In today’s hyper-connected world, digital public relations (PR) is a foundational strategy for any healthcare organization—be it a global hospital network, a fast-scaling health tech startup, or a local wellness brand. The tools are abundant, the audiences are reachable, and the stakes have never been higher.
And yet, for all the potential digital PR holds to humanize brands, build trust, and disseminate vital health information, it’s also becoming a space riddled with poor execution, tone-deaf messaging, and outright misinformation. When digital PR is done badly, the damage can be swift, widespread, and in some cases, irreversible. This is especially true in the healthcare space, where accuracy, empathy, and ethical responsibility are not just values—they are mandates.
The Problem with “More”: Visibility Without Substance
In the digital era, many healthcare brands—especially startups—operate under the mistaken assumption that more content equals more impact. The result? A flood of half-baked blog posts, templated social media graphics, low-effort thought leadership articles, and email campaigns with all the personality of a Terms & Conditions notice.
But digital PR isn’t a numbers game. It’s a trust game. You’re not just trying to be seen. You’re trying to be believed.
Case in Point: The Wellness Startup That Flooded LinkedIn
A venture-backed wellness tech company launched a menstrual tracking app aimed at young women. In the three months following their Series A announcement, they published:
- 21 LinkedIn posts
- 8 press releases
- 14 blog entries
- 3 podcast interviews
Yet almost all of it fell flat. Why?
Because the content had no point of view. The messaging was vague (“empowering women through data”) and filled with buzzwords like “disrupt,” “reimagine,” and “AI-powered personalization.” Meanwhile, real questions about data privacy, transparency, and health equity—topics their audience cared deeply about—went unanswered.
The result: Media fatigue, user skepticism, and a credibility crisis that forced a complete rebrand within a year.
The Illusion of Engagement: Vanity Metrics as KPIs
A second—and common—mistake in poorly executed digital PR is the obsession with vanity metrics: likes, shares, impressions. Brands mistake these metrics for meaning, even though they rarely correlate with trust, intent, or action.
Take, for example, a well-funded teletherapy platform that ran a mental health awareness campaign on TikTok. The campaign featured influencer-style videos of young actors saying things like “Therapy saved my life—click the link in bio.” The videos amassed 1.5 million views in a week.
But dig deeper and the cracks show:
- The company saw no increase in trial signups.
- Mental health professionals criticized the oversimplification of therapy outcomes.
- Real users reported long wait times, inconsistent quality, and limited provider diversity.
All of this led to a flurry of negative Reddit threads and critical press coverage in Wired and Vice. Despite the initial engagement, the PR effort damaged the brand more than it helped—because the campaign prioritized performance over authenticity.
Misinformation and Oversimplification: Ethical Landmines
Nowhere is poor digital PR more dangerous than when it veers into misinformation.
In healthcare, even small inaccuracies can snowball into serious harm. This is especially true when companies try to simplify complex medical topics for “shareability.”
The Supplement Brand That Oversimplified Science
A popular supplement company ran an Instagram campaign claiming that its new product could “naturally balance hormones and reduce PCOS symptoms.” The posts featured attractive young women holding bottles, smiling, and touting how quickly they felt results.
What the posts didn’t say:
- There was no peer-reviewed evidence backing the claims.
- The product hadn’t gone through any formal clinical trials.
- PCOS is a highly individualized condition that requires tailored treatment.
The backlash was swift. Doctors and reproductive health experts took to social media and media outlets like Stat News to call out the campaign as deceptive and harmful. The brand later issued a statement saying they “could have communicated more clearly,” but the trust had already eroded.
Tone-Deaf Messaging in Times of Crisis
Perhaps one of the most egregious forms of bad digital PR is tone-deafness during public health crises—moments that demand empathy, not opportunism.
The COVID Sanitizer Blunder
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a boutique hand sanitizer brand launched a digital PR campaign with the slogan: “Your Health, But Make It Fashion.” The campaign featured influencers posing with sanitizers in glittery bottles, set against backdrops of luxury locations—at a time when hospitals were overwhelmed and people were dying.
The backlash came not just from the public, but from frontline workers who saw the campaign as trivializing a dire situation.
