Most healthcare organisations share plenty of thoughts, but few share thoughts that truly lead the way. Even fewer lead the way on the issues that matter to their target audiences.

In healthcare, trust is paramount, which is why many organisations place recognition as a thought leader high on their list of marketing priorities. Yet most fall short, because the thoughts they share merely reflect the opinions of the majority.

A new article in The Sunday Times put forward an interesting proposition: in an era defined by crisis, disinformation and AI, Public Relations is no longer being seen as “a poor cousin of marketing” - it is increasingly the strategic centrepiece that successful companies build around. Decades of research show that growth, trust, behaviour change, policy influence and increased resilience are most likely experienced when companies put PR at the very heart of their business strategies. So what does that look like for health tech, med tech, healthcare and health charity communicators, who would like to put this into practice? Read on to find out.

I have always been surprised, and slightly frustrated, that many people think of PR quite simply as the pursuit of awareness through the media.

In fact, one of the reasons I founded Evergreen PR was due to a deep-seated belief that, when delivered strategically, PR can achieve so much more than many people realise - with multi-layered PR campaigns and programmes able to transform reputations and behaviour, and contribute to the bottom line.

Anyone keeping up with the changing information and media landscape will be aware that AI prioritises earned media coverage as a source of information in its answers. However, owned content also plays a significant role in shaping how AI synthesises and creates information, with Generative AI engines using it to validate, cross-reference, and verify earned media coverage.

New research has revealed that AI summaries are replacing media articles about health more than they are any other subject. The result is a significant drop in traffic to health articles on media publisher websites such as The Guardian, Daily Mail and The Telegraph. The first reaction to this story for health businesses or health PR professionals could be concern, but, actually, here’s why it’s a good thing.

Recently, PR and communications leaders have been converging over the idea that, given its significant and growing power as answer generator or content creator, Generative AI must now be seen as a priority stakeholder. In this article, we dig into how important AI is becoming to reputation and how health organisations can influence how they show up in AI platforms.

Recently, the SME Advisory Group held a series of workshops to discuss what SMEs should focus on, if they want to trade with the NHS. TL;DR, while there are also other factors at play (such as compliance and funding), the SME Advisory Group guide makes clear that audience insight, narrative positioning, prioritisation and relationship building are all vital to success. These are all elements that a strategic healthcare PR agency, like Evergreen PR, could help you with. Here’s how.

A recent report by the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford finds that news leaders are combating AI-generated content by prioritising original journalism, such as on-the-ground reporting, in-depth analysis, and human stories. For switched-on health organisations, the rewards are clear: distinctive content is more likely to stand out to journalists and generate higher-quality media coverage. Chris Hayter, Account Manager at Evergreen PR, explores ways healthcare organisations can create the kind of distinctive content that health journalists are after. 

A new definition of Public Relations (PR) has been published by industry body, the Public Relations Consultancy Association (PRCA), following a member consultation. Having worked in healthcare PR, communications and public affairs for more than 20 years, Evergreen PR Managing Director, Leigh Greenwood, explores how it applies to healthcare PR and the work we deliver for our clients.

This week, Press Gazette, a leading publication for journalist and media industry news, published the ‘PR Hall of Shame’, a live document highlighting unscrupulous brands and PR agencies that are associated with “more than 1,000 fake stories” that have been published in mainstream media. This is a significant story and, we believe, one that is likely to change the relationship between the media and public relations, increasing the value created by reputable PR agencies and professionals, who have built long-term trusted relationships with journalist partners.

Evergreen PR has been named one of the top PR agencies in the North for the quality of its work in PRmoment’s PR Work Rankings.