by Administrator | Dec 18, 2019 | Blog
Building relationships with journalists takes time. Smashing them to pieces takes little time at all.
One terrible, irrelevant pitch and you could end up on a journalist’s blacklist and that isn’t where you want to be. Because as any good media relations guru will tell you, we need journalists more than they need us.
To build strong relationships and maybe fix bad ones there are some basic rules of the road anyone out there sending pitches should follow, lest you end up in the SPAM folder where email goes to die!
Know What they Write and What Who they Write for Writes
Sometimes a good tongue-twister helps you to remember a basic principle such as this one do a little research! You need to know who the person and the publication is before you pitch him/her.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s actually one of the biggest problems editors run into. If they won’t accept company sources for stories and prefer to limit
themselves to end-users and customers, you need to know that. And, more importantly, you need to respect that.
No, you cannot change their mind. Instead, because you failed to know who you’re dealing with and respect their rules, you’ll just end up alienating yourself.
Give publications a call before you pitch them. Or, do what I do, drop a quick email with the subject like “Quick Question” and just ask what it’ll take to get a
story covered. And then take the response as a Commandment. It’s as simple as that.
Use the Medium of their Choice
Media relations people are told all the time “you have to make the calls!” Well, that’s true sometimes. And sometimes, it’s not true at all.
The fact is if it’s a solicitation or a pitch editors prefer email almost universally. That said, a quick phone call to remind them you sent one is probably OK for most editors. Don’t, however, overstay your welcome. Keep calls brief. And if an editor tells you they prefer email, keep to that avenue.
I have been yelled at on the phone once or twice for calling someone I shouldn’t have. My advice to avoid this is to 1) check your PR software, such as Cision, and read the notes to see if a journalist explicitly states that they prefer email; and 2) try to limit your calls to work numbers.
Just because you can get a journalist’s personal cellphone doesn’t mean you should call them on the same line. Like everyone else, they use their phones primarily to like baby photos on Facebook and to swipe left on Tinder mirror selfies. They probably don’t want a call on their personal line so don’t do it.
Don’t sound like Rachel From Cardholder Services during phone calls, and don’t make your emails look like marketing blasts. Talk and write to editors as if they are real people and as if you’re a real person (I failed to develop a good tongue-twister, but I tried).
Keep it Real
Keep it real. If you’re writing an email, keep it brief and just offer a story. Don’t drone on and on about a product and how great it is no one cares. And if you’re calling an editor, don’t jump into a monologue, because no one will listen.
Just try to have a conversation, weave in the most important information, and be yourself. If you don’t fall back on your personality, you shouldn’t be in media
relations.
People skills are a huge part of the job, and good people skills shine most when those people are being themselves.
by Administrator | Jul 9, 2019 | News
2019 Top Women in Healthcare Awards
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. July 9, 2019 Amendola Communications founder and CEO Jodi Amendola has been named a finalist for the PR News Top Women in Healthcare for 2019 award. The prestigious award recognizes the most innovative women in the healthcare public relations space. Amendola was singled out for her work leading and executing high-performing global communications campaigns for leaders in healthcare information technology, biotech and beyond.
Other award finalists include executives from some of the nation’s best-known healthcare organizations, including Blue Cross NC, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, and Dignity Health.
Amendola is a recognized HIT PR veteran, who has won numerous industry awards, including PR News’ Top Women in PR for 2017, PRSourceCode’s “Top PR Pro” award (multiple years) and an elite Forty-Under-40 Business Leader by the Phoenix Business Journal.
Amendola and her team have created high-impact PR and marketing campaigns for an extensive client roster that has included Intel, McKesson, Allscripts, Health Catalyst, etc. Founded in 2004, Amendola Communications has been recognized by PRSourceCode as a “Best-of-the-Best” agency nationwide for several years, and the firm has been named a top Healthcare Agency in Ragan and PR Daily’s Ace Awards.
Amendola is an active member of the National Charity League and has served on numerous leadership boards, including AzHIMSS, the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, X2 Health Network, D.A.R.E. NJ and the Community Resource Council.
Most recently, Amendola was unanimously appointed to the board of the Help in Healing Home Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in Phoenix that offers low-cost lodging and care to patients recovering from major surgeries or awaiting transplants. Amendola Communications provides pro bono marketing and promotional PR support for the Foundation.
“I am so grateful for this honor and want to acknowledge my colleagues, clients, employees, associates and family who have supported me along the way,” said Jodi Amendola. “Being recognized by PR News is an honor that inspires me to give back. I am so proud of our agency’s mission to accelerate the market success of innovative health and healthcare technology companies, playing a vital role in improving the health of people everywhere.”
The Top Women in Healthcare Awards Luncheon will take place on July 16, 2019 at The Yale Club in New York City. The event will bring together female leaders from a wide range of healthcare organizations, all working to better the lives of patients and the broader community through their work.
