medicalpublicrelations

The True Value of Medical PR

medicalpublicrelations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:07:35 +0000

As a physician, launching a PR and media relations campaign, you can have a number of objectives. Your aim may be to bring in more patients, to establish your practice, to establish yourself as one of the primary experts in your field, or to separate yourself from the competition. All those objectives are sound and can be accomplished through an effective public relations outreach. Every physician has his or her own needs and goals and it’s important to tailor each media campaign to achieve those specific aims.

In the past we’ve placed physicians and health care professionals in a wide range of media outlets from local and regional media to such national outlets as Oprah, the Today Show, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and hundreds of other media outlets. But, apart from reaching a physician’s target market, establishing their brand and establishing them as experts in their fields, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of health and medical PR is that by presenting informative and educational stories to the media, we’ve been able to impact people’s lives.

We’ve worked with a wide range of physicians including oncologists, cardiologists, pain management specialists, ob-gyns, and pulmonary specialists. Each one has had unique patient stories to tell and each one has addressed issues that affect hundreds, thousands and sometimes millions of people.

By taking these stories to the media we in turn have been able to offer options and solutions for patients who were often unaware that new approaches, treatments or modalities existed.

These stories have offered hope and guidance. After stories on a physician or treatment have been published in a magazine or newspaper or have aired on TV, not only have new local patients decided to seek help, there have been several instances where patients have flown cross country or from foreign countries to seek help, guidance and treatment.

I’ve found this type of media outreach to be the most gratifying. Whereas the campaigns are designed to reach a physicians target market, grow a medical practice, establish him or her as an expert and gain the credibility and validation which comes from being featured in the news, they are also designed to educate and inform

As a physician, one of the most important aspects to keep in mind when launching a health ormedical-oriented public relations campaign is how important the information you’re offering can be. Through the media you are able to directly communicate with hundreds, thousands or millions of people. Some may be directly dealing with the problem, symptoms or disease you’re addressing, others may know a friend or a family member who could use the information. There will be treatments, approaches, and options you offer that may not be new within the medical community, but could be new to many patients. The information you offer can often it can be a life changer.

Why Physicians Need PR

medicalpublicrelations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:55:02 +0000

Physicians, more than most professionals, need to be aware of how they are perceived by the public. A person’s health is his or her most valuable asset, and to most there is nothing more important than picking the right healthcare practitioner. No one wants to put their health in the hands of someone they don’t trust. This is one reason why (in the health and medical world) although advertising and direct mail promotions can be successful, they can also backfire. A prospective patient does not chose a physician, healthcare provider, or a hospital, the same way he or she chooses a new Smartphone or a new set of tires.

Marketing a medical practice via a print ad or TV commercial has inherent risks. A physician does not want to be viewed as though he or she is actively selling; no prospective patient wants to be sold. Patients want to see someone they trust, someone they feel is the best in the field, and that’s why a well planned public relations campaign is so very important to building a medical practice.

The healthcare field is learning how to utilize public relations and social media as ways to connect with and communicate to the public. In over two decades working in the healthcare PR field, I’ve seen first hand how important media coverage is to physicians and hospitals. We’ve placed physicians and healthcare practitioners in a wide range of media outlets including Time, Newsweek, Oprah, the Today Show, the Wall Street journal, the New Your Times, the BBC and hundreds of other local and national media outlets. Those placements have helped build practices and establish medical experts.

On its own, the media has a tendency to run with the “if it bleeds it leads” stories. That’s not only true in medicine but in all fields. It is up to physicians, hospitals and medical professionals to offer the media instructional, educational and (yes) entertaining stories; compelling anecdotal stories that offer options new approaches and also appeal to the emotions.

People turn to experts in time of need. They look for those they can trust, and being featured in Time, USA Today, the Today Show, CNN or the Wall Street Journal, helps give the public that sense of trust. In the medical field, it’s not the physician or medical center who can buy the biggest ad or run the most commercials who get patients; it’s those that can tell the most compelling and educational human-interest stories. Stories on the newest medical breakthroughs and the newest trends and studies attract media attention. Stories on restoring someone’s health or saving the life of a loved one touch a basic human chord.

