Engaging KOLs in Health PR: A 10-Step Guide to Compliant Campaigns
By Palin Communications
If the old PR adage is true that “Good PR is driven by what others say about your products and issues – not what you say about them” then integrating independent experts into your campaign is going to be an important element of any successful PR strategy.
Good PR is driven by what others say about you
Independent external experts play a pivotal role in successful health PR campaigns. These medical experts lend credibility, context and the kind of independence that media outlets are looking for when covering stories. But their involvement is nuanced and tightly regulated. When engaging an external expert in a healthcare PR campaign, it’s definitely worth knowing the steps to positive engagement, the ‘watch outs’ that cause problems and the missteps that can lead to regulatory issues.
In this article, we will look at how external experts (sometimes referred to as key opinion leaders or KOLs) are identified, approached and integrated into health-focused PR strategies. We’ll examine some of the regulations around these issues and touch on some case studies that bring these strategies to life. Then we’ll provide a “10 step plan” to help you navigate the management of external experts and maintain positive relationships with them.
Why engage external experts in health PR campaigns?
Health-focused storytelling is often delivered as a “package”. The main elements of the package include a newsworthy development, some data that underpins it, a case study who can talk from lived experience and a key opinion leader who can put the development in its clinical context.
The independent key opinion leader lends genuine gravitas and legitimacy to the announcement. Producers, journalists and editors at news outlets or healthcare professional publications want to hear the views of experts in helping them decide the newsworthiness of an announcement or development.
In that sense, the success of health-focused PR campaigns can be determined by the seniority, reputation, accessibility and communication skills of an engaged external expert.
It’s worth noting the importance of independence. They are not a “spokesperson for the company” or a “representative of the campaign”. To have the greatest impact they need to be talking on behalf of themselves as an independent expert and reflecting their honestly held, evidence-based professional views. These healthcare professional experts can be used in a range of PR campaigns, from a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announcement to an unbranded disease awareness campaign or non-promotional disease education.
Identifying and approaching an external expert to support your PR strategy
Different types of independent experts might be interested in participating in your health PR initiative for different reasons.
It might be that they have a professional interest in raising awareness of a specific disease or they might see broader consumer and healthcare professional education via the media as a natural extension of their professional role.
Whatever the reasons and motivations, it is important to align the appropriate external expert with the objectives and target groups for the campaign.
For example, if the audience is consumers, then it might be worth considering a “media medico” who has built their public profile by appearing on morning and breakfast TV programs to explain emerging health news in layman’s term. However, a “media medico” is unlikely to be an appropriate external expert where the target audience is medical specialists. They will want to hear from a peer who is a specialist or an international expert in relation to emerging news and clinical developments.
What do the regulations say about integrating external experts into campaigns?
Healthcare PR is highly regulated, and some legislations have specific implications for the use of external experts.
For example, the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct Section 10.1 stipulates that “A product specific media statement must not include … quotes from experts, opinion leaders or patients that are promotional or comparative in nature”
This specific guideline does not rule out incorporating a quote from an external expert into a consumer-facing media release about the registration of a new medicine or a newly announced government reimbursement. It does, however, rule out anything promotional in relation to the specific medicine. So, the external expert could be quoted as saying “I welcome all positive developments in this space because patients need new options” but could be found in breach of the MA code if the quote makes direct reference to a specific product.
The broader TGA advertising guidelines prohibit the endorsement of specific registered health products by “current and former health professionals” in consumer-facing communications. However, it is permissible to integrate a healthcare professional into a PR campaign to raise awareness of diseases, their risks and symptoms.
For example, a gastroenterologist or a GP with special expertise in gastrointestinal issues talking about the risks and symptoms of indigestion. But it would infringe the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code if that external expert were to advocate for a specific kind of treatment or product to manage indigestion, either in media statements or in interviews as part of a coordinated campaign.
The external expert could help build awareness of the condition but would need to stop short of advocating a specific registered solution or treatment.
Independent healthcare professionals can play a key role in effective PR strategies. However, the rules vary by campaign type, from non-promotional disease education and unbranded disease awareness to over-the-counter or new prescription product announcements. The intended audience, whether consumers, GPs or medical specialists, also matters.
Some common pitfalls in engaging external experts into PR strategies
Some mistakes when engaging external experts occur out of naivety about the process, misunderstandings about the expert’s reason for involvement or incorrect assumptions about remuneration or acknowledgement.
Some pitfalls or “watch-outs” include the following;
It’s a mistake to think of them as a company spokesperson. These medical experts are involved in your campaign on behalf of themselves, bringing their own views and expertise to the issues
It will cause problems if you are not clear from the early phases on arrangements around remuneration. Some external experts are happy to be involved as part of their professional role or because they think the campaign is important. Some will expect remuneration at fair market value. Be sure to understand and meet expectations.
You must always remember that their clinical responsibilities come first. A healthcare professional may have agreed to assist with certain initiatives, but if their patients need them, then the patients come first. Stay realistic and flexible around this.
Be clear about how the expert’s involvement will be acknowledged in materials. Often a brief explainer along the lines of “Dr Smith is acting as a paid spokesperson for the initiative” or “Dr Jones is an independent specialist who is receiving no remuneration for his work on the campaign” is sufficient.
The Palin Communications: Ten step guide to incorporating external experts into impactful PR
You understand the rationale, you’ve thought about the regulations, and you’ve taken note of some pitfalls. So let’s look at how it actually gets done. Step by step.
