You Do Not Need to Be Everywhere: How Health and Wellness Experts Choose the Right Media

There is a particular kind of conversation I have had countless times during my career in PR.

A client wants media coverage and, almost immediately, the wish list appears. BBC, The Times, Daily Mail, Forbes a huge podcast as well as a seat on a national television sofa.

There is nothing wrong with ambition and we know that national visibility can be incredibly powerful when the story and timing are right.

But bigger is not automatically better.

For health and wellness experts, the most valuable media opportunity is often the one that reaches the right people, in the right context, with the right level of trust.

That may be a national newspaper. It may also be a respected trade publication, specialist health title, professional journal, regional outlet or podcast with a highly engaged audience.

The question is not simply “how many people will see this?” it is “who needs to see this, and what will this coverage help them believe about you?”

Reach and relevance are not the same thing

Big audience figures are seductive, but a large number tells you very little about whether the people reading an article are the people you need to reach.

Imagine you are a psychologist specialising in ADHD and processing difficulties. A thoughtful interview in an education publication read by teachers, SENCOs and school leaders may do far more for your professional authority than a brief mention on a general lifestyle site.

If you are a menopause specialist, a trusted women’s health title may put you directly in front of people searching for credible information and support.

If you run a health technology business, a respected sector publication may be more useful for investors, partners and decision makers than a huge consumer outlet.

Good health and wellness PR starts with audience and purpose, not a list of logos.

What do you want the coverage to do?

You may want to reach potential customers, build a founder profile, demonstrate clinical expertise, support a funding conversation, attract speaking opportunities or strengthen what people find when they search your name online.

Those goals do not all require the same media.

If your objective is consumer awareness, mainstream lifestyle and health media may matter. If you want professional credibility, trade and specialist titles can be essential.

 If you want to become known as an expert journalists can call when a subject hits the news, consistent commentary across relevant publications can matter more than one enormous splash followed by silence.

The media strategy needs to follow the business and reputation goal.

Why niche media can carry serious authority

One mistake I see is treating specialist media as a stepping stone to something “better” as that underestimates the value of being visible in a place your audience already trusts.

A smaller, established publication can have influence far beyond its traffic figures. Its readers may be highly engaged. Its journalists may be deeply knowledgeable. Other media may use it to spot experts and emerging stories. The coverage may also appear prominently when someone searches your name, subject or area of expertise.

For health and wellness brands, where trust matters so much, context is important.

Being quoted as an expert in the right article can tell someone far more about your credibility than appearing in a huge round up where your name is one of twenty.

One article is not an authority strategy

A single national article can be brilliant, but it does not create an entire reputation but what becomes powerful is ongoing credible evidence.

This means expert commentary, interviews, specialist features, podcasts, thought leadership, awards, speaking and useful owned content.

Over time, people begin to associate your name with a subject. Journalists recognise you. Search results reinforce your expertise. Prospective clients see that credible organisations take you seriously.

That is far more valuable than chasing visibility for visibility’s sake.

Choose media with intention

Before saying yes to an opportunity, ask: does this outlet reach people who matter to my work? Will the context strengthen my credibility? Is this the subject I want to become known for? Is the opportunity worth the time required? Can I say something genuinely useful?

The right answer will not always be the outlet with the largest audience.

Sometimes it will be the title your prospective client reads. The podcast your industry shares. The local newspaper that tells a powerful human story properly. Or the specialist publication that appears again and again when people search your subject.

At Natalie Trice Publicity, I help health and wellness experts, founders and organisations decide not only what stories to tell, but where those stories belong.

Because the goal is not to be everywhere, it is to be known, trusted and visible in the places that matter.

Natalie