By David Cumpston, Senior Director
Healthcare PR has changed over the years, there are now multiple factors to take into consideration to run a successful healthcare PR campaign. From the importance of following HIPAA regulations to staying on top of ever-changing medical information (particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic), one must think critically when devising an effective campaign for healthcare organizations. What is successful healthcare public relations though?
Healthcare Public Relations
Medical and healthcare public relations is one of the fastest growing PR sectors and is a crucial tool to businesses in the health industry. Healthcare public relations is the use of multiple marketing tools like press releases to share a strategic and well-planned message. Here are three tips to keep in mind:
Three Proven Healthcare PR Tips
Utilizing these three tips will promote a successful PR campaign and help you hit the ground running.
- Maintain a cadre of media-trained spokespeople. Although the availability of talking heads is key to any successful proactive campaign, it’s particularly important in healthcare. Doctors, nurses and medical experts are very busy people. If you’re working with a large, multi-faceted organization like a hospital, be sure to identify several top-notch spokespeople from each main practice area who also are trained for media interviews and will make themselves available.
- Localize national healthcare stories. In addition to pitching local angles, stay on top of the stories being covered nationally and figure out how to “newsjack” them for your local market. For instance, when an organization like the American Heart Association releases a national study about heart disease in children, determine whether your organization can address this or a related issue for a local audience.
- Seal your pitches with a “KISS.” In other words, know your audience and speak in a way that they’re sure to understand. Use simplified language whenever possible – especially when describing complex medical terminology – and include real-life scenarios as tangible examples to help paint the story.
What are your favorite best practices when it comes to running a successful healthcare public relations campaign? Leave a comment below and tell us about it.
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Related articles:
- What is healthcare PR and how does it work?
- Public relations assumes critical role as organizations up their communications game
- During a global pandemic, healthcare PR takes center stage
Have more questions? Want to learn more about LCI and healthcare public relations? Leave me a comment below or send an email to [email protected].
A ready pool of media trained spokespersons is vital!
David, great thoughts. Because spokespeople who work in the healthcare and medical fields are among the busiest professionals on the planet, it’s critical to have a stable of potential spokespeople from which to draw on for interview opportunities. Cheers, David
Great tips – a few more:
1. Have case studies ready to go (you have to deal with HIPAA rules and obtain consent
2. Use data such as: how many people have this disease, are hospitalized, how are different demographics affected, etc.
This is excellent advice, David, as we have seen through our experiences with various clients at LCI. Finding a human touchpoint – be it the patient or the provider – through which to tell a timely story is really critical.
Excellent advice, David. Healthcare stories resonate the most when specific — and human– experiences are shared.