Crafting Impactful Healthcare Press Releases: Tips for Effective PR

Press releases serve as a powerful method for businesses to share updates with the public and make important announcements, helping them capture media interest. The healthcare industry is one in which information can directly affect patient care, health services, and medical advances, so a well-crafted healthcare press release can be highly effective.

Whether it is launching a new medical practice, conducting breakthrough research, or implementing a public health campaign, the ability to construct an effective healthcare press release that makes an impact is relevant and vital. This blog post guides the fundamental steps in creating an effective healthcare press release.

Why Healthcare Press Releases Are Important?

In 2023, the estimated size of the PR market worldwide slightly decreased after peaking at 20 billion U.S. dollars the year prior. Healthcare is not stagnant and will keep changing with new research findings, technology, and patient care. A structured health press release allows healthcare providers, organizations, or companies to let the public, journalists, and industry professionals know important news that touches them personally.

When well-executed, PR makes an organization credible and even helps change patient conditions because people need to be informed of new critical developments. An official record of the organization’s news is a press release. They will also be helpful for promotions and PRs. Nowadays, since online information can readily be accessed, one needs to have a digital press release to gain visibility.

Critical Components of a Health Care Press Release

Like any other type of news release, a healthcare press release is written using a defined framework. Let’s discuss some of the essential components that should appear:

Headline

The headline should be clear and attention-grabbing, as it’s the first thing the journalists and the readers read. It should tell them immediately what the announcement is all about and why. In health care, especially, the headline must represent accuracy and professionalism.

Example: “New Cancer Treatment Facility Opens to Improve Patient Outcomes”

Subheading

This gives the reader more background about what the press release is all about. Thus, the subheading should add value by providing even more context to the reader.

Dateline

The dateline will include the location of the announcement and the day it is being published. This is a standard of most press releases.

The lead paragraph is the most important. Summarize the critical point of the healthcare press release in one or two sentences. The press release should answer the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Tell the reader what the fundamental news is and why it matters now.

Example: “City Hospital now opens its new state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility, which shall now become the beacon at the region’s forefront of innovative treatments for its patients and thus lead to increased survival rates and quality of life. “

Body Paragraph

The body will elaborate on the announcement made in the lead paragraph. The healthcare industry relies heavily on accuracy or clarity, which must be easily understood by the public and professionals. Offer a space for introduction and background, which may include quotes by critical stakeholders, along with any details that strengthen the claims of the announcement.

Example: Add statistics about how the new facility will benefit patients, information about the development in healthcare, or quotes from prominent doctors participating in the project.

Boilerplate

The boilerplate is a concise paragraph at the bottom of the release that includes information about the organization or the health facility. Here, they provide general information about the company or institution, such as its history, date of establishment, and critical services.

Contact Information

Take the contact information of a media representative or an individual authorized to speak on behalf of the business. Leave an email address, a phone number, and even a name.

Role of Digital Press Releases in Health Care

The Digital Media market worldwide is projected to grow by 7.69% (2024-2027), resulting in a market volume of US$700.20bn in 2027. Today, most people use the internet to get information on health care. Because of this, reaching a wider audience with a digital press release is essential. It is shareable to look for and can be viewed online for an extended period.

SEO best practices will guide the process when developing a digital healthcare press release. Consider using keywords that the target audience is most likely to search for, such as medical terms, certain services, or specific locations. These keywords increase the likelihood of reaching an appropriate individual searching for health information.

In addition, most healthcare organizations are now using multimedia in their press releases through images, infographics, or videos. These features will make the reader connect with the message and understand possibly tricky medical terms.

Use PR Distribution for Resulting Impact

After writing the press release, the next critical step involves PR distribution. In the health domain, audiences will be diverse, including media, professionals in the trade, medical practitioners, and general people. 

Distribution services that cater to specific healthcare information, where they’d be using them to launch the release, ensure the highest possible audience is aware of the efforts. Many of these websites are connected with every other publishing site within the medical and healthcare communities, so the right people can rest assured that the release will be viewed. News, health blogs, and social media sites are good places to spread the word.

The method used for distribution needs to be aligned with the overall strategy in the press release. When a medical health announcement follows an event at the local level, a regional-based campaign might have more productivity than a national one. News on a medical research breakthrough could also work best with industrial publications or news outlets focusing on health.

Use of PR Trends in Healthcare

Healthcare is an evolving industry, and PR trends often mirror the changes. These include an increased openness, a focus on patient-centered care, and health equity. Consider including some, if not all, of these themes in the news release to make it more relevant to the healthcare landscape today.

For instance, if they are announcing a new health initiative for underrepresented populations, the entire press release should center on how this approach aligns with current trends in health equity. Suppose they are speaking about new medical technologies. In that case, the focus should be on how these can be applied from the patient-centered perspective and what benefits flow directly to those receiving treatment.

Timeliness of the Press Release

PR campaigns, especially in the health sector, are often guided by the adage “time is everything” and should be released when the target audience is likely to notice them. For instance, when launching a flu vaccination program, it would be best to release the press at the start of flu season.

Another consideration involves the timing of when to publish the press release. For instance, the early part of the week, between Monday and Wednesday, is preferable for the journalist who covers the news, who may want to see it picked up or reported.

Measuring Success

Once the distribution is complete, they will also want to measure success by tracking media coverage and engagement. Did appropriate healthcare publications pick up the press release? Was there an increase in website traffic or patient inquiries? Most online PR distribution platforms provide basic analytics that can help see how many people view and click on the release. This information can help refine the PR strategy for future announcements.

How Press Connect Can Help You Create Effects through Their Healthcare Press Releases

It can be very challenging to construct an effective healthcare news release, but never again with the help of Press Connect. Our experts write and distribute a PR to ensure that your brand’s message reaches the right audience with their professional writing for a healthcare press release strategy.

Whether it involves announcing a new medical service, unveiling research findings, or promoting a health initiative, Press Connect can assist in navigating the often intricate landscape of healthcare PR. They will ensure your announcement reaches the correct audience with the intended message.