A relentless barrage of news—often frightening and negative—can take a toll on our mental and physical health. Communicators can help people cope in these trying times. The 24/7 news cycle and social media—combined with global violence and heartbreaking stories closer to home—can elevate stress levels in patients and workplaces. Employees in hospitals, schools and government buildings seem to be especially aware of public safety issues. An individual’s psychological state can easily be affected by local and world events. How can health care communicators help members of the community to cope ..read more

Online platforms’ expansive reach and relatively low cost make them vital channels for delivering information to those battling substance abuse and to those seeking to help them. Substance abuse reaches all corners of this country. Fortunately, so does social media. Social media enables individuals and organizations to reach millions of people at a minimal cost. All it takes is some creativity, relevant content and a good sharing strategy to get your message across. Whether you’re an individual practitioner who wants to raise awareness of addiction or you work for a recovery center that depe ..read more

PR pros report that proving value to leaders remains a key concern, despite almost a decade applying the vaunted measurement guidelines. What changes should the industry consider? Measurement has never been more important for PR practitioners. Many communicators report that a top concern is proving value to top decision-makers—thereby earning bigger budgets. A recent study revealed that many executives either don’t know what PR is or don’t value its contribution to their bottom line. Yet PR pros have been debating the finer points of how to measure their campaigns for over a decade, the found ..read more

Seating top-tier bosses around a table and letting them maunder about the company mission just won’t do. Find front-line workers in their element, prep them well, and start rolling. When communicators create videos, their first impulse might be to gather the top executives in a conference room and have them talk about the company’s work. Is that the best way to share their message to potential clients or customers? Is that something you’d want to watch? Probably not. Here are eight ways to make your organization’s video memorable: 1. Consider the audience. Is the video geared toward employees ..read more

Many adults recognize the signs when kids use drugs or alcohol. Electronic cigarettes are much harder to detect but pose a serious health danger that parents must understand. Some 1.78 million adolescents have experimented with “vaping.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the ease of e-cigarettes is appealing to kids and teenagers. What’s worse is that many parents don’t know their children are vaping, because there’s no smoke or odor. Electronic cigarettes deliver flavored nicotine and other chemicals through an aerosol mist, a dangerous practice for teens and adults alike ..read more

As consumers spend more and more time immersed in new and traditional media channels, marketers must find ways to pierce the clutter and build rapport. Here are some insights. Americans now spend an average of 11 hours a day—that’s nearly half of every single day—consuming some form of media. They’re also devoting almost an hour a day exclusively to social networking. That creates a challenge for organizations seeking to cut through online clutter—those bright images of aspirational travels, flashy new products and highly curated realities. Increasingly, brand managers develop relationships w ..read more

Do your homework, use a recording device or app, have a fluid conversation and—most of all—listen intently to your interviewee, and you’ll write compelling accounts of their experiences. Getting a truly engaging patient story is a top marketing goal for most health care providers, but it’s often easier said than done. It can be challenging to get patients to say more than, “The service was great,” or, “I love Dr. So-and-So,” leaving you with very little to work into a compelling story. The secret to telling authentic patient stories is to stop being a marketer and start being a journalist. St ..read more

‘Public relations’ encompasses a multitude of different skills, disciplines and tactics. Here’s what 50 working in the field say they do to earn a paycheck. If you ask 10 PR professionals what they do for a living, you’ll probably get 10 different answers. For example, the 2019 JOTW Communications Survey asked 223 PR and communications pros to clarify what, exactly, they do to earn their paycheck, and the responses varied wildly. Below are 50 of the most interesting responses to the question: “How would you explain what you do for a living in simple terms?” They range from a single word to 65 ..read more

Let’s get started today. As communicators in health, we are often asked to translate complex information into something that will resonate with patients, media, staff, and/or policy makers. Depending on the subject, infographics can be a very useful tool to help hospitals and health organizations visualize their content and translate complex information into something digestible for a lay audience. Here are five steps to health infographic greatness: Make a plan: As in all communications, diagnose first, prescribe second. If you start off thinking an infographic is the best way to communicate ..read more

Are you unsure about which social media site is the best investment for your organization? See this infographic for a snapshot of their particular strengths. What’s the best platform for your message? Communicators are constantly looking for an edge to help them cut through the noise. They want to reach their audiences where those users already congregate. They want to be a part of a vibrant online community. That means it’s essential to pick the right social media platform. It’s also a bad idea to try to be on all the platforms at once. Social media is labor- and capital-intensive. It requi ..read more