PR for Healthcare Providers, Biotech & Medical Device Companies
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The document outlines the importance of public relations (PR) for biotech companies, emphasizing the need to build relationships with key audiences and communicate effectively through various media channels. It details PR strategies and tactics, such as storytelling, media relations, and written communications, and highlights the difference between PR and advertising. Additionally, it provides guidance on developing compelling narratives, targeting the right media outlets, and maintaining a clear and engaging communication style.
PR for Healthcare Providers, Biotech & Medical Device Companies
- 1. “Cracking the Media Code” Benefits of PR for BioTech Companies Shelly Gordon G2 Communications Inc. www.g2comm.com (650) 856-1607 -- off (650) 906-5698 -- cell
- 2. “THINK LIKE A WISE MAN BUT COMMUNICATE IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE” William Butler Yeats
- 3. What is PR? Public relations seeks to identify, build, and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the audiences upon whom its success or failure depends PR uses the media (editorial) to tell your company story & build your brand PR opens the door so customers are more familiar with you when sales comes to call PR is the best way to build credibility When investors, doctors and patients are aware of you they feel better about transacting with you PR is one of the most cost effective ways to capture mind share, make you stand out
- 4. What PR Is Not Free advertising for your products A rolodex full of media contacts who will write about your company whenever you call Being the star of NOVA, the cover story of Scientific American or Dr. House’s new favorite diagnostic tool!
- 5. Role of PR Develop & tell a story that sticks with the media Generate news to raise awareness and excitement among target audiences Potential investors, partners, customers (healthcare providers) Educate audiences to build understanding Articulate the unmet needs of the market
- 6. What Are Your Business Goals? Map PR strategy on to business goals Funding Alliances Acquisition IPO Competition Reach customers… soften the market
- 7. PR divided into 3 Buckets Strategic planning Positioning and key messages PR plan – analysis, strategy, objectives, tactics Product launches PR campaigns to raise awareness, change perceptions Combat competition Positioning for IPOs
- 8. 2nd PR bucket Written communications Company documents Backgrounders, fact sheets, bios, clinical papers Editorial documents Press releases, pitch letters, speaking abstracts, bylined articles, letters to the editor, case studies, POVs, Op-eds
- 9. 3rd Bucket Media relations Build awareness through traditional and social media Convince the media your story is of value to readers, viewers and listeners Newspapers, online media, digital media, industry newsletters, blogs, radio talk shows, TV news, TV medical shows, Internet radio Articles by experts for the media Social Media Influencer relationships Speaking engagements
- 10. PR Basics Press releases – Generating News Show your company is making progress, achieving milestones of success Formation of company, vision for market, executive “stars” Funding rounds Clinical trials, PMA application submissions Results of clinical trials published in JAMA New board members, speaking engagements at medical conferences Medical study that’s tangential to your product
- 11. Press Release Pitfalls Medical device and therapeutic press releases often read like an excerpt from a clinical research report Scientists say, ‘Here are our findings. Read it and believe.’ Painful to read, lacks story It took researchers months (years?) of sweat equity to achieve the results in the study Translating it into simple language would diminish all the hard work that has gone into the research There is more concerned with the precision of language than effectively communicating the message Scientists think facts should speak for themselves However, scientists must build their cases for nonscientists “They need to tell personal stories, tug at the heartstrings of people who don’t have PhDs.”* Make it personal *Wired Magazine, “Why Science Needs to Step Up Its PR Game,” May 24, 2010
- 12. Media Relations… Pitching Your Story Develop human interest stories about your treatments, implants, diagnostics, etc. Start at the end point – patient benefiting from new endoscopic surgery Stories heighten awareness of the problem Stories educate patients Personal stories, case studies connect your product with patients in need Start with trades & local media to build a foundation about your company
- 13. Story Examples for Start-Ups You have a pre-market diagnostic imaging system that detects melanoma lesions at its earliest stages within minutes While the FDA prohibits you from making claims you can… Serve as media expert for related health trends and problems, i.e., indoor tanning, summer & sunscreen Newspaper health columns, beauty blogs, TV interviews, radio talk shows, Internet radio, comment and tweet www.thedoctorstv.com/, WSJ Health Blog, NY Times “Well,” Share a specific story of someone who ignored pre- cancerous legion that turned into melanoma Include how your company is working to solve this problem
- 14. Tangential Stories About Your Company What about the founders Turning CEO into rock star Genesis of the device Industry stories Biotech start-ups take development to Europe for faster PMAs Story about startup lessons learned
- 15. Using Social Media Amplify your reach, build a following Tweeting YouTube Commenting on relevant articles, blog posts Blogging
- 16. Use PR to Change Image Pfizer known more for heavy marketing of therapeutics Company conducted PR campaign to build trust, emphasize scientific prowess & good corporate citizenship Began offering scientists as media experts Publicized charitable donations Pfizer donated 200 million doses of Zithromax to International Trachoma Initiative (Trachoma is world’s leading cause of preventable blindness)
- 17. Timing for PR Communicating at the front end founders pitch the finer points of scientific research VCs Peer conferences Medical journals Move up to communicating to patients - science must be translated into simpler language Wall St. investors Science magazines Science reporters of daily newspapers Lifestyle media, television
- 18. Where to begin… Identify target media outlets, i.e., magazines, newspapers, verticals, horizontals What do your customers read? Medical Device Daily, Xconomy, The Gray Sheet, Wall Street Journal PharmaWire/Financial Times (HARO) Newspaper – sections Healthcare, business, lifestyle, local news Healthcare magazines Business, trade journals, lifestyle websites, digital media Broadcast News, public affairs, talk shows
- 19. Target media sources Read the masthead Learn journalists beats, what they write about Peruse editorial calendars in magazines Pre-scheduled features in each issue Target 2 to 3 journalists to start Learn what they cover – know what their readers care about Research the Internet to read their last few stories
- 20. Press interviews Front-load answers, stating the important facts first rather than building to a conclusion Never answer ambush questions directly Nothing gets reported after “but” Learn to direct the interview Talk in lay terms, use as little technical jargon as possible Keep the answers short; the longer you talk, the shorter the coverage A typical sound bite is 10 to 15 seconds