Step 1: Research relevant external experts in the context of your objectives and therapeutic area. Develop a short list of possible candidates based on desk research, conversations with other healthcare professionals, internal intelligence, media searches and existing relationships
Step 2: Agree and draft the brief or the “ask” of the external experts. Clearly lay out what you are asking them to do. Consider what is in it for them and why they might agree to support your activity as an external expert.
Step 3: Develop and agree a method of outreach and contact. Assign responsibilities for making the initial contact based on existing relationships and/or professional responsibilities and experience. Always emphasise the non-promotional focus of the activity and the experience of the team that is implementing the program
Step 4: Confirm interest or an alignment in principle. Have a call with the external expert to understand their perspective. Then develop a draft agreement consistent with this interest that captures briefing notes, rationale and messages.
Step 5: Once the agreement is confirmed and/or signed, liaise with the external expert to refine the key messaging in a way that is consistent with their views and your campaign objectives
Step 6: Convene a message rehearsal session if necessary. Depending on the experience that the external expert has with media and their familiarity with the kind of likely media interest, it is possible that the external expert could benefit from a “trial run” or message rehearsal session
Step 7: Develop draft media materials that align with the key messages, the agreement you have with the external expert, and relevant regulations.
Step 8: Conduct a regulatory review of the arrangements and the copy. Ensure that the messages are compliant with external guidelines like the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct and TGA advertising guidelines, as well as your company's internal MLR approval process. Check that content is not “promotional” and that the regulations allow a healthcare professional voice or comment in the material you’ve produced.
Step 9: Implement the program consistent with the agreement and process that was shared with the external expert. Abide by your commitments in relation to notice for media enquiries and the process by which the external expert will be briefed or notified in relation to specific media enquiries.
Step 10: Debrief with the external expert after the campaign. Part of the objective is to execute the campaign in a way that leaves everyone feeling positive, valued and respected through the process.
How to prepare KOLs for interviews and journalists’ questions
A media interview is unscripted. Journalists are notoriously tricky and may ask about off-label uses, treatment comparisons, unpublished findings or the KOL’s relationship with the campaign sponsor.
It is the medical communication agency’s role to prepare the expert to respond accurately and confidently to anything the journalist throws at them.
This is best done with a concise, non-promotional briefing document grounded in approved clinical evidence. This will include a list of ‘key messages’ that the KOL can fall back on and include the campaign’s purpose, key facts, likely questions and topics that fall outside the agreed scope. Any clinical claims should be traceable to an approved source or peer-reviewed data.
A message rehearsal can then help the KOL translate complex information into clear language. This is not about scripting answers. It is an opportunity to test explanations, remove jargon and practise responding to difficult or unexpected questions. It also gives the external expert the chance to practice delicately responding to tricky questions.
KOLs should be prepared to:
Distinguish their professional opinion from the sponsor’s position
Disclose any relevant relationship or remuneration clearly
Avoid speculating about unpublished data or unapproved indications
Decline to compare treatments when a balanced answer cannot be provided
Correct an inaccurate premise without becoming defensive
Return to the evidence when a question moves beyond the campaign’s scope
The PR team should also agree on a live-engagement protocol. The KOL needs to know who will coordinate interview requests, what notice they can expect and who to contact if a journalist raises an unexpected regulatory or clinical issue.
For highly topical issues or experts who are less confident speaking with journalists, offering them the option of giving approved written quotes in advance can provide a controlled and credible alternative to interviews.
Good preparation does not control what an expert says. It gives them the evidence, context and confidence to express their honestly held views while keeping the discussion accurate, balanced and compliant.
Liaising with external experts: Some Do’s and Don’ts
Do | Don’t |
Be sensitive to the reasons for the expert’s involvement and the importance of them maintaining their independence | Don’t make the false assumption that they are a spokesperson for your company or position. They are independent experts speaking on their own behalf |
Be clear about remuneration arrangements and limitations | Don’t make incorrect assumptions about their availability or ability to move quickly to help you |
Ensure your activity complies with the relevant regulations | Don’t become too familiar or friendly through the process – remember it is a professional arrangement |
Think of them as an important source of potential patient case studies who can talk to the issues from a personal perspective | Don’t draft copy or content on their behalf without checking in on them first about their preferred process |
What to look for in an agency that can help manage relationships with external experts
Working with external experts is subtle, nuanced, delicate work that operates in a highly regulated environment. You need an agency that;
Has done this kind of work in the past
Can work as a partner with you
Understands the responsibilities of different people on the team (eg, Medical Affairs, Marketing etc) and how they relate to the integration of external experts
Knows the regulations as they relate to external experts and healthcare professionals (HCP’s)
Palin Communications – expert management based on experience
Palin Communications is now into its third decade of integrating external experts into impactful, compliant, health-focused PR campaigns.
Whether it is integrating anaphylaxis experts into media discussions about new treatment options or promoting experts in addiction recovery to talk about psychedelic assisted therapy, we’ve covered dozens of campaigns, scenarios and therapeutic areas that integrate external experts.
Contact us for help because the Palin Communications team is uniquely placed to help you develop your external expert strategy.
Ready to build an EE strategy?
You understand that engaging with external experts is a crucial part of your health-focused PR strategy.
But you don’t want to trip up, trigger a regulatory problem or sour a relationship. That’s why you need the Palin Communications team to help you navigate this.
Get in contact at hello@palin.com.au and we’ll show you how it works and help you implement it in a way that is smoother than you could ever have predicted.
