AI is NOT a Healthcare PR Strategy

AI is NOT a Healthcare PR Strategy

What does our very own Grace Vinton say about AI?

“AI is not a healthcare PR strategy.”

But Grace also shares where she believes AI can fit in.

Check out what she has to say in this VLOG!

Building Trust in Healthcare Technology: Communication Strategies for Startups

Building Trust in Healthcare Technology: Communication Strategies for Startups

In healthcare technology, trust isn’t just a marketing goal—it’s the foundation of success. While established healthcare brands leverage decades of reputation, startups face the unique challenge of building credibility from scratch in a sector where mistakes can have serious consequences.

Leveraging Expertise Strategically

Your team’s credentials and experience are your first trust-building assets. However, many health tech startups underutilize these valuable proof points. Beyond simple bio pages, consider developing thought leadership content that showcases your team’s deep understanding of healthcare challenges and solutions. Regular blog posts, whitepapers, and speaking engagements help position your experts as reliable voices in the field.

Data-Driven Credibility

Original research and survey data are powerful trust-building tools. Consider conducting annual industry surveys that explore healthcare technology trends, challenges, and adoption patterns. This primary research can fuel an integrated content strategy:

  • Transform survey insights into comprehensive ebooks and whitepapers
  • Create press releases highlighting key findings for media coverage
  • Develop social media campaigns featuring data points and infographics
  • Gate premium content to capture leads while building authority
  • Use data points in media pitches to secure coverage and commentary opportunities

This approach positions your startup as a knowledge leader while generating valuable marketing and PR opportunities. Media particularly value exclusive data, making your startup a go-to source for industry insights.

Establishing Partnerships

Strategic partnerships with established healthcare institutions can significantly accelerate trust-building. Whether it’s pilot programs with hospitals, research collaborations with medical schools, or integration partnerships with established health tech platforms, these relationships signal credibility to your target market.

Many successful health tech startups begin by focusing on a single respected partner, perfecting their solution in a real world environment before expanding. This approach provides valuable case studies and testimonials—essential tools for building broader market trust.

Demonstrating Compliance and Security

In healthcare, compliance isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about protecting patients. Clear communication about your regulatory compliance status, security measures, and data protection protocols is crucial. Consider creating dedicated security and compliance content hubs that explain complex requirements in accessible terms.

Be transparent about your current stage and future roadmap. If you’re still working toward certain certifications, communicate your progress and commitment to meeting industry standards.

Creating Evidence-Based Content

Healthcare decisions require solid evidence. Develop content that demonstrates both your solution’s effectiveness and your understanding of healthcare’s complexities. This might include:

  • Detailed case studies with measurable outcomes
  • Research collaborations and clinical validation studies
  • Regular analysis of healthcare trends and challenges
  • Clear explanations of your technology’s scientific foundation

Building Media Relationships

Focus on building relationships with healthcare technology journalists and influencers before you need coverage. Provide them with genuine insights, exclusive data, and expertise, not just company news. When you do have news to share, these established relationships will help ensure more informed, credible coverage.

Leveraging Agency Expertise

For many health tech startups, partnering with an experienced communications agency can accelerate trust-building efforts. The right agency brings established media relationships, content development expertise, and integrated campaign experience. They can coordinate media and analyst relations while developing compelling content that showcases your expertise.

However, success requires more than just hiring an agency. Designate a dedicated in-house resource to serve as the primary liaison. This person should facilitate content approvals, coordinate subject matter expert interviews, and monitor industry developments that could fuel new content or media opportunities. This partnership approach ensures your agency can execute effectively while maintaining alignment with your company’s goals and expertise.

The Long Game

Trust in healthcare technology isn’t built overnight. A consistent, multi-channel approach focused on expertise, evidence, and transparency will gradually establish your startup as a credible player in the healthcare ecosystem. Remember, in healthcare technology, trust isn’t just about marketing—it’s about demonstrating your commitment to improving patient outcomes and advancing healthcare delivery through validated, data-driven approaches.

Most-Read Blog Posts of 2024 Reflect Readers’ Desire for Mirth and Writing Tips

Most-Read Blog Posts of 2024 Reflect Readers’ Desire for Mirth and Writing Tips

Now that we’re well into 2025, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the most-read blog posts of 2024. My theory about these popular posts is that they reflect the concerns, curiosities and goals of the larger population of that time … or it could just be our team’s savvy SEO strategies and engaging writing skills that kept readers reading.

Regardless, last year’s most-read posts indicate that visitors were looking for levity, given the many popular articles’ lighthearted nature. This is also understandable, considering that many of us were looking for some relief in 2024 from the nonstop barrage of news about the U.S. Presidential campaign.

Another theme that emerged is that several of you – despite the growth of ChatGPT and other generative AI writing tools – seemed to be looking for writing tips and commentary to improve your content. Hooray for real-life human writers!

Without further ado, the following are the top 5 most-read Amendola blog posts from 2024 (in chronological order).

Top 5 Most-Read Blogs of 2024

  1. The Taco Bell Times And The Depends Undergarments Press: Is This The Future Of Local News?” by Brandon Glenn.

This amusing post kicked off the year by first discussing an unfunny trend: the widespread closures of daily newspapers and layoffs of journalists. This topic is close to our hearts at Amendola, given that many of us came from consumer and business journalism before jumping to PR. The post, however, does steer toward levity as Brandon explores what could happen if mega-corporations step in to “save” local newspapers by purchasing naming rights or other such business ventures (which occurred at his hometown’s newspaper). What could go wrong?

