Public relations (PR) and marketing go hand in hand, yet they each play a distinct role in shaping your healthcare brand. But really, what is PR?
Simply put, PR is strategic communication designed to build relationships between an organization and its audience. In other words, PR is about creating influence and engagement with key stakeholders to frame the public perception of your brand. While this sounds similar to the function of marketing, there are some key differences. As a premier healthcare public relations agency representing top industry brands, Activate Health is well-versed in navigating the complexities of both PR and marketing to create a cohesive, impactful strategy.
This quick guide will help you understand how to get the most out of your PR and marketing efforts and why it’s important to take an integrated approach to both.
What’s the difference between healthcare PR and marketing?
While marketing efforts focus on driving immediate awareness and producing measurable results, PR takes a broader, more long-term approach to build relationships, enhance credibility and foster trust with key stakeholders.
Marketing might focus on promoting a specific product or service, generating leads, or increasing conversions in the short term. On the other hand, PR works behind the scenes to manage the visibility and reputation of your healthcare brand. This includes ensuring that your messaging aligns with your values and resonates with the public on an emotional level.
Healthcare marketing often emphasizes ROI and metrics like acquisition, appointment bookings, or service line growth. Public relations, however, is more about influencing perceptions through media relations, thought leadership and storytelling.
By combining the strengths of both PR and marketing, an experienced healthcare public relations agency can help your brand reach its target audience while maintaining a positive reputation in an increasingly competitive and regulated industry.
The essential role of healthcare PR
At its core, healthcare PR seeks to influence how the public views your organization through a carefully orchestrated set of communication tools. Whether it’s managing a crisis, positioning your organization or an executive as a thought leader, or earning positive press coverage, PR goes beyond quick wins to create a foundation of trust and reputation that marketing alone cannot achieve. These efforts can be seen across several key areas:
- Media relations: By cultivating strong relationships with journalists, healthcare organizations can gain coverage that enhances their credibility through having a voice in industry discussions.
- Crisis management: In moments of crisis—like a reputational issue—PR steps in to safeguard and restore trust, managing the flow of information with precision.
- Community engagement: Healthcare organizations play a pivotal role in their communities and local engagement efforts can help cultivate deeper connections with the people they serve. (For example, hospitals might organize free health screenings for underserved populations.)
- Public affairs: Advocacy on healthcare policies and initiatives strengthens an organization’s standing as a leader in the field, building important coalitions or advancing health equity along the way.
- Thought leadership: Public relations can position healthcare executives as authoritative voices on critical industry issues, which helps attract new leads and elevates the organization’s profile.
- Internal communications: By sharing external successes and media coverage with employees, PR strengthens internal alignment and fosters a unified message that empowers staff to become advocates for the organization
- Social Media: Through organic engagement on social media platforms, PR nurtures relationships with current and potential customers, creating authentic and human conversations.
The value of earned media
One of PR’s most powerful tools is its ability to generate earned media—publicity that comes organically rather than through paid promotion. While paid media—advertising and sponsored content—offers control over messaging, earned media often carries more weight. Stories shared in the press or spread through word of mouth are seen as more credible precisely because they are unsolicited.
The strategies for building earned media in healthcare are both deliberate and strategic. Organizations must:
- Deliver exceptional experiences to drive positive reviews.
- Engage meaningfully with their communities, participating in local events that generate goodwill.
- Respond quickly and professionally to negative feedback or crises, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.
- Promote positive news—whether it’s a major hire, a new service offering, or a partnership—that highlights the organization’s ongoing evolution.
Why it matters
In today’s competitive healthcare landscape, organizations are not just competing for business; they’re competing for trust. A healthcare public relations agency plays a pivotal role in shaping how your brand is perceived by consumers, healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders. While marketing helps you generate awareness and attract immediate attention, PR ensures your message is credible, authentic and lasting.
At Activate Health, we understand the unique challenges of healthcare. Our healthcare public relations agency team has the expertise to craft compelling stories, foster relationships with key media outlets and navigate complex reputation management challenges for your brand. Ready to learn more? Contact us.