As a physician, launching a PR and media relations campaign, you can have a number of objectives. Your aim may be to bring in more patients, to establish your practice, to establish yourself as one of the primary experts in your field, or to separate yourself from the competition. All those objectives are sound and can be accomplished through an effective public relations outreach. Every physician has his or her own needs and goals and it’s important to tailor each media campaign to achieve those specific aims.
In the past we’ve placed physicians and health care professionals in a wide range of media outlets from local and regional media to such national outlets as Oprah, the Today Show, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and hundreds of other media outlets. But, apart from reaching a physician’s target market, establishing their brand and establishing them as experts in their fields, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of health and medical PR is that by presenting informative and educational stories to the media, we’ve been able to impact people’s lives.
We’ve worked with a wide range of physicians including oncologists, cardiologists, pain management specialists, ob-gyns, and pulmonary specialists. Each one has had unique patient stories to tell and each one has addressed issues that affect hundreds, thousands and sometimes millions of people.
By taking these stories to the media we in turn have been able to offer options and solutions for patients who were often unaware that new approaches, treatments or modalities existed.
These stories have offered hope and guidance. After stories on a physician or treatment have been published in a magazine or newspaper or have aired on TV, not only have new local patients decided to seek help, there have been several instances where patients have flown cross country or from foreign countries to seek help, guidance and treatment.
I’ve found this type of media outreach to be the most gratifying. Whereas the campaigns are designed to reach a physicians target market, grow a medical practice, establish him or her as an expert and gain the credibility and validation which comes from being featured in the news, they are also designed to educate and inform
As a physician, one of the most important aspects to keep in mind when launching a health or medical-oriented public relations campaign is how important the information you’re offering can be. Through the media you are able to directly communicate with hundreds, thousands or millions of people. Some may be directly dealing with the problem, symptoms or disease you’re addressing, others may know a friend or a family member who could use the information. There will be treatments, approaches, and options you offer that may not be new within the medical community, but could be new to many patients. The information you offer can often it can be a life changer.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011
Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for such publications as Us, Rolling Stone and other local and national publications. He served as editor-in-chief of two Los Angeles-based entertainment and lifestyle-oriented publications, and co-founded Phillips & Mora Entertainment, a public relations and personal management company, which ventured into video and film production. In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. a Los Angeles-based media relations company that specializes in media placement, image development, and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other local, national, and international media outlets. Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has written three books.