Hospital’s media coverage increases nine-fold using brand journalism

The words “brand” and “journalism” may not seem like they go together—and the goals of the people who work at either end of this communication spectrum may seem to be at odds. But when thoughtfully practiced, brand journalism provides meaningful, relevant content to media outlets that need it, while (sometimes indirectly) burnishing a brand image.

At Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the PR team defines brand journalism as blending actionable content with expert guidance from the hospital’s sources.

“For the most part, we focus our brand journalism stories on information that parents can use,” explains Pam Barber, director of media relations. “We’re striving to be a news source.”

Barber has seen an increase in the range of media where the hospital gets placements—for instance, national media outlets such as CNN, as well as parenting blogs—but the big change has been in the inbound requests.