The PESO Communications Model just got more strategic
PESO is an integrated communications framework that provides a simple way to view different forms of media that could be utilised for content dissemination. Its name is an acronym of Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned.
As an integrated health communications agency, at Evergreen PR we have long utilised the PESO model as a way to identify the various media channel options that are open to us.
Now 10 years old, the model has recently been updated to ensure it is fit-for-purpose in today’s more complex communications landscape and to place a greater emphasis on the impact that integrated communications can deliver.
In this post we’ll run through the changes and how you can use the model to increase the impact of your (health) communications and content. If you’re an Evergreen PR client then you may be pleased to know that the principles of this model are embedded, alongside others, within our MERTO Framework for identifying the ‘most effective route to outcomes’.
The terminology of the four media types
The four PESO media types are defined below. As we go through them, you’ll see that there is often some overlap, so it’s not definitive - but it’s a helpful tool for organising your cross channel strategy:
Paid - this is where you pay to distribute your content. Most straightforwardly it could be through things like TV ads, billboards or Google ads, but it could also be through sponsored social media posts, ‘advertorials’ in the press or influencer marketing.
Earned - this is where you must ‘earn’ the right for your content to be shared on a third party space by creating something of value. Media relations, strategic partnerships, organic influencer relations and digital PR could all fall into this area.
Shared - you do not own this space but share it with your community using networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The updated PESO version also includes private social media such as Whatsapp and Messenger.
Owned - this is the content you produce to be housed on a space that you wholly own - usually your website. The content you put here can vary, and could include blogs, videos, reports, podcasts, but what is important is not so much what it is, but that it lives on your own site.
Influence, control and position
The four PESO media types each bring with them a variety of strengths and weaknesses. They could also be considered to operate at different stages of the funnel.
Earned media carries the highest influence since the message comes via a trusted third party. However, that very fact also means that control of the message is lower, since it must go through the filter of this third party source. Third party media is often considered to represent the top of the sales/action funnel since it primarily drives awareness and reach, which is why it should be complemented with other media types to drive more meaningful and measurable impact.
The benefit of Paid media and Owned media is that you have total control of the message, however, the result of this is that these channels carry less influence, since people recognise that the messages have not been filtered by a trusted independent source. Owned media can be closer to the bottom of the funnel, if, for example, content is designed in a way that encourages a value exchange of information in return for contact details or some level of sign-up.
Shared media is interesting since, while you have total control of your own message, the two way nature of these communications and the prominence given to community responses means that, in fact, control of the take-home message can be relatively low. Sometimes people are more interested in the comments than the original post! However, this also means that when the community responds positively, the influence of your message can grow significantly, since your lack of control results in it being more trusted.
Stephen Waddington recently wrote a blog post about some of this, which I have borrowed heavily from.
The power of integration
In announcing the updated model, the Chicago-based PESO creator, Gini Dietrich, says that the most important addition is the inclusion of “what happens when you use all four media types together in a cohesive and integrated program.”
By using the model to inform integrated communications, it is hoped that organisations can better demonstrate their experience and expertise, and more effectively build their authority and trust, while also improving their ability to measure their impact.
I completely agree with this. When done well - and this is a big caveat! - integrated communications are more effective and more measurable. That’s why the approach is central to our MERTO Framework and can be seen running through almost all of our health campaign case studies.
As the healthcare PR and communications agency that is known for achieving measurable outcomes, we focus first on understanding which audiences need to take action in order to achieve the target goal. PESO helps us to then identify the most effective channels to reach those audiences and to design user journeys where the right message and activity is served to those audiences at the right time, in order to initiate the desired behaviour.
This can all sound a bit theoretical until some real examples are given, so here are three. We don’t do a lot of paid activity - although we do work with partners on this sometimes. These examples just include earned, shared and owned as that is where we focused our effort in these cases.
Tinnitus UK - Engaging Thousands to Sign-up to a Tinnitus Biobank
The charity Tinnitus UK had developed a proposal for a Tinnitus Biobank, which could deliver a step-change in the race to find cures for the condition. However, to be viable, they would need 1,000 people to sign up to agree to share their data. The facility would also need to be funded.
Our integrated approach:
Earned - after conducting research to uncover the impact of tinnitus on mental health, we developed a white paper report, media release, case studies of people who had struggled with tinnitus, as well as testimonials from expert academics who knew what a difference this facility could make to their work. We used this powerful and varied content as the foundations for media outreach that generated 172 press articles and several national BBC broadcast items - including spots on BBC Breakfast and Radio 1- with much of the coverage including a backlink.
