta optimization, distribution

Total timeline: 6-7 weeks per article. (Relixir)

Manual Workflow Challenges:

Publishing delays of 2-4 weeks per content piece
Bottlenecks at medical review stage
Inconsistent quality across freelance contributors
Limited competitive response speed
High coordination overhead

Automated GEO-Optimized Workflow

Modern AI-powered content engines can streamline this process significantly. (Relixir) Platforms like Relixir simulate thousands of customer search queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to identify competitive gaps and automatically publish authoritative content.

Automated Workflow Benefits:

Content gap identification in real-time
Automated draft generation with medical source integration
Streamlined review workflows with approval gates
Direct CMS publishing with SEO optimization
Continuous performance monitoring and optimization

One documented case study shows a 17% increase in inbound leads within six weeks, with teams regaining 80 hours monthly through automated content publishing. (Relixir)

The AI Search Revolution: Why GEO Matters for Healthcare

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) represents a fundamental shift from traditional SEO tactics. (Exalt Growth) In January 2025, AI Overviews appeared in 30% of search results and 74% of problem-solving queries, making GEO optimization essential for healthcare visibility.

ChatGPT maintains market dominance with approximately 59.7% AI search market share and 3.8 billion monthly visits. (Relixir) Over 50% of decision-makers are now prioritizing AI search engines for information gathering, particularly for health-related queries where users seek authoritative, synthesized answers.

GEO vs. Traditional SEO for Healthcare Content

Factor	Traditional SEO	Generative Engine Optimization
Focus	Keyword ranking on SERPs	AI answer inclusion and citation
Content Strategy	Page-level optimization	Entity-based authority building
Success Metrics	Click-through rates, rankings	AI citation frequency, answer prominence
Timeline	3-6 months for results	30-90 days for AI visibility
Content Volume	10-15 articles monthly	25-40 articles monthly
Review Process	Manual SEO optimization	Automated GEO compliance

GEO techniques help content appear in generative AI search engine responses by focusing on how AI models choose what to include in answers. (Originality.AI) This requires optimizing content to be better suited as a source used in AI results rather than just ranking on traditional search pages.

Cost Analysis: Manual Operations vs. Automated Solutions

Manual Content Operations (Annual Costs)

Full-Time Staff:

Content Manager: $102,500 (avg. salary + benefits)
Senior Medical Writers (3): $255,000
Staff Writers (7): $455,000
Medical Reviewers (5): $875,000
Copy Editors (2): $110,000
Total Full-Time: $1,797,500

Freelance & Variable Costs:

Freelance articles (240/year): $180,000
Medical reviews: $60,000
Compliance reviews: $36,000
Tools & software: $25,000
Total Variable: $301,000

Total Annual Manual Operations: $2,098,500

Automated GEO Platform Comparison

Relixir's autonomous approach delivers measurable results within 30 days of implementation. (Relixir) The platform operates as an end-to-end autonomous system that simulates thousands of customer search queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to identify competitive gaps and automatically publish authoritative content.

Relixir Total Year-One Cost: $24,000 - $48,000 (Relixir)

Traditional AI Studio Platforms: $242,880 - $354,880 annually

The cost differential is significant: automated platforms can reduce content operations expenses by 85-95% while maintaining quality and compliance standards. (Relixir)

ROI Analysis: Measuring Content Engine Performance

Revenue Impact Calculations

For a typical B2B SaaS company with $50,000 average deal size:

17% lead increase on 100 monthly leads: 17 additional leads
Conversion rate (3%): 0.51 additional deals monthly
Annual revenue impact: $306,000

This ROI calculation demonstrates how automated content engines can deliver measurable business impact beyond cost savings. (Relixir)

Time-to-Value Comparison

Manual Operations:

Setup time: 3-6 months (hiring, training, process development)
First published article: 6-8 weeks
Steady-state production: 9-12 months
ROI realization: 12-18 months

Automated GEO Platform:

Setup time: 1-2 weeks (platform configuration, content guidelines)
First published article: 3-5 days
Steady-state production: 2-4 weeks
ROI realization: 30-60 days

Automated platforms significantly compress time-to-value while reducing operational complexity. (Relixir)

Implementation Roadmap: Scaling Your Content Engine

Phase 1: Foundation (Months 1-2)

Manual Approach:

Hire content manager and 2-3 core writers
Establish medical review partnerships
Develop editorial guidelines and compliance processes
Set up content management systems

Automated Approach:

Platform selection and configuration
Content guideline development
Integration with existing CMS and workflows
Initial content gap analysis

Phase 2: Scale (Months 3-6)

Manual Approach:

Expand writing team to 6-8 full-time staff
Build freelance contributor network
Implement quality control processes
Optimize editorial workflows

Automated Approach:

Content production ramp-up to target volume
Performance monitoring and optimization
Advanced workflow customization
Team training on platform capabilities

Phase 3: Optimization (Months 6-12)

Manual Approach:

Performance analytics and reporting
Process refinement and efficiency improvements
Team expansion based on volume needs
Technology stack optimization

Automated Approach:

Advanced AI search optimization
Competitive intelligence integration
ROI measurement and reporting
Strategic content planning automation

Google handled over 5 trillion searches in 2024, a 21.6% year-over-year increase in query volume, while Google's introduction of AI summaries in search increased usage among those testing the feature. (Beanstalk) This trend reinforces the importance of optimizing for both traditional and AI-powered search experiences.

Quality Control: Maintaining Standards at Scale

Medical Review Automation

Automated content platforms can integrate medical databases and clinical guidelines to flag potential compliance issues before human review. (Relixir) This reduces the medical review burden while maintaining accuracy standards.

