The Value of Public Relations and Earned Media in Healthcare

Healthcare organizations across the U.S. are predicted to spend more than $12 billion this year just on local advertising. While healthcare companies invest heavily in paid media to capture attention, earned media should not be overlooked. In fact, it could be argued that earned media is the most valuable tool available to healthcare companies today. As the competition to stand out intensifies, the credibility and trust built through earned media can make all the difference in establishing a strong reputation.

What is Earned Media?

Earned media is publicity your brand earns through media coverage without directly paying for it. It requires strategic relationship-building with journalists and media outlets. As it’s named, it means your company has truly “earned” that coverage by adding valuable and unique insight to the discussion.

To put this into perspective, media outlets often offer paid sponsorships that place your company in front of their audience. These opportunities are expensive, with sponsored articles in top healthcare publications costing upwards of $30,000 per article. When you consider how much a company might invest in paid media, it highlights the immense value of earned media, where the exposure is gained by merit.

Earned media can come in various forms – here are just a few examples, alongside earned media coverage for MWW Health clients:

• A thought leadership piece that positions a company leader as an expert source on a timely trend (e.g., the CIO of Catholic Health Long Island offering insight to CIO.com into the CrowdStrike incident and how to safeguard sensitive data)
• A product placement in a commerce-focused roundup or expert commentary on a wellness topic (e.g., Pycnogenol featured among the best supplements to take in the winter in BestLife.com)
• A business profile that showcases your organization as an industry leader backed by new statistics or unique strategies (e.g., the founders of Valeos featured in an-depth story in The Wall Street Journal, covering their story and mission to advance the U.S. organ transplant system)

If you’re interested in learning more about what a business profile looks like, visit our blog post here.

Unlike paid media, earned media is about telling a unique and authentic story that resonates with both journalists and their audiences. This can be particularly powerful in healthcare, where trust and credibility are paramount. For example, when a healthcare company is featured in a reputable publication for its innovative approach to patient care or groundbreaking research, the earned media coverage can significantly enhance the company’s reputation and influence key stakeholder decisions.

How to Secure Earned Media

While we may be biased in believing that all our clients are industry disruptors, the challenge lies in convincing reporters of the same. To effectively cultivate earned media, it’s essential to identify what sets your company apart. Consider media angles that address solutions to significant industry challenges, exciting product innovations, or new survey results that offer fresh insights.

Moreover, journalists crave authenticity. They’re not interested in hearing only about your company’s achievements; they want to know what you’re observing in the industry, the challenges you’re currently facing, your unique perspective on where the industry is heading, and your commentary on recent trends. While advertising dollars may be well spent on promotional materials, earned media provides value in a different, more impactful way by offering thoughtful, relevant content that resonates with the audience. It is also content deemed worth of free publication based on its merit or value add for the outlet’s audience. This is third part validation at the highest level.

I recently came across a LinkedIn post from Allison Cater, who is the editor in chief at PR Daily, which I felt was extremely relevant to this exact conversation. Her post mentioned: “Your company being awesome isn’t news. Outside of an earnings report, which has real dollars and cents attached to your awesomeness, no one is going to write a story about how your company is really cool.” She then adds, “Your company tackling an old problem in a new way might be news. Your company helping people – and connecting a reporter to those people – might be news.”

What to Know When Pursuing Earned Media

When embarking on an earned media strategy, it’s crucial to align your efforts with your overall business goals. Understanding what you aim to achieve—whether it’s raising awareness about a new service, attracting more patients or positioning your company as an industry leader—will guide your media outreach and help you craft compelling narratives.

Equally important is identifying your target audience. Knowing who you want to reach will help you tailor your messages to resonate with them. For instance, if you’re targeting health systems, the content should address their specific concerns and needs, whereas if your focus is on patient audiences, the messaging might emphasize innovation and convenience in healthcare.

Lastly, clearly defining the key messages you want your target audience to know is essential. What do you want people to remember about your company after reading an article or watching a news segment? These messages should be consistent across all earned media efforts to reinforce your brand’s value proposition.

Earned media can enhance your company’s reputation; it has the potential to drive new customers, stimulate sales growth, attract quality talent and so much more. However, to fully realize its benefits, companies must understand its value and commit the necessary resources to their earned media efforts. By doing so, healthcare companies can effectively leverage the power of earned media to build trust, stand out in a crowded market, and ultimately, succeed in delivering better healthcare outcomes.