The Blueprint for an Impactful Healthcare Influencer Partnership

In the age of social media, there is an endless amount of information available at our fingertips. Meme pages, photoshop and deep fakes have us questioning whether what we see and hear online is real or not. At times, it’s hard to know what and whom to trust. This is especially problematic when it comes to information about our health.

Many look to influencers and celebrities for inspiration or guidance – around fashion, art, beauty and, yes, health. The number of health-related partnerships with influencers and celebrities has exploded in recent years, especially driven by the pandemic.

As the bridge between Hollywood and healthcare, starpower often collaborates with doctors who have large social followings, but most of the influencers and celebrities who team up with brands to raise awareness of a disease or treatment do not have a medical degree – but providing medical advice is not the purpose of the partnership. This is an important and often misunderstood aspect of working with influencers and celebrities in healthcare. The value is in raising awareness – of a condition, a screening to take, a treatment to consider, and ultimately, of a conversation that should take place with a doctor, who does have a medical degree.

Expertise in Your Partners

In healthcare, having expertise is non-negotiable, and that pertains to both the spokesperson and the agency you choose to partner with for your campaign. At starpower, we have more than 15 years of experience and knowledge of the nuances in the pharmaceutical, biotech and health and wellness landscape. We understand the intricate details of navigating Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines while developing meaningful content with the most impactful partners to reach the right audiences. We keenly understand that the content that is shared by the influencer must go through a very thorough process to ensure accuracy and compliance.

A Rigorous Review Process

The attributes that are more challenging than ever to find online today – authenticity, transparency, balance – are the keys to a successful and compliant partnership. An influencer and celebrity collaboration should always be with someone who has an authentic connection to the topic being discussed, and their sponsored posts must include certain components:

• Transparency of the partnership between the individual and the company, in order to abide by FTC disclosure guidelines (#sponsored appearing at the beginning of the post, for example).

• Fair balance when a treatment is mentioned, with the most important risks presented in a similar fashion to the benefits, in order to abide by FDA guidelines.

• Additional disclosures that make it clear the information shared is one person’s experience, that others may not have the same experience, and the reader should consult with a healthcare professional to determine what is best for them.

The United States is one of only two countries (New Zealand is the other) that allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements. Any sponsored post from an influencer and celebrity must go through rigorous review by a company’s medical, legal and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with all FTC and FDA guidelines. These regulatory bodies safeguard the public from misleading information that could be detrimental to an individual’s health.

Working with the influencer and celebrity throughout the process to ensure the authenticity of their voice and experiences remain preserved is as essential as compliance. This is always a delicate balance, but it can be achieved through open communication and transparency with your partners.

The Impact of #Sponsored Healthcare Posts and Partnerships

After the sponsored post has gone through the company’s review process, it’s ready to go live. Although each campaign may have different key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals, the major benefits of influencers and celebrities sharing health information on behalf of a brand can go beyond measurable results and can:

1. Spark conversations and action: Influential voices sharing their personal experiences brings light to issues that can change lives. The influencer and celebrity partners we have worked with have shared on countless occasions that they received comments, emails and direct messages from people thanking them for sharing their experiences, which inspired them to get a check-up that led to a diagnosis or pursue a treatment that had a positive impact on their life.

2. Create connections and communities: Many conditions have a stigma unfairly attached to them. That prevents people with that condition from speaking out about it, which can lead them to feel alone with no support system. When influencers and celebrities speak out about health conditions, they can help break the stigma and empower others to seek out community support, which is often so crucial to those going through their health journey. It is most beneficial when brands develop long-term relationships with their influencer and celebrity partners, leading to more meaningful connections and communications that can be cultivated.

3. Provide valuable insights into the needs of patients, caregivers and doctors: Through the conversations and communities it fosters, often in the comments on the posts themselves, we can learn more about the experiences of different populations and be more prepared to cater to their needs. The outcome of a sponsored post is much more than the number of likes or click-throughs to a website, it is an educational moment for brands to learn more about their audiences, what resonates with them and how to better serve them.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to collaborate with influencers and celebrities, please email michael@starpowerllc.com to set up a time to discuss with our starpower/Culture & Influence team.

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