To succeed in the media world, it’s important for physicians to learn know how to speak the media’s language. They need to learn how to establish themselves as the “go-to” doctor in their specialty, and to let the media know how to contact them when they need a quote about a medical issue. They also need to learn how to reach out to media outlets, establish themselves as an expert and pitch compelling medical stories. None of this was likely taught in medical school, but as more physicians are learning, as a marketing and educational tool, nothing compares with a well thought out PR campaign.

PR for Complementary Healthcare Practitioners

medicalpublicrelations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:46:26 +0000

It’s taken the media and the traditional healthcare world quite a while to learn what the public has now known for quite a while. Complementary and alternative healthcare is a huge force in the U.S. For example, a 1998 phone survey of 1539 adults found that 42.1% in the United States had used at least one form of complementary health care within a twelve month period. That usage had increased since 1990 and continues to increase; the most used treatments were herbal medicine, massage, megavitamins, self-help groups, folk remedies, energy healing and homeopathy.

When I began working in the arena of health-oriented PR, trying to get the media to do a segment on herbs, acupuncture or bodywork was a challenge. Those modalities were considered too alternative, too out there; not mainstream enough. And if the media did do a story on acupuncture, it had to feature an acupuncturist who was also an M.D. Times have changed. Now CNN, the Today Show, Time and other mainstream media outlets all cover alternative and complementary healthcare. If you work in the world of wellness or complementary healthcare, you need to know how to work with the media and how to launch an effective PR campaign, the media floodgates have opened, but you need to learn to control the message.

Years ago, we worked with the Rolf Institute and the Heller Institute and, even though both modalities had been around for quite a while, they were still considered quite exotic by the mainstream media. We were able to launch effective campaigns, but it was a hard go. The media was weary. They were not used to covering stories that did not involve an M.D., unless it was to uncover some type of fraudulent practice. Well times have certainly changed since then. From body work and acupuncture to nutritional supplements and yoga, more modalities are making the leap from the alternative to the mainstream. Traditional hospitals now have wellness centers that cover a host of alternative modalities. More physicians are melding traditional and complementary health care in their practices.

More than anything, the public’s thirst for knowledge about their healthcare has skyrocketed. It can be confusing for an individual to understand which supplements and what modalities are best suited for them. The press understands their readers, viewers and listeners are craving information on how they can best utilize complementary health care. This time offers some amazing public relations opportunities. If you can explain your field, discuss how it works, offer anecdotal stories and present yourself to the media as an expert in your field, you’ll be well positioned to ride this healthcare information wave.

Building A Medical Practice Through Media Relations

medicalpublicrelations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:35:42 +0000

There are several reasons why physicians, more than those in other professions, can benefit from an effective media relations campaign. The traditional media is how most consumers and patients learn about the latest medical breakthroughs, news, or studies. Those physicians that are featured in the media are seen as trusted experts. They are the ones that the consumers and potential patients are going to seek out. Public relations is not simply a form of marketing, it is an effective way to inform and educate the public. Education and information are the keys to a truly successful media campaign; press coverage reaches a physician’s target market, drives patients their way and gives them validation and credibility

PR is the only form of medical marketing that effectively builds trust and credibility. Marketing a medical practice via traditional advertising has its place, but that approach has inherent risks. No patient wants to feel that he or she is being “sold”. Patients want to see someone they trust, someone they feel is the best in their field. It is that validation and trust factor that comes with being featured in the media.

Media relations is particularly important for physicians on the cutting edge, or those who are introducing new procedures or treatments, The message of safety, trust, expertise and success needs to be conveyed through the media. The validation and credibility factor needs to be established. Making decisions about health care and medical treatments can be frightening for most patients and consumers. Because of that they are reluctant to be among the first to try a new medical technique than are most consumers. Through targeted public relations a sense of trust can be established; the newer and/or more sensitive the procedure, the greater the trust that needs to be established, which is why PR is particularly important in those arenas.

As stated earlier a truly effective medical PR campaign is not just about marketing; it is also about educating and communicating with the public. A successful media relations campaign educates and informs. Used effectively, PR can not only build a medical practice, it can usher in new concepts and perspectives and shape the ideas of a community. Because of that, fact it’s important that physicians see and present themselves as educators. By utilizing the media to present their stories and show case their expertise; physicians can establish themselves as experts in their field, reach their target market and build a successful practice.

