In the age of the internet, searching for a trustworthy electrician or mechanic can feel impossible. The internet contains a deluge of seemingly unsorted information, and finding someone you feel good about feels out of reach. The same goes for medical professionals. Enter: healthcare PR agencies. Establishing a public relations presence is key for doctors who want to enter the thought leadership space, and open doors for their practice.
Beginning with the former, we all know how fast the health and wellness space moves. Every day, there are new articles published online and in print touting the latest research, developments and trends in the wellness space. According to research published by McKinsey & Co,”around 50 percent of US consumers now report wellness as a top priority in their day-to-day lives” which is “a significant rise from 42 percent in 2020.” The research cited indicates that since the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic, Americans have been more concerned than ever with understanding and prioritizing their health. Naturally, this impacts how Americans consume media related to health and wellness.
For medical professionals, this is a key opportunity. You can either be the doctor who answers questions from your patients about articles they’ve read, or you can be the expert in those articles, speaking to topical issues in your field, contributing to the discourse, and establishing yourself as an expert.
Bringing your expert opinion into the discussion on a topical wellness-related conversation can elevate you as a local or even national go-to. Seeing as many doctors have niche specialties, stepping up and being a leading expert on a particular topic is not always as hard as it seems, and can go a long way. After being quoted on a topic or participating in a speaking engagement or panel a few times, an inertia will start to develop that helps you bolster your role as a thought leader; this is the magic of PR for doctors.
In addition to the opportunities provided by becoming a thought leader in your field of medicine and wellness, there is another absolute benefit to working with healthcare PR agencies that is worth discussing. Establishing a PR presence can position you and your practice favorably with new and unexpected opportunities. Remembering that we live in the age of the internet, the more your name is out there in the public, associated with high-quality media outlets and entities, the more likely you are to have doors opened for you. More now that ever being quoted in the media is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. When your name is linked in an article in the media it creates a backlink. That is gold for SEO and will help build your rankings.
While the primary imperative of doctors and wellness professionals is and always should be to promote the well-being of their patients; the primary imperative of PR for doctors is to promote your expertise and your practice. Engaging with the media helps medical professionals become thought leaders in the ever-evolving wellness space, and can set them apart from their competitors.