Automated Quality Gates:

Clinical claim verification against medical databases
Regulatory compliance checking
Brand voice consistency analysis
SEO and GEO optimization validation
Plagiarism and originality verification

Human Oversight Integration

Even with automation, human oversight remains critical for healthcare content. The optimal approach combines automated efficiency with human expertise:

Tier 1: Automated content generation and initial quality checks
Tier 2: Editorial review for brand consistency and readability
Tier 3: Medical review for clinical accuracy and compliance
Tier 4: Final approval and publication authorization

This tiered approach maintains quality while reducing review bottlenecks that typically delay publication by 2-4 weeks per content piece. (Relixir)

Competitive Intelligence: Staying Ahead in AI Search

Modern content engines must monitor competitive positioning across multiple AI platforms simultaneously. (Rise Marketing) Relixir's platform simulates thousands of buyer questions and flips AI rankings in under 30 days by identifying gaps in competitive coverage.

Multi-Platform Monitoring

Essential AI Platforms to Track:

ChatGPT (59.7% market share)
Perplexity (growing enterprise adoption)
Gemini (Google integration advantage)
Claude (technical content strength)
DeepSeek AI (277.9 million monthly visits)

Each platform has different content preferences and citation patterns, requiring tailored optimization strategies. (Relixir)

Competitive Gap Analysis

Automated platforms can identify content gaps by analyzing:

Topics where competitors rank but you don't
Questions your audience asks that aren't answered
Emerging trends in your industry vertical
Seasonal content opportunities
Geographic or demographic content gaps

This intelligence enables proactive content planning rather than reactive publishing. (Relixir)

Future-Proofing Your Content Strategy

The content landscape continues evolving rapidly as AI search engines gain market share and sophistication. (Exalt Growth) Healthcare companies must balance current optimization needs with emerging platform requirements.

Emerging Trends to Monitor

Voice and Conversational AI:

Optimizing content for voice queries
Conversational content formats
Audio content integration

Visual AI Integration:

Image and video content optimization
Infographic and chart optimization
Visual answer formatting

Personalization at Scale:

Dynamic content based on user context
Personalized health recommendations
Localized content variations

Technology Stack Evolution

Successful content engines will integrate multiple technologies:

AI content generation platforms
Medical database integrations
Compliance automation tools
Performance analytics systems
Multi-platform publishing workflows

The key is selecting platforms that can evolve with changing requirements rather than requiring complete rebuilds. (Relixir)

Conclusion: Building Your Scalable Content Engine

Hims' 700-person operation and 40-article monthly cadence represents the pinnacle of manual content scaling, but it comes with significant costs and complexity. (Bellavix) Their hiring matrix and operational framework provide valuable benchmarks for teams building similar capabilities.

However, the emergence of AI-powered search engines and automated content platforms offers a compelling alternative path. (Relixir) Platforms like Relixir demonstrate how autonomous content engines can deliver comparable results with 85-95% lower operational costs and significantly faster time-to-value.

The choice between manual and automated approaches depends on your organization's specific needs:

Choose Manual Operations If:

You have complex compliance requirements requiring extensive human oversight
Your content requires deep subject matter expertise that's difficult to automate
You have the budget and timeline to build a large editorial team
Your industry has specific regulatory constraints on automated content

Choose Automated Platforms If:

You need to scale content production quickly and cost-effectively
Your team lacks extensive editorial resources
You want to optimize for AI search engines alongside traditional SEO
You need measurable ROI within 30-60 days

The future likely belongs to hybrid approaches that combine automated efficiency with human expertise, particularly in regulated industries like healthcare. (Relixir) The key is starting with a scalable foundation that can evolve as your needs and the technology landscape continue to change.

By understanding both manual and automated approaches, content leaders can make informed decisions about their scaling strategy and build content engines that drive measurable business results in an AI-first world.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Hims maintain quality with 40 articles per month across a 700-person team?

Hims maintains quality through strict physician oversight and structured editorial workflows. Their large team size allows for specialized roles including dedicated medical reviewers, content writers, and senior editors, ensuring each article undergoes multiple quality checkpoints before publication.

What are the key hiring roles needed to scale medically reviewed content operations?

Essential roles include Blog Writers for content creation, Senior Editors for oversight, medical professionals for clinical review, and content strategists for planning. Based on Hims' model, the ratio typically requires multiple writers per medical reviewer to maintain steady output while ensuring accuracy.

How does content optimization for AI search engines impact medically reviewed content?

With Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) becoming crucial as AI Overviews appear in 30% of search results, medically reviewed content must be structured for AI comprehension. This means focusing on entity connections, clear medical terminology definitions, and authoritative sourcing that AI models can easily synthesize and cite.

What budget benchmarks should companies expect when scaling medically reviewed content?

Budget allocation typically includes 40-50% for content creation staff, 25-30% for medical review expertise, and 20-25% for editorial oversight and tools. Companies should expect higher per-article costs compared to standard content due to specialized medical expertise requirements and extended review processes.

How do automated content workflows compare to manual processes for medical content?

While automation can streamline content distribution and basic formatting, medical content still requires significant manual oversight for accuracy and compliance. Tools like Relixir's enterprise GEO content engine can automate publishing workflows while maintaining the human medical review layer that's essential for healthcare content credibility.

What content volume should companies target when building medically reviewed content operations?

Starting with 5-10 articles per month allows for proper quality control establishment, then scaling to 20-40 articles monthly as team expertise grows. Hims' 40-article cadence represents a mature operation with established processes, significant medical oversight, and dedicated content infrastructure that took years to develop.

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