Media contact:
Marcia Rhodes, Amendola Communications
mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
480.664.8412 ext. 15
by Administrator | Sep 12, 2018 | Blog
For several years now we all have lived in luxury, enjoying free content on the Internet that’s paid for through ads and data mining, with no paywall to contend with. But, as many prominent media outlets have noted, things are beginning to change.
Back in the early days of the Internet (and in the print media era of old), we as consumers paid for the content we wanted to read and watch. With the advent of Adblock Plus not to mention a reduction in advertising budgets many news websites and online magazines are going back to subscription business models, unable to maintain profits with optional “premium” services and banner ads alone.
What does this mean for those of us in media relations? It means we’re going to have to set expectations for our clients, educating them on the state of the media. Because like it or not, it does seem more paywalls are popping up, which means public relations and marketing plans have no choice but to adapt.
On its face, things may appear dire it’s hard to share content on social media and on a personal blog when a link appears behind a paywall. But, there are some positive takeaways to the coming “subscription era” of Internet journalism that could mean more meaningful placements, better quality leads, and superior content than what we’re getting now in the “free and open” era of Internet publication.
Subscribers Read and Readers are Your Target Audience
I’m a bit of a hipster. So, I still subscribe to a few print magazines. Since I don’t like my money to go to waste, I actually read those magazines, sometimes even cover-to-cover. I also subscribe to a couple newspapers online, and I check them every day, reading the content that’s relevant to me and subscribing directly to the RSS feeds of columns and writers I like the most.
The takeaway here is this: Those who pay for content are more likely to actually read it. Studies have shown most people don’t read the content on their social media feed, often sharing links without even clicking on them. I’ll argue that this is a product of the free content era, wherein the overabundance of choice has rendered us all lost in a sea of noise. While it may be nice to get a social media share or a link click, ultimately what does that really mean in terms of educating the public on your business, thought leaders, and relevant news?
If you ask me, the answer might be “not much.” Too often our metrics for success are superficial, measured in total number of social media shares, clicks, and engagements, even if those engagements are largely the result of bots and humans users who act like bots. But, if someone subscribes to a publication, they are more likely to actually do some reading, because they have a financial stake in supporting that content. That means more meaningful social media shares and readers who actually do you guessed it some reading. This translates to real discussion and genuine interest, not just some generic comment and a quick share that’s aimed at strictly producing numbers.
If someone subscribes to an online (or print) magazine, that means they are genuinely interested in the topic. Ideally, when it comes to a media interview or byline that you want read, your target audience is interested. The subscription era means more quality readers, even if the quantity of superficial shares and clicks is reduced.
Building Meaningful Relationships
It’s an unspoken truth of media relations backs need to be scratched, and sometimes your thoughtful expert source means less than the source from a company who bought an ad. It’s not fair and, quite frankly, it reduces the quality of the content journalists produce, but that’s the reality of for-profit media. Ads are how publications stay in business, at least for now.
As advertising budgets begin to dry up across the board, the “pay-for-play” approach to journalism is harder to navigate for companies looking to get coverage, particularly for smaller startups who are still working to expand and turn a profit.
A positive outcome to a subscription business model means ads will no longer determine who gets an interview, since the primary source of revenue would ideally be subscriptions. Further, “sponsored content” will no longer be a path to regular byline publication. Like in the days of old, sources will be judged based more on merits, and journalists will begin, once again, to seek the stories that are most interesting to them and their readers.
Much as how the subscription model means an increase in quality readers, the same holds true for the content journalists produce. For those in media relations, that means we can build meaningful relationships with journalists for the mutual benefit of providing sources, who in turn get their name and message into stories that are far more genuine than those produced under the guise of advertising.
While free content will likely persist long into the future, the trend seems to be that the best publications are going to put themselves behind a paywall before too long. This will bring challenges, particularly when it comes to sharing content on company blogs and in social media feeds. In time, content producers and social media users will undoubtedly adapt to these changes and find workarounds, since sharing is the key to more exposure. I think this problem will ultimately solve itself, though admittedly things won’t be as straightforward as they are presently.
Sure, it may seem strange now to imagine an Internet where all content isn’t free, but it’s coming. And there are positive aspects to this transformation that could benefit everyone involved in the media placement chain, from thought leaders to journalists and those of us in between. One thing is for certain, it’s best to embrace this future instead of combatting it because those who are prepared will be best equipped to navigate the changing landscape and find success. One thing is for certain: Subscription models do not signal the end of journalism, which means media relations will continue to play an important role in earning placements.
by Administrator | Nov 28, 2017 | News
Company behind nation’s most widely used care management system for pop health taps HIT PR agency to promote its solutions for value-based and integrated care
SCOTTSDALE, AZ Nov. 28, 2017–Amendola Communications, an award-winning healthcare marketing and public relations agency, is thrilled to add population health technology pioneer HealthBI to its customer family. Amendola will be a key player in HealthBI’s plans for rapid growth in 2018, promoting solutions that are already the most widely deployed of their kind while expanding awareness of the company as a visionary thought leader in value-based and integrated care.
