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SnapCare Selects Amendola for Strategic Messaging, Marketing & PR Services to Introduce New Name & Platform to the Healthcare Continuum

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 9, 2023 – Amendola, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare technology and life sciences public relations and marketing firm, announced today that it has been selected by SnapCare™, an AI-enabled workforce marketplace that serves the entire continuum of care. On the heels of leading SnapCare’s corporate relaunch, which included changing its name and introducing a new business model, Amendola is implementing a comprehensive PR and thought leadership program.

“SnapCare is entering the next phase of its corporate identity and rolling out a new platform that will transform healthcare workforce management. It’s essential that we deliver our message to the right audiences in a thorough and compelling manner,” said Robin Milne, Chief Marketing Officer, SnapCare. “Amendola was a natural choice for its expertise and experience in digital health PR and marketing.”

SnapCare’s tech-enabled platform offers healthcare facilities complete visibility into the ideal talent mix for their unique needs and associated costs. Its workforce solutions significantly improve client savings and efficiencies, minimizing the need for intermediate agencies, returning control to healthcare facilities, and ensuring total transparency in pay and pricing.

According to Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications, “It’s no secret that healthcare is struggling with staffing shortages. It’s more than a problem. It is a crisis that will continue to escalate as healthcare workers retire, transition to new roles, or just quit their jobs. We are delighted to introduce SnapCare’s timely and much needed new platform, which offers a unique approach to the problem.”

About Amendola

Amendola is an award-winning, insights-driven public relations and marketing firm that integrates media relations, social media, content, and lead gen programs to move healthcare, life sciences/pharma and healthcare IT decision-makers to action. The agency represents some of the industry’s best-known brands as well as groundbreaking startups that are disrupting the status quo. Nearly 90% of its client base represents multi-year clients and/or repeat client executives. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros understand the ongoing complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and provide strategic guidance and creative direction to drive positive ROI, boost reputation and increase market share. Making an impact since 2003, Amendola combines traditional and digital media to fuel meaningful and measurable growth. For more information about the industry’s “A-Team,” visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About SnapCare

SnapCare™ is an AI-enabled workforce marketplace that serves the entire continuum of care. Our platform offers healthcare facilities complete visibility into the ideal talent mix for their unique needs and associated costs. We designed our workforce solutions to significantly improve client savings and efficiencies, minimizing the need for intermediate agencies, returning control to healthcare facilities, and ensuring total transparency in pay and pricing. Our pioneering technology and comprehensive services offer a smarter way for facilities to manage their workforce needs and deliver quality patient care. ​

For more information, visit SnapCare.com and follow SnapCare on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media contact: Marcia G. Rhodes, Amendola Communications, mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com

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6 pitfalls of email pitching

6 Pitfalls of Email Pitching

Clients often wonder how a PR agency can get reporters to read email pitches. It’s basically a combination of art, science, and alchemy definitely not for the faint of heart.

When I was the healthcare reporter for the Boston Business journal, I got an average of 300-400 emails per day. In the run up to a major conference, such as JP Morgan or HIMSS, that number could easily reach 500 emails per day. I couldn’t possibly read them all. I deleted more than half, and immediately read about a quarter of them. The rest I saved to read later. Maybe.

4 ways to lose a reporter in 70 characters

The biggest mistake you can make is failing to take advantage of the subject line to quickly convey the value of the company, product, CEO, or scientific advance. Here are a few common types of subject lines that won’t get reporters to read pitches:

  1. Heads up, big news from Health Inc.” – A lot of companies waste valuable space in a subject line with phrases designed to get reporters attention. “Heads up” is really useful only if you are a TV cameraman reviewing video and the President walks into the room. Simply state the news, in the format, “Who is doing what and why.”
  1. Introducing CEO Bob Smith“- A lot of companies write to offer the expertise of their thought leaders, and that’s great. But this doesn’t give me any information about Smith’s areas of expertise, or whether he’ll be a candid, interesting or thought-provoking interview. Give the reporter some insight into your expert’s point of view and, if possible, his or her personality.
  1. Health Inc. tops sales projections for the third year running” – This kind of blatant promotion will immediately be deleted by most reporters. First of all, where’s the story there? Secondly, whose projections are we talking about, the company’s? Reporters need independent numbers.
  1. Health Inc. to revolutionize health care“- Subject lines that are intentionally vague or seek to tease the reporter and pique their interest can backfire. This particular one is too broad and strains credulity. I would probably give it a pass. It may be necessary to keep the news under wraps until, for instance, a reporter agrees to an embargo. But try to give as much detail as possible, so he or she can make an informed decision.

2 ways to lose a reporter once they are on the hook

OK, so you’ve survived the subject line gauntlet, and the reporter has clicked on your email. The next challenge is to get him or her to read the whole pitch, or most of it, and call for an interview. Here are a few Don’ts:

  1. Don’t overload the reporter with background – Keep it simple. A two- to three-line pitch explaining what the news is and why it’s important is best.
  2. Don’t abuse embargoes -Embargoes may be necessary for a variety of reasons for instance, the news is tied to a JAMA article that has not yet been published. But putting an embargo on news to try to inflate its value may backfire. Reporters are willing to abide by embargoes as long as everyone is on the same playing field with the same rules.

