Securing Coverage on Local New Stations is Still an Important Part of Healthcare PR
By now, most of us have heard the popular doomsday prediction about how online news will cause the inevitable death of local broadcast news in the near future.
Despite these claims, a recent survey by Pew Research paints a very different – and positive – picture about the state of local TV news. According to the survey, 44 percent of Americans considered TV as their preferred platform to get their news in 2018, compared to 34 percent who preferred the internet.
In the world of healthcare PR, local broadcast has continuously proven to be one of the most valuable types of news coverage for our clients. If you’re still wondering just how worthwhile securing local TV news is for your organization, below are three reasons why we think it’s still just as important as ever:
Establishes emotional connections with patients.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and TV coverage is not an exception to this rule. When covering human interest stories, the visual aspect of TV news segments has the ability to convey emotions that people can relate to more than written articles can. This is especially impactful when it comes to telling patients’ stories.
One example of this is a segment we secured for client Holy Redeemer about a dog parade that was held for residents of its assisted living community, Holy Redeemer Saint Joseph Manor. By physically showing how happy the residents were while visiting with the dogs, viewers are able to see the emotional, caring side of healthcare – something they’ll remember when they’re looking for a provider in the future.
Humanizes physicians.
As we’ve mentioned in a few of our previous blogs, patients often prefer seeing doctors who they feel they can trust and build a connection with. Having physicians featured as expert resources in local TV news stories is a great way to help them build relationships with both current and potential patients beyond the doctor’s office. Not only does this type of coverage establish them as thought leaders in their respective practices, but it also helps patients put faces to their names, making them feel less like strangers.
Reaches a broader demographic.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for all organizations, regardless of the industry, to rely on one platform to reach all of their target audiences. While maintaining an online presence is important for engaging with all different types of consumers, healthcare brands that focus solely on digital media will end up missing one important group of patients who aren’t as active online – seniors. Including local broadcast as part of your organization’s media strategy will ensure that your messaging will reach patients of all ages.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, many will argue that local TV news is on its way out. However, we think that local broadcast is still an invaluable media platform for healthcare organizations that is here to stay.
