March 26, 2021
There are many opportunities in healthcare journalism for thought leaders to contribute content. Healthcare reporters are continuously soliciting bylined articles from healthcare industry thought leaders and experts to keep up with the content demand of digital media. As a healthcare focused public relations agency our goal is to amplify our client’s thought leadership platform and we see the byline article as one of the greatest ways to do so as they enable experts to directly communicate their insights and expertise in their own words to their desired audience. In general, contributed content – like a bylined article – is an excellent way for the client to control their message and eliminates opportunities for outside biases and perspectives. That said, publications and editors often have very specific criteria and sometimes unspoken expectations that contributed content must adhere to. Below we’ve shared the top three best practices to consider when drafting a byline or any other kind of contributed content.
- Always Check the Editorial Guidelines. Editorial guidelines are a set of rules indicated by a publication that outlines the style, structure, and other criteria to ensure all content is consistent. These rules will indicate criteria like the necessity of a copyright form and word count requirements. If a publication receives a piece of content that does not honor the editorial guidelines, the consequence could range from irritating the editor, to getting the article tossed out.
- Keep it Vendor Neutral. This one can be difficult. Often the client will have a difficult time separating their perspective and insights from their experience as an employee at their company. Readers want to feel like the writer knows what they are talking about, but they don’t want to feel like they are having a product forced upon them. The key is to be insightful about an industry issue without speaking directly about how a product can address the topic you’re writing about. For many readers, the latter can seem insincere and overly promotional. A byline is an opportunity to share perspectives about an issue relevant to the reader, without promoting a product to resolve said issue.
- Data and Uses Cases are King. Whenever possible incorporate data or a customer case study into your article. Incorporating solid examples or metrics into your content will help the topic resonate with the reader so that they more readily trust the information. Sometimes data can be difficult to come by, so leveraging a case study in place of data can have a similar effect in generating trust from the reader and bolstering the credibility of the article.
Bylines are a great way to build brand awareness and expand your businesses’ thought leadership platform. With these best practices in mind, you can capitalize on the opportunities contributed content presents.
Are you interested in the ways contributed content can expand your brand awareness and build up your thought leadership platform? Email us at info@ariamarketing.com and we can discuss ways to leverage public relations to support your goals. For more healthcare public relations insights follow Aria on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
