"'How can I best connect with my audience?"

That’s the question at the heart of any content campaign. The exciting, yet sometimes frustrating, thing about it is that there is no one right answer – especially when it comes to healthcare content.

In healthcare, you not only have to educate, inform, and entertain, but you often also must comfort and gently guide your audience to information and services that can be deeply personal, all while respecting readers’ privacy.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and impactful. Fortunately, there are many ways to tell a compelling healthcare story, reach your target audience, and maintain a sound bedside manner. The StoryStudio thrives at conceptualizing different approaches to storytelling. From narrative to visual to audio to interactive, here are a few ideas we’ve brought to the drawing board for our clients.

Past, present, future

Storytelling is a complex process, but that doesn’t mean you need to overthink it. When in doubt, start at the very beginning! Timelines are a simple and effective way to grab the reader’s eye and lead them through the evolution of your organization, date by date, photo by photo, and snappy blurb by snappy blurb. Highlight expansions, breakthroughs, and advances in technology. Showcase your institutional expertise through major milestones in different departments, treatments, or fundraising. Often the most effective story is your own.

Through patient eyes

Healthcare, at its essence, is about life – improving it, protecting it, and preserving it. Why not celebrate how your organization has impacted a patient’s life? Built around testimonials from both patient and provider, these real-life stories focus on a personal experience with one clinic or area of treatment within your system. Illustrating success stories in a humanistic light will be instantly relatable to readers.

Let the experts do the talking

Stories aren’t just meant to be read, they’re also meant to be heard. The StoryStudio can put you directly in the ears of your target audience. We can help you create a native podcast series featuring your experts discussing high-interest health topics or areas of specialization. All podcasts are hosted on Hearst property publications and found wherever you get your podcasts.

Map it out

If you want to truly engage an audience, invite them to participate – and in some cases invite them through the front door. The StoryStudio can create map integrations through which viewers can click around and take a self-guided tour of different departments, building features, or new state-of-the-art amenities. This not only creates a fun adventure for the user, but it can also be a valuable orientation tool.