Team member Joyce Lofstrom has experience on both sides of the interview desk. A former journalist and now a sought-after PR professional, Joyce also managed a conference newsroom for 16 years for a leading health IT nonprofit. Her current post shares her insights for ensuring communications success as we head into conference season.
Nine Tips for Communication Success at Healthcare Conferences
It’s conference season, the time of year when healthcare and health information technology communicators develop their news angles for journalists and influencers who will cover their stories at some of the major meetings of the year.
Here are nine tips for generating news for your clients’ products and services.
1) Build relationships with journalists and influencers. Read their stories. Yes, the best way to know what journalists want is to read what they write regularly, preferably not a week before the conference. Journalists post some stories on social media platforms, so follow them and contribute to the conversation as appropriate.
2) Identify news to share at the conference. Reporters want news to write about for their online news outlets with immediate coverage of the day’s events. A newly released product or service, data from a recent research study, or client success stories are viable options for news coverage. A meet-our-new-CEO interview isn’t news at a busy conference.
Reporters transition from interviews to educational sessions to writing time during a conference day. They make appointments at least a month before the conference, and their schedules fill up fast. With such limited time onsite, reporters want stories they haven’t told before, something not found on a company website or a past blog post.
3) Confirm the onsite spokesperson(s). Figure out who will be at the conference and can talk to reporters. Reserve time on each person’s calendar so that you have specific availability to offer for these discussions.
4) Review the media list from the conference. Ask for the registered media list from the conference organizers. Each conference manages the media list differently. Some media lists offer contact information, and others don’t. Not all members of the media want their names on the list, so look for a reporter’s past conference coverage to help determine attendance.
5) Book appointments now. Reach out to reporters, analysts, and influencers once you have news, spokespersons, and schedules confirmed. If you don’t have emails, contact reporters via LinkedIn or other social media outlets.
6) Be flexible – if possible. Everyone is busy at a conference, and time constraints often interrupt schedules. If an interview time changes because your spokesperson has an onsite conflict, let the reporter know right away and try to reschedule. Reporters may also reschedule. It’s not a personal affront – it happens due to the demands of a conference and unexpected deadlines or changes.
7) Go beyond earned media for coverage. Media outlets offer sponsored interviews from about $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the package. It’s worth the time and money to review these opportunities, especially if brands want to talk about a product or a new offering not quite ready for the prime time of a conference. That new CEO discussion may best work with sponsored content and a trends angle.
8) Thank reporters and follow up after the conference. Reporters may have stories to write for a month once they come home from a busy conference. Send a quick thank-you via a LinkedIn message or send a handwritten note if that’s your style. But thank them for the interview.
9) Evaluate success and adjust for next year. Take time to evaluate what worked and didn’t at the conference.
Ritz Communications can help. If you need help with PR or communication strategies for your healthcare or health IT brand or service, let us know. Our team has worked with multiple healthcare, pharma, and health IT brands to prepare them for conferences or represent their products and services.
You can contact me at joyce.lofstrom@ritzcommunications or call me at 1-312-404-6387.
2.20.25