To make matters worse, when called out, the brand’s social media manager replied to one critic with a snarky emoji. The brand eventually deleted all the posts and issued an apology, but it was too little, too late.
Generic Thought Leadership: The Empty Expert Problem
In digital PR, thought leadership is supposed to position your brand or its leaders as credible voices on key issues. Done right, it builds trust and opens media opportunities. Done poorly, it’s the PR equivalent of white noise.
Many healthcare brands fall into the trap of pushing out “thought leadership” content that’s:
- Vague (“The Future of Healthcare Is Here”)
- Self-congratulatory (“We at XYZ are passionate about innovation”)
- Devoid of insight (“AI is transforming medicine” …and?)
Worse still, these articles are often ghostwritten by junior marketing staff with no healthcare expertise, then signed off by executives who don’t bother reading them.
The Healthtech CEO Who Missed the Moment
A healthtech CEO wrote a LinkedIn article titled “Healthcare’s Digital Future: A 2024 Outlook.” It included no original data, no case studies, and no mention of the healthcare labor shortage, patient burnout, or Medicaid coverage cuts—all issues dominating the news cycle at the time.
It read like a high school book report on AI in healthcare. Unsurprisingly, it generated little engagement. But more damagingly, it positioned the company as out of touch with real-world healthcare challenges—a PR failure that alienated its clinician partners.
Over-Reliance on Automation and AI
With the rise of AI content generators, chatbots, and automated social scheduling tools, many brands have embraced automation as a way to scale their digital PR efforts. But what you gain in scale, you often lose in soul.
The Chatbot That Became a PR Nightmare
One mental health platform integrated a chatbot to help triage patient questions before connecting them with human therapists. The chatbot also automatically replied to social media DMs.
But when a user messaged the brand on Instagram saying, “I’m feeling really hopeless lately. Is your service for me?”, the bot replied: “Thank you for your interest in our services! Visit our website for more info.”
That automated reply, cold and unempathetic, sparked a thread of angry comments. Screenshots circulated on Twitter. Mental health professionals criticized the platform for failing basic human decency.
What began as a cost-saving measure turned into a digital PR disaster. The brand eventually disabled the chatbot and hired a full-time social media responder, but not before the damage to its image—and trust—was done.
What Good Digital PR Looks Like (By Contrast)
Let’s be clear: Digital PR isn’t inherently flawed. It’s a powerful tool when used with strategy, integrity, and a deep understanding of one’s audience.
Here are a few examples of what good looks like:
1. Transparent Crisis Response
When the popular telehealth platform PlushCare faced a security breach in 2023, their PR team acted fast. Instead of hiding it, they:
- Posted a transparent explanation within 24 hours.
- Hosted a live Q&A with their CTO and privacy officer.
- Offered a year of free credit monitoring to affected users.
The result? Widespread praise for their honesty—and minimal fallout.
2. Doctor-Led Content That Educates
The small dermatology chain Curology partners with licensed dermatologists to create short-form videos explaining skin myths, acne cycles, and ingredient breakdowns. They cite sources, use plain language, and never over-promise. It’s science-backed, human, and real.
3. Community-Centric Campaigns
A nonprofit women’s health clinic in Detroit ran a digital PR campaign featuring the real stories of mothers navigating pregnancy care. Instead of influencers or graphics, the campaign used short testimonials, local partnerships, and a microsite connecting women to free resources.
Their audience wasn’t national—but their impact was profound.
Final Thoughts: PR Is a Trust Function, Not a Megaphone
Digital PR can make or break a healthcare brand. In a space where stakes are high and reputations fragile, it’s not enough to post frequently or “go viral.” Every word you publish, every post you sponsor, and every story you tell contributes to one thing: whether your audience believes you.
Poor digital PR isn’t just a missed opportunity. It’s a threat—to brand credibility, patient safety, and public discourse.
So if you’re a healthcare brand — startup, clinic, nonprofit, or pharma company — ask yourself:
- Does our content educate or obfuscate?
- Do our campaigns prioritize empathy over hype?
- Are we transparent about our limitations and mistakes?
- Are we listening to, and amplifying, the real voices of patients and providers?
If the answer is “no,” it’s time to rethink your digital PR strategy.
Because trust is earned, not bought.
And in healthcare, that trust can literally save lives.
