One of our key sector areas is health & wellbeing PR & digital communications. Creating and implementing a strategy for health PR requires a different and very tailored approach so it is particularly important to have PR professionals with specialist knowledge in this area.
As the Chartered Institute for Public Relations says, “We believe that excellence in health communications can improve the wellbeing of the population”, which is something we passionately believe in.
You only have to think back to the daily government news conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Boris Johnson flanked by his two most senior medical advisors, to understand the power of health communications. From a global crisis like this to information about the launch of a new supplement or over-the-counter product, health communications can make incredible differences to people’s lives, taking this type of comms into its own unique realm.
Here are five reasons why this specialist knowledge is so important in health.
1. Health journalists are highly informed
The healthcare teams in broadcast, national newspapers and online media outlets are highly informed and knowledgeable journalists, who demand high quality, accurate information from PRs. In order to provide information that will be well received and used, and to be able to engage with these journalists, it’s essential to have specialist health sector knowledge and to have the right answers at our fingertips.
2. The power of media medics
Media medics are an incredibly powerful group of people. Experts such as Dr Hilary Jones, Dr Ellie Cannon and Dr Rosemary Leonard are practising doctors who also work in the media limelight. Relationships with doctors, nutritionists, dermatologists, gynaecologists, dietitians and others is essential in obtaining independent endorsements for brands, which create the trust that is essential for health products and services to build sales.
3. The power of planning
We believe in the power of planning and this is particularly important in health communications, where there are often additional approval considerations for the messages and the claims. All of this needs building into the plans and timings to ensure a carefully thought through campaign is achieved. Another consideration for health communications is media training, which often needs to be built into the planning process alongside external stakeholder management.
4. Crisis communications
In health communications, crisis planning can be save a brand. We are often asked to audit a client’s issues management processes, which will highlight any areas for improvement and help us to identify how to best to plan for any unexpected issues which may arise. From media training to writing statements and Q&A sheets, we can ensure that our clients are full prepped for any eventuality. You never know what is around the corner, but you can be safe in the knowledge we have planned for it.
5. Relationships
Relationships really matter in PR. We believe in forming long-lasting relationships with our clients, journalists, influencers, affiliates, followers, media medics and experts to ensure the greatest success for all involved. By understanding what these different groups of people need, and having the specialist knowledge to communicate with them all in the right way, we can curate high quality content, achieve meaningful coverage and enhance our client’s reputations.
