Every industry is filled with its own nuances and quirks, and good PR people are quick to learn the ins and outs to ensure they find the right client coverage. Healthcare tech is no exception, and can even be one of the more difficult industries in which to pitch. How can you find the right outlet for your client, while also bolstering relationships with the media?
Keep these top tips in mind to help ensure that your pitch makes its way to the top of the reporter’s inbox.
Know the Industry
Healthcare is a highly regulated, extremely complex industry. The technology is ever-evolving, and there are always regulations being proposed for governmental approval. Subsequently, reporters are experts in their respective areas within healthcare. If you pretend to know how a company’s product or service will impact healthcare, smart reporters will call your bluff.
Not only does your pitch have to show you are knowledgeable, but you must actually be knowledgeable. Your pitch could be perfectly on point, but what if the reporter responds with a clarification question? Can you answer it accurately?
Educate yourself in the areas that apply to your client. Do you have a cloud software company looking for exposure? Read as much as you can about the healthcare cloud. Is your client’s secure texting application going to change how doctors communicate? Read the latest news about secure messaging, and teach yourself the nitty gritty details.
Additionally, be sure you know the outlet’s requirements. For example, while there are federal healthcare laws in place, state regulation can differ from one state to the next. Perhaps an online news source in Florida focuses on mHealth topics. Your pitch on how a New York healthcare tech company is ready to make waves in revenue cycle management will definitely miss the mark.
That being said, when you’ve shown that you have done your research and are pitching to a relevant source, your credibility level is sure to rise above the rest.
Focus on the Innovation
When crafting your pitch, it’s important to demonstrate value by pushing creative and unique approaches to age-old problems. Don’t start with the details – explain why this is an important story. For example, how does this product help patients?
Lots of companies have a “solution,” but you need to show how something is innovative. Healthcare is filled with challenges, and suppliers and vendors need to communicate how products and/or services will meet them. Instead of saying, “We have a solution to lagging provider and patient communication,” explain how your client bridges the communication gap between providers and patients.
Additionally, details are important, but they are not what is going to get a reporter’s attention. Too many intricacies up front will help ensure that your pitch is tossed to the side. Focus on the who, what, where, when and why. Get to the point and keep it simple. Once you have their interest, then you can toss in more details to further explain.
Create and Maintain Relationships
Building your network of contacts is only going to be beneficial down the road. Strong working relationships will help out both you and the media. Reporters also want good two-way relationships: you could be a top source for a comment from a subject matter expert in the future. Just because a story may not pan out does not mean that you can never utilize that reporter for something else later on.
Also, stay connected through multiple social media channels – Twitter and LinkedIn are great ways to see what reporters are working on. Not only can this help you find an appropriate media outlet, it also shows that you pay attention and know what a reporter actually covers.
A journalist who regularly writes about the healthcare cloud, virtualization, and artificial intelligence (AI) probably would not appreciate receiving a story about claims management. But if you pitch timely, innovative and applicable stories, that reporter will likely take note and remember you for having on-point pitches.
Successful healthcare tech PR pitching requires research and dedication. In an industry that directly impacts people, the benefits of a perfect pitch could truly be life-changing.