Shared - conversation was instigated on social media with the release of optimised animated animated shorts and striking graphics, generating 8.6m interactions with the #TinnitusWeek hashtag, including shares from the Welsh Chief Medical Officer and Age UK.
Owned - a campaign landing page was produced, featuring a broad range of content, including an animated explainer video, the white paper report and an opportunity to sign up to the Tinnitus Biobank project (the conversion). Our other activity brought some 20,000 people to this page in the first week and, once there, they got the opportunity to educate themselves on what a biobank is, what it would enable and how they could get involved, removing potential barriers and activating behavioural drivers.
The impact
The charity clearly demonstrated its expertise and authority, and the level of trust was great enough that the target of 1,000 people registering to join the biobank within the first two months was achieved by 3pm on the first day! By the end of the week, 3,500 people had signed up. The campaign also generated meetings with two major funders, including the UK’s leading medical research funder.
Read the full case study.
Meddbase - Demonstrating the Impact of Diabetes Referrals at-scale
The clinical software company, Meddbase, had conducted a pilot study with North Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board (ICB), showing that using their system at ICB level could increase the take-up of referrals into the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. This was the first time that the company had worked within the NHS.
Earned - we created a narrative-driven Evaluation Report and press release that generated 16 targeted news and views articles, with coverage landing in Digital Health, the National Health Executive and GP Online, among others. Our stakeholder toolkit also led to the campaign materials being shared by Meddbase’s partner, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB. Much of the coverage included backlinks to a campaign landing page.
Shared - the detailed report provided numerous opportunities for bite-sized content that Meddbase was able to roll out across social media, again with CTAs to visit the landing page to learn more.
Owned - this landing page featured an educational report, which walked through the methodology and results from the pilot, and provided valuable learnings for other NHS ICBs. Importantly, it also invited visitors to sign up to a webinar featuring all of the experts quoted in the press release, giving NHS ICB staff an opportunity to learn more, and providing Meddbase with an opportunity to talk about their software.
The impact:
Before this point, Meddbase didn’t have any NHS customers, however, our integrated campaign delivered ‘success on arrival’ by establishing them as experts and demonstrating their valuable knowledge and experience. The result was 100+ organic NHS attendees at their educational webinar, a request to buy during that webinar and tangible revenue secured within three months.
Read the full case study.
The Royal College of GP’s - Getting Veterans the Healthcare they Deserve
The Royal College of GPs ‘Veteran Friendly’ practices programme is proven to lead to better healthcare and experiences for veterans, but the huge pressure on primary care meant that sign-ups had slowed dramatically.
Earned - we created bespoke media packages targeting healthcare professional media (system, GP, nurse, practice manager etc) and a stakeholder toolkit for primary care facing health professional membership groups, including ready-written content and striking visuals. Together these materials generated some 45 mentions.
Shared - the ready-written content was utilised by the Royal College of GPs and NHS England for their newsletters and social media channels, with consistent messaging and visuals providing numerous opportunities to engage with GP practice staff.
Owned - we overhauled the Veteran Friendly GP practices homepage with new campaign messaging and visual case studies of veteran patients and GP practice staff communicating the benefits of signing up, along with a clear call to action. The result was that when we doubled the volume of web traffic to the homepage, the six fold improvement in conversion rate led to a massive uptick in sign-ups.
The impact:
There was a 645% increase in the number of GP practices getting ‘Veteran Friendly’ accredited, with a new record set for the most practices to ever get accredited in a single month.
Read the full case study.
Campaigns like these show the power of integrated health communications when it comes to delivering measurable business and health outcomes.
In our experience, too many health marketing and communications teams are working in silo - limiting the impact of their work by failing to take advantage of the significant power that’s created when multiple channels are used together in a perfectly coordinated cross-channel campaign.
If that sounds like you or your organisation, we’d love to help you to change it!
Would you like to learn more about the power of integrated behaviour science driven campaigns to generate impact? Contact me, Leigh, for a free 30-minute MERTO Consultation and I’ll be happy to share my thoughts on how we could help you achieve your goals through integrated health communications that achieve measurable outcomes. Book a space in my diary here.
Leigh Greenwood Chart.PR is the founder and managing director of Evergreen PR, the healthcare PR agency that drives tangible outcomes.