[First of two parts] Two “PR-painful” news stories caught our attention recently. They are the kind of thing that makes the job of hospital public relations and community relations a challenge and headache…but, they illustrate why there are times that hospitals need professional help. For the hospitals involved— South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, GA, and […]
The concept of “free publicity” appeals to medical practices and providers because it appears to be…well, free. It turns out that that “free” is something of a misnomer. In healthcare—for that matter, in any industry—communications professionals recognize that the process that results in positive publicity is time intensive and rarely easy. Ultimately, the story that appears […]
Doctors are often called upon by members of the news media to speak or be quoted as an authoritative source. Often, that’s good, but there could be a downside. Physicians, medical practice administrators and hospital marketing and PR executives need to consider that sometimes reporters are not digging for gold, they are digging for dirt. […]
The people you see on the nightly TV news make appearing on camera look easy. Study them for a few minutes. The anchor desk types—the particularly good ones—are calm, collected and confident. And, with years of training and experience, they deliver a sense of authority, sincerity and believability. So there you have it. As a […]
We want to spotlight two great hospital marketing and public relations examples that we noticed in the news recently. For administrators and communications professionals, these are hospital case examples with lessons worth emulating. Both Scripps Health (San Diego) and Cleveland Clinic (uh…in Cleveland) offered textbook performances just days ahead of the US Supreme Court’s decision […]
There’s something unsettling about the healthcare article in The Seattle Times last week; it seems a bit out of balance. We’re guessing that the hospital public relations professionals in the Puget Sound area are scratching their heads over this one also. Is this a legitimate news story or a media-invented tempest in a teapot? The […]
When healthcare makes news, journalists—both print and broadcast—want quotes and sound bites that give their stories more excitement, interest and depth. Physicians and surgeons are often sought by the media as authoritative sources for “quote-able” quotes and interesting sound bites. And that’s a sterling opportunity for medical practice marketing and PR to stand in the […]
