Effective healthcare public relations help you foster trust with potential buyers, gain earned media, and support your healthcare software marketing strategy. This post shows how we help our clients build credibility, reach the right decision-makers, and position their brands as reputable, trusted healthcare technology providers.
Earned media (or free media) is publicity or exposure you receive through non-paid means like word of mouth, social sharing, or media coverage. It helps you gain exposure to a broader audience you may not reach with your blog, social media, or online ads.
Earned media helps you get backlinks on reputable publishers with high domain authority to drive high-quality traffic to your website and improve SEO. Being featured on these trusted media sources also enables you to build trust with the right audience to establish your thought leadership positioning and increase brand recognition.
Appearing in the media helps establish credibility and enhance PR in healthcare. B2B buyers trust reputable publications and their vetted content. You gain a halo effect when they interview you or put your byline on their articles.
Additionally, you may leverage earned media in your marketing strategy. For example, you can share the links in your social media profiles and email newsletters to build trust with prospects and customers.
With some high-quality articles under your belt, you may contact more established publications or apply to speak at conferences. Such credibility can open doors and create a snowball effect to support your overall healthcare public relations strategy and maximize the power of PR in healthcare.
So, how do you get your byline featured in trusted publications to reach high-quality prospects?
Identify reputable publications with the right audience and see if they accept contributed content. Research the process, know to whom you should pitch (e.g., editors covering specific beats), and submit high-quality content based on each publisher's guidelines.
Also, see where your competitors publish their content. You may discover outlets you weren’t aware of before. While it's great to shoot for the stars (e.g., the New York Times technology section), don't overlook small trade publications that can help you gain a foothold in the media.
Follow these healthcare public relations best practices to pitch the right publications:
Find out the topics and content format a publication looks for. For example, does it seek evergreen best practices or commentary on breaking news, trends, new regulations, and the latest issues? Review its editorial calendars and pitch within the themes. Also, identify trending topics to ensure your subject matter is relevant to the target audience.
While you should avoid pitching a topic that the media outlet has published recently, you may leverage those articles as jumping-off points, such as writing a deep dive on one section of an existing piece or an update on an older article.
Some publications expect proposals nine to 12 months in advance, and editorial deadlines for print can run as much as three to six months before the publication date. Plan your inquiries and submissions to get in front of the editors at the right time.
Also, writing about a timely subject can help increase your chances of getting published. For example, October is cybersecurity month. You should contact print publications to pitch data privacy and security content by July.
Make it easy for editors to work with you — give them what they want, submit clean content, and meet your deadlines. Also, adhere to the site's style: Does it use long or short paragraphs? Does it favor bullet points and numbered lists? What topics are most popular among its audiences? Review other stories on the website to help craft your content.
Most publications prioritize exclusive content, so don’t send the same article to different outlets. If you want to focus on a specific topic, find a unique angle for each submission or submit to one publication at a time. Be patient with the submission process and give the editors time to respond.
Most publications have guidelines forbidding promotional content that mentions a company’s products or services. Your submission should focus on building trust with your audience and getting backlinks for SEO.
Hire experienced writers and editors to conduct thorough internal reviews to ensure your content is non-promotional and of high value. Avoid submitting articles that need a lot of editing. If you make it difficult to publish your content, editors won't want to work with you again — they have choices.
When an article is published, share the link on social media and tag the publication. If an editorial staff member interviewed you, tag that person as well. Also, share other content from the site to build goodwill and relationships.
Leverage the content to your advantage — reshare the article on social media, promote it to your email list, and include the link on your website. Also, encourage your team to share the post with their networks on LinkedIn.
You've got to start somewhere — the more pieces you write, the more likely reputable publications will contact you for content. Reach out to the editors even if a publication isn’t accepting submissions. You may introduce yourself and offer to be a source. Also, ask about their contribution policy and editorial calendar to identify the right opportunities.
Managing your media budget is often a balancing act between earned media and sponsored (paid) content. While free or low-cost publications are attractive, don't discount pay-to-play opportunities on sites with high domain authority that will share your articles with their email lists and social media following.
Your healthcare marketing strategy must help you build trust with your audience and establish thought leadership positioning. PR in healthcare is one of the best ways to get noticed by health tech buyers.
At Spot On, we incorporate healthcare public relations opportunities into our healthcare marketing strategy to help healthcare SaaS companies reach their digital marketing goals. Schedule a time to chat with us to see how we can help you leverage PR in healthcare to enhance your visibility and brand image.
