Healthcare companies: You might be offending patient influencers, but they aren’t telling you.
Although pharma and other health companies are venturing more into influencer collaborations, their teams and the agencies they work with often approach these partnerships the same way they do with beauty, fashion and lifestyle influencers. And it doesn’t feel respectful or effective to the recipients.
I’ve met and worked with hundreds of patient influencers, both as a healthcare influencer leader and as a former influencer myself. They are some of the most passionate, dedicated, creative, and selfless souls I’ve had the pleasure to know.
They’ve shared with me the struggles they face working with brands, and what they say might surprise you. They don’t feel respected. They don’t feel they are being compensated properly. They don’t feel truly heard.
They want you to think beyond seeing them as a channel and your end goal of a sponsored post. They want you to understand their role as advocates. These folks create content daily about their chronic illness/disease because they want to help others to have a bit less pain and suffering than they have had.
They educate about their condition, share resources, coping skills, and new treatment options. They answer *so*many*questions* and moderate online groups and give virtual hugs. They need you to see them before they will feel good about working with you.
DON’T ask them to post your news release or share another patient’s story or interview your leadership team. DON’T allow an agency to make the first contact on your behalf.
DO ask questions and build relationships. Be human and collaborative. And, of course, pay people fairly for their time.
The phrase “Patients First” can also apply to working with patient influencers. They are, in fact, patients before they are influencers.
Reach out to me to learn more about how to work effectively with patient influencers.