Why Hospitals Need Media Relations

medicalpublicrelations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:43:39 +0000

Health and medical stories are major topics in the news on a daily basis. Whether a news story has to do with the distribution of health care or with a new medical breakthrough, medicine and health care command the media’s attention. Health care is a business and for it to be effective it needs to be treated as one. This has always been true, but never more so than in today’s insurance and reimbursement environment. Because of that physician, health care and hospital marketing is more critical than ever. Effective media relations and PR is a necessity to help ensure continuing viability of hospitals, medical centers and medical practices in the local level and to provide the high quality of individual health care Americans expect.

The world of health care and medicine is changing and to remain effective and successful hospitals and medical institutions need to change with the times. As major changes take affect in the healthcare environment, medical providers need to understand that they are subject to the same media and market pressures and changes as any other business. Those who will succeed will understand that the landscape has changed, and they will effectively react to those changes. Marketing is a necessity if a hospital or medical center is going to succeed. There is a definite need for scrutiny, strategic planning and communication programs in order to most effectively utilize the limited resources while providing top of the line medical care. This is where hospital media relations and PR come in.

Media relations and community relations, both fall under the umbrella of public relations. Although they are often confused, they are very different processes. Each has its own objectives and focus. Media relations includes but is not limited to, developing targeted media lists, the writing and distribution of news releases, the distribution of information and releases to the media, and arranging press, radio and television interviews

Media relations is particularly important in the medical field. Patients choose a hospital or medical provider based on trust. Even in the case where the medical provider is chosen for the patient it is important that a sense of trust is created. It is precisely because the trust factor is so important that PR is the most effective form of marketing available for hospitals and health care providers. Unlike advertising or direct marketing, public relations is the only form of marketing that offers the credibility and validation of being featured in the news. The public learns of most new medical breakthroughs, studies, or procedures from the media. The physicians interviewed, or hospitals that are featured benefit from that coverage. PR needs to be an integral part of any hospital’s business plan. A successful media relations campaign not only educates and informs. Used effectively, PR can not only build a hospital’s brand and patient base, it can usher in new concepts and perspectives and shape the ideas of a community.

Patient Stories and Medical Media Relations

medicalpublicrelations — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:06:02 +0000

When it comes to PR and medical-oriented media relations,remember, your best stories are patient success stories. Yes, as the physician you’re the expert and the educator, but it’s your patient stories that in turn will tell your story. The media is looking to interest their audience, whether that audience is readers, viewers or listeners and what’s going to grab their attention is going to be stories that affect them. Although the audience is going to be interested in your expertise and information, what is going to impact them on a visceral, emotional level is going to be patient stories that they can identify with.

Make a list of patients who have interesting, impactful stories they can tell. You want these stories to illustrate how lives were changed or transformed. Contact the appropriate patients, explain how their stories can help educate and inform others who are dealing with similar problems or issues. Explain what would be involved and how this would be an important outreach to the media. This is not just a way to sell a patient on appearing in the media. Patient stories educate and inform the public. That is generally how the public learns about new procedures, treatments, and options. We’ve worked with physicians where the patients were more than willing to tell their stories because they wanted others in their situation to be able to benefit from their story. There are patients who will have no interest in speaking to the media, preferring to keep their story private. That is something to be respected. But let patients know that you are collecting anecdotal stories and that you’ll be presenting some of these stories to the media to explain and educate the public on your work. You may be surprised at how many will be willing and even eager to tell their story.

Once you have patients who are willing to tell their stories, match the various patient stories to the appropriate media outlets. For example a story about the latest breakthroughs in back surgery, would be pitched differently than a story about hormone replacement therapy. A story on a ten year old dealing with food allergies, would need a different approach altogether. If your stories include before and after photos, make sure to get images that are as professional as possible. Be sure to have your patients sign a release form.

Once you have patients who are willing to tell their story to the media, meet with them to review the questions that the media could ask them. Make your patients as comfortable as possible with the process. Remember, these patients are not only telling their stories, they’re representing you and your practice. You want them to be articulate and the presentation to be accurate and appropriate. Utilizing medical-oriented public relations can serve several purposes, it can build your practice and educate and inform the public. By getting this information to the public through the media you can improve and, in some cases, save lives.