The Challenge
A healthcare analytics company whose software is used by 40+ hospital systems, with proven technology, but is completely unknown outside their existing customers. Competing against the giants like Epic and Cerner, which have dedicated PR teams and a constant media presence.
The problem was invisibility despite having credibility. DR was 33 with 5,100 monthly organic visits. Still no meaningful brands recognized outside the current client base.
Health journalists are cautious about vendor stories; HIPAA limits what patient or outcome data can be shared publicly, and the product is pure B2B infrastructure, with no consumer angle to make stories relatable or shareable. Six months with a PR agency produced zero meaningful coverage, suggesting the standard PR playbook doesn’t work in this niche.
The Strategy We Used
The digital PR team identified an underserved media angle, hospital operational efficiency data, during ongoing healthcare staffing challenges. Rather than pitching the product, the team positioned the client as a data healthcare operations story.
- Created 3 original research briefs: hospital readmission rate predictors by facility size, operational cost variance between digital-first and legacy hospital systems, and nurse staffing efficiency metrics across 200+ facilities.
- All data was aggregated and anonymized at the platform level; no individual hospital or patient data was exposed, satisfying HIPAA constraints.
- Pitched to health IT journalists, hospital management trade press, general business reporters covering healthcare, and healthcare policy media.
- Client’s Chief Medical Officer and VP of Analytics positioned as expert commentators on healthcare operations and clinical data trends.
- 6–8 placed stories, with emphasis on quality over volume, given the niche’s skepticism toward vendor content.
The Results
The hospital readmission research brief became the campaign’s breakout asset. It was referenced in 19 articles across health IT, hospital management, and policy publications. Two national business outlets used the data in broader analyses of the healthcare system.
The secondary impact was industry positioning. The client’s CMO received 7 conference speaking invitations attributed to media visibility, creating an ongoing earned media flywheel that extended well beyond the original campaign period.
AI visibility in healthcare was particularly impactful because of the YMYL nature of the content. Google AI Overview featured the client’s research data in 19 health operations queries, reflecting the elevated trust signals earned through credible media placements. Perplexity cited the client in 16 results, concentrated in hospital operations and healthcare analytics queries, where the original research briefs served as primary source material. ChatGPT referenced the client in 12 responses, particularly when users asked about hospital readmission predictors, staffing efficiency benchmarks, and digital transformation in healthcare. The CMO’s expert commentary, published across 44 unique publications, created the kind of attributable expertise signals that AI models prioritize when selecting sources for YMYL health technology queries.
