By Laura Pair, Chief Business Officer
Imagine your organization is trying to encourage people to schedule their annual cancer screening. You could target an age range or gender most often affected by that type of cancer, but do you really reach who you need to with a “one size fits all/most” public relations campaign?
Consider rural Montana, where the nearest hospital is two hours away. Now contrast that with New York City, where health care options are abundant but often overwhelming. Both communities face health care challenges, but the way you communicate with each needs to be different. As access to care is unequal in this scenario and many others, your messaging and tactics need to strategically reflect that.
When health care messaging is generalized, it risks being irrelevant ─ or even worse ─ rejected. Instead, localization allows you to speak directly to a community’s needs, fears and values. In health care especially, that connection can mean the difference between action and inaction or even life and death.
So how do you reach people at a local level?
First and foremost, PR professionals must develop an understanding of the intended audience’s daily life experiences and cultural norms. Research ─ including surveys and focus groups ─ can uncover surprising insights, as can analysis of census data, social media conversations and consumer spending habits. Incorporate what you learn into your messaging points and make sure your targeting is based on data and not hunches.
Trust is earned at the local level. A campaign endorsed by a hometown physician will often land better than a national spokesperson who doesn’t reflect the community. Likewise, messaging delivered in a local newscast or by a favorite radio host is likely to be received more positively than by a national news program or ad campaign. In fact, a 2024 Pew Research Center survey of about 5,000 U.S. adults revealed that a large majority believe that local journalists are in touch with their communities and that their local news media perform well at several aspects of their jobs, such as reporting the news accurately.
Finally, in diverse communities, simply translating your content won’t cut it. Communicators should go the extra mile to find authentic voices, whether they are doctors, patients, corporate spokespeople or influencers. Prepare them to deliver messaging that resonates with the thoughts and feelings of the community. After all, localized PR isn’t just a strategy; it’s a commitment to reaching people where they are with empathy and authenticity.