  1. The Best Rule in AP Style is About Animals with Names” by Brandon Glenn.

Brandon returns to the most-read blogs list with his hilarious take on an obscure Associated Press-style rule about pronouns for animals with and without given names. As a follower of AP style (the most common writing manual in consumer and business journalism) for over 25 years, I cannot remember ever looking up if I should refer to a dog named Rex as “who” or “that” in a sentence. Thankfully, the style guide editors resolved this dilemma, which Brandon whimsically explains. So, which is it? You’ll have to read the post to find out.

  1. Reflecting Back, Looking Forward: Amendola Marks 20th Anniversary,” by Jodi Amendola.

Our founder and CEO, Jodi Amendola, has seen it all in health tech: digital transformation, the rise of virtual care, COVID-19, and now, generative AI. Jodi’s vast experience and success are likely why so many blog visitors read her post on the 20th anniversary of the agency she launched out of her parents’ condo in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her secret? Jodi humbly admits that she doesn’t have a crystal ball to foretell the industry’s tumultuous changes. Instead, preparing for the unexpected, staying nimble and building the right team have made all the difference over the last two decades.

  1. When Slow is the Way To Go in PR and Marketing,” by Chris Nerney.

Post-author and Senior Content Director Chris has decades of experience in journalism, PR, and marketing content, as well as five years as a standup comic in Boston. His wit shows through in this post about the occasions where speed is more of a risk than a benefit. Although filled with valuable and actionable information, Chris injects plenty of humor in describing situations professionals in our industry will recognize. For example: “…you may be writing about concepts that may be ever-so-slightly outside your wheelhouse. That’s OK – you probably didn’t go to medical school, and your yearslong devotion to Grey’s Anatomy will only get you so far.”

  1. “The ABCs and the 3 Ps of Media Interviews,” by Grace Vinton.

Our media relations dynamo and health-tech celebrity, Grace Vinton, offers advice on a perennial challenge facing health-tech PR and marketing professionals: media interviews. Grace, who has a hugely popular podcast of her own, presents helpful mnemonic devices in the post for health tech executives to prepare for interviews and tips for crafting memorable and easy-to-understand messages. Her guidance is also relevant for any chat with a potential customer, investor or partner where you may not have the time for a detailed discussion about your company and solutions.

New Year, Fresh Insight

Whether it’s writing tips, messaging advice, or insight into the health tech PR and marketing strategies, you can continue to rely on this blog in 2025 to supply you with relevant guidance. I can’t promise that all the posts will be humorous, but they will surely be engaging and informative. Thanks for reading!

Help Us Help You: Building a Successful PR Partnership

Help Us Help You: Building a Successful PR Partnership

A strong partnership with a public relations (PR) agency offers numerous benefits to companies by generating attention and interest that draws in new employees, industry partners, and, most importantly, customers.  

More and more companies are realizing the value of PR, as globally the PR market is expected to grow to more than $133 billion by 2027. In the U.S., demand for PR specialists is predicted to grow by about 6% by 2032 (faster than average), according to BLS.gov.   

However, achieving stellar PR results requires some upfront efforts to ensure the alignment of goals and objectives between the client and the PR agency. The best PR agency–client relationships are characterized by collaboration, respect, unity, and a mutual understanding of the end goals and expectations.  

Following are some tips for successful PR partnerships: 

Establish a single source of contact: Designate a dedicated liaison who is accessible and responsive to requests for data and media interviews. The ideal partner shares information on company activities and news proactively and views the PR agency as a partner, not a vendor. 

Know your people: Draw up a list of spokespeople, including internal executives and customers who will sing your praises, who can participate in media opportunities, as well as the specific topics they prefer to focus on. When it comes to healthcare media relations, it’s always best to lead with a provider customer than a solution provider. 

Create the culture: The brands that realize the most value from PR have established a company culture that encourages adoption of new concepts and strategies. An essential component of this is a leadership team that sees the value of PR and its important role in the marketing mix to drive credibility, recognition, and brand awareness, as well as fueling ongoing online content marketing across integrated PESO (Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned) channels. 

Develop a social plan: Social platforms such as LinkedIn offer another avenue beyond traditional media for brands to establish thought leadership and contribute to relevant industry conversations. To get the most out of social media, develop a written social media strategy and guidelines (we can help!) about having an active presence on relevant platforms. It is also a big help to have an executive team and employees who are — or willing to become — social media apostles. 

See the big picture: Generating the media interest that will lead to valuable coverage and market attention doesn’t happen overnight. It’s important for clients to have a company-wide understanding that PR is not a “project,” but rather a process that should be integrated into every function of the organization from marketing and sales to product development and human resources.  

Other factors that set the stage for a productive PR partnership include having a clear brand voice and message strategy, an optimized website, and a customer relationship management tool with a solid process in place for managing leads. (If you don’t have any of these, we can help get you there!) Ultimately, like all relationships, the PR agency–client partnership is all about taking the time to clearly communicate and understand each other to establish productive and positive collaborations.