These thought leadership messages will be of particular importance in 2018 as more payers engage providers in risk-based contracts. Under such reimbursement models, payers and providers must enter into a newly collaborative relationship and share tools that give insight into the patient’s real time picture of health. HealthBI is not only a knowledgeable vendor of the technology solutions needed, it has a keen understanding of how to enable provider adoption indeed, embrace of healthcare that focuses on quality and better outcomes.
“Jodi Amendola and her team at Amendola Communications clearly get the HealthBI value proposition. With their deep and broad understanding of the healthcare landscape, we are confident that we have selected the ideal partner to promote our mission far and wide,” said Scott McFarland, President, HealthBI.
Amendola will help build HealthBI’s thought leadership profile through a mix of targeted media relations, byline article placements, and strategic speaking opportunities. Additionally, the agency is helping HealthBI produce a knowledge library that will feature case studies and guides on a range of topics from using technology to reduce unnecessary high utilization of ED and acute care, to successfully integrating behavioral healthcare and primary care, to spurring provider adoption of quality and performance monitoring.
“Very soon after our introduction to HealthBI, we realized this company is poised to help the healthcare industry fully embrace value-based care and integrated care. Given the tremendously positive impact these models of care are set to make, it is incredibly exciting to help HealthBI advance its mission,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO, Amendola Communications.
Breaking down the barriers to better models of care
Value-based care holds the key to gaining control of our ballooning national health bill, yet the transition has been difficult for providers and payers to make. In a parallel development, the movement to integrate medical and mental healthcare may finally help improve outcomes for a long-underserved population, yet this shift, too, has been challenging to navigate.
HealthBI’s technology solutions and health data expertise are aimed at making the transitions to these new models of care successful and cost-effective. The company’s flagship care management and care coordination platform brings all care teams together to improve outcomes for even the highest risk patients, while helping both payers and providers meet quality measures.
About HealthBI
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, HealthBI was created by a team of industry leaders and physicians to fill the need for tools that enable health care payers and providers to reduce admissions and readmissions, automate care transition and improved value-based care performance and HEDIS outcomes. Today, the company’s care management and care coordination platform for population health management is the most widely deployed in the nation used in over 60,000 clinical sites across 50 states. HealthBI customers have reported results that span from a 25 percent decrease in 30 day re-admits to a nearly 300 percent improvement in closing gaps in patient care. To learn more about HealthBI, visit healthbi.com and follow HealthBI on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Jodi Amendola | jamendola@acmarketingpr.com | 602-614-3182
by Administrator | Nov 27, 2017 | News
Healthcare IT public relations agency Amendola Communications advises how to tweak next year’s campaigns for more impact
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 20, 2017 Now is not only a good time to make personal resolutions for the coming year, it’s also an ideal time to plan what to do different professionally especially for PR and marketing pros who want bigger and better results in 2018. For tips on how to get more out of your own PR and marketing campaigns next year, check out the following selected blog posts from Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and healthcare IT public relations and marketing agency.
If You Really Want to Sell More Products, Lose the Jargon
Next year, make a point of injecting more personality in your messaging. The fastest path: lose the corporate-speak. Trust us, your prospects don’t say, think or write statements like, “I really need to buy a healthcare IT system that improves operational efficiencies while aligning my department with enterprise-wide business objectives.” But if you’re still not convinced your target markets can handle being spoken to in real people language, read this blog to find out why you couldn’t be more mistaken.
Fire Your Inner Critic
Nothing kills creative thinking like a doubting Thomas or Debbie Downer and too often, these very critics are ourselves. If your own inner critic is taking up too much of the conversation, it’s time to banish him or her for good. All your ideas for new marketing and PR campaigns will thank you for it! This blog explains how to silence your inner critic and proceed full speed ahead to achieve your goals.
Why Good Clients Are Key for Great PR – and How to Be One
Speaking of great ideas, maybe you have plenty, but lack the time to actually execute them. If that’s the case, it’s probably time you turn to a proven healthcare IT public relations agency. Of course, even the best agencies need clients that bring certain attributes to the table. Check them out in this blog, then check out Amendola Communications. We could be a great match!
Amendola’s blog covers all things public relations and marketing. A go-to source for communications professionals, the blog publishes on a weekly basis and features over a dozen subject matter experts in every aspect of publicizing and marketing healthcare technology companies.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes | mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
