How To Effectively Use Brand Journalism at Your Health Care Organization

February 18, 2016 “As a former TV reporter, I have had a unique chance to see multiple organizations and topics competing for media coverage in a crowded market,” says Lisa Arledge Powell, President of MediaSource, a content-focused health care public relations firm.

“But in the past few years,” she says, “the growth of new media has opened up many more avenues for publicity and the process of how to get your stories picked up has changed. The result is a new set of rules—and a wealth of new opportunities in a cutting-edge tactic called ‘brand journalism’—for health care organizations looking to promote their great work.”

Brand journalism, Arledge Powell notes, is “defined as discovering and creating news content on behalf of a brand,” and it relies on good storytelling. “In health care, we have all the elements of a captivating story at our fingertips, including cutting-edge discoveries, compelling patients, and the promise of hope.”

The concept turns the traditional model of marketing and PR on its head, she says. Instead of shipping out press releases and hoping other outlets find them worthy of publication, health care organizations can now report on their own stories in their own way.

She offers a simple strategy to get started: “The next time you write a story to promote the great work your organization is doing, consider skipping the CEO as your source and using a patient, doctor, or other local spokesperson instead.”

For six tips from Arledge Powell on creating effective brand journalism content, as well as how the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has been successful implementing these ideas, read her article now: Insights from a Former TV Anchor: Why Health Care Marketers Should Embrace Brand Journalism.

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President