If you can avoid these six pitfalls you will be well on your way to hearing the sweet sound of your phone ringing with reporter interest.

Have you ever fallen prey to one of these pitfalls? Do they ring true? What other pitching best practices have you discovered?

Politics and healthcare PR don't often mix, but sometimes you do have to talk about the elephant in the room.

The Elephant in the Room: Policy and Politics in Healthcare PR

The Day After
Wednesday, November 9, about 6am. Bleary eyed, I throw back a couple cups of black coffee and start collating and reviewing my notes, observations and potential talking points on the election results and their affect on healthcare PR before making phone calls and firing off e-mails to clients.

The GOP had captured the White House and retained majorities in both houses of Congress. From now until Inauguration Day political and policy reporters would be laser-focused on the agenda of the incoming administration, the Senate, and the House and the impact it could have on the country.

Healthcare specifically the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid expansion and even accountable care is near the top of that list. Reporters and editors would be turning to the industry for their perspectives, hot takes and prognostications.

The Elephant in the Room
Many vendors and healthcare associations, especially those who work to some extent in areas of policy or advocacy, decline to publicly speak on political matters because they have to work with whichever party controls the executive and legislative branches. The increased intensity of partisan rancor also makes healthcare companies reluctant to comment on any hot-button topics for fear of losing customers or causing internal turbulence with key staff.

Industry leaders can certainly decline to speak and have legitimate reasons for doing so. But it’s critical that their public relations executives prepare them for that eventuality anyway.

There’s an old adage that says that politics and religion are the two forbidden topics at the dinner table. However, the former is not always an option for healthcare PR pros and their clients. Let’s face it: no matter your political affiliation, the results of the 2016 general election will likely have a significant impact on the healthcare industry,

Don’t believe me? Take 60 seconds to check out your news and social media feeds.

An Approach to Message
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, I had explored with my clients potential frameworks for how to respond to the priorities of a new administration and Congress. The differences between the two national parties on healthcare are both well-known and famously divergent. Democrats favor modifying and improving the ACA. Republicans campaigned on the law’s repeal and replacement.

I recognized a few potential hazards for my clients who chose to go on the record. First, much of today’s politics is personal and personality-driven. I felt that as a PR executive, my job was to frame the issue of healthcare policy in a way that was factual and focused on the policy and its potential ramifications.

The second major hazard is the perilous nature of predictions. Yes, non-partisan agencies such as the Congressional Budget Office had outlined potential impacts to healthcare based on candidates’ statements and plans. However, the political process is filled with too many twists and turns, too many procedural tricks and local political considerations to make any prediction a sure thing. In addition, speculation is often peppered with bias (any prime-time cable news panel is evidence enough of that).

Through my own research and discussions with clients, the overarching theme of nearly all perspectives was uncertainty. Campaigning is wholly different from governing. Nobody really knows what is going to happen. The healthcare plans of the two parties could not be more different. But how would political realities alter those stances?

For payers, providers and patients all of whom have invested incredible time, resources, and money into the implementation of the ACA uncertainty became a story unto itself. All of the information I had collected began to take shape as a narrative my clients could use as industry thought leaders while avoiding the volcanic clickbait statements that dominate today’s political discussions.

Lessons Learned
I wasn’t always in PR. I cut my teeth in journalism, and admit to viewing PR as a profession more focused on obfuscation than clarity. My 18 months working in PR has certainly changed my perspective and this first major election of my new career has offered me some critical lessons.

  1. Spin is Dumb. A general election is unique in so many different ways. A grueling 18-month campaign focused primarily on scandals and gaffes sometimes feels as if it is something to be endured rather than an opportunity to understand the principles and policies supported by the candidates. “Spin” is a major driver in the paper-thin evaluation of political candidates and their policies. I see my job as an opportunity to raise awareness and educate. But even honest assessments and insightful thought leadership requires calibration and planning.
  2. Messaging Matters. Even if your company is not interested in speaking to the press on any political matters, it’s smart to at least talk about it. We live in an omni-channel world. Everyone, it seems, has four or five social media accounts. Understanding how to approach your narrative will help you navigate the murkier swamps of policy and politics.
  3. Prep is Key. I’ve worked in healthcare for more than 12 years. Many of my clients have been in the biz even longer. And one of the reasons we are all successful is that we realize that we can always learn more. Collect as much information you can. A lot of it you’ll already know but seeking out a variety of perspective can help you shape how you tell your story.

There’s no getting around it. Reporters from national publications and healthcare trades are turning to the industry’s thought leaders for their perspectives on what the next four years could look like for the healthcare industry and the millions of people it serves. It’s critical that we present ourselves as knowledgeable and responsible sources of information.

Image Copyright pam fray and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.