Healthcare public relations can help you foster trust with potential buyers, gain earned media, and support your healthcare software marketing strategy. But building and implementing an effective PR strategy for healthcare requires careful thought and tactical planning.
At Spot On, we’ve worked with dozens of healthcare organizations to amplify their public presence. Here’s an in-depth look at how we help 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 can help you gain exposure to a broader audience you may not reach with your blog, social media, or online ads.
Earned media can also help you get backlinks on reputable publishers with high domain authority, which can drive high-quality traffic to your website and improve SEO. Being featured on these trusted media sources enables you to build trust with the right audience to establish your thought leadership positioning and increase brand recognition.
The importance of public relations in healthcare can’t be overstated. In an industry that’s highly regulated like healthcare, B2B buyers are especially stringent and skeptical. But they’re more likely to trust reputable publications and their vetted content. With earned media as part of your healthcare public relations, you can gain a halo effect when these publications interview you or put your byline on their articles.
Additionally, any savvy B2B healthcare public relations agency will help you integrate earned media into your marketing strategy to cross-pollinate initiatives and widen your reach. For example, you can share the links in your social media profiles and email newsletters to build trust with prospects and customers across a larger user base.
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 public relations for healthcare.
So, now you understand how public relations can help healthcare providers, but how exactly can you get your byline featured in trusted publications to reach high-quality prospects?
First, identify reputable publications with the right audience. Then, 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, look into 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.
That’s just the beginning, though. If you want to go deeper, follow these healthcare public relations best practices.
Identify the topics and content formats your desired publication looks for. Does it seek evergreen best practices or commentary on breaking news, trends, new regulations, and the latest issues? Review the publication’s 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 the media outlet has published recently, you may leverage those articles as jumping-off points. Consider writing a deep dive on one section of an existing piece, for example, or updating an older article. These are great ways to get your foot in the door and build momentum for your healthtech public relations.
Some publications expect proposals 9 –12 months in advance, and editorial deadlines for print can run as much as 3–6 months before the publication date. As such, 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. Since October is cybersecurity month, for example, you should contact print publications to pitch data privacy and security content by July. Try to make this as routine as possible by baking it into your wider health technology public relations plans, either at the start of the year or every six months.
Make it easy for editors to work with you. Give them what they want, submit clean content, and meet your deadlines.
Try your best to adhere to the site's style, too: 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 plenty of other options.
An experienced B2B SaaS content marketing or healthcare public relations agency can help here. They can often manage the editorial nuances you may not have time to navigate on your own.
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.
Whether you’re just starting out or launching a refreshed PR strategy for healthcare, you've got to start somewhere. The more pieces you write, the more likely reputable publications will contact you for content. It’s also great practice and can help hone your skills.
Reach out to editors even if a publication isn’t accepting submissions. You may introduce yourself and offer to be a source. Ask about their contribution policy and editorial calendar to identify the right opportunities — and then capitalize on them.
Managing your media budget is often a balancing act between generating 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.
As such, think about how you can fold earned media into your broader PR advertising healthcare budget and planning.
Your healthcare marketing strategy must help you build trust with your audience and establish thought leadership positioning. Health technology public relations is one of the best ways to get noticed by healthtech buyers.
At Spot On, we incorporate healthcare public relations opportunities into our 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 public relations for healthcare to enhance your visibility and brand image.
