A good success story goes a long way. This is especially true when you work in an industry rife with complexity like healthcare or technology. That’s because success stories are perfect for showing (vs. telling) what you do — and how awesome you are at doing it.
Plus, with a success story, your target audience doesn’t have to fully understand how your product or service works. But they’ll understand the benefits and know whether you are selling something they might want.
Patients who had a great experience and outcomes are good for patient success stories. (Photo by Thinkstock)
That’s why if you are a healthcare marketer, patient success stories should be one of your content staples. New to writing these? Here’s a basic checklist to help you get started.
1. A patient with a great experience and outcome. This seems like a no-brainer, but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve interviewed patients for success stories only to learn they need a follow-up surgery or still have the pain that the treatment was supposed to eradicate. Or that a procedure was successful — but they needed the procedure because of an error the hospital made in the first place. Be sure to carefully vet potential patients before putting them in your marketing materials. Even if you can omit some of the unfavorable details, the patient could share those details with friends and family and Facebook and Twitter and … you get the idea.
2. A clinical source. No one expects a patient to be the expert on a disease or treatment. The patient is an expert on her experience only. A physician, RN, dietitian or other clinical source can provide context and explain the treatment protocol. (Choose any clinician on your staff you trust; it doesn’t have to be the particular patient’s physician.)
3. Clear, human-friendly language. Remember your audience — which, in most cases, is potential patients. And most of us don’t read a story that reads like a medical journal. Use a friendly tone and words that people will understand. Avoid medical or academic speak.
4. Diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, context. Be sure to explain what condition or challenge the patient was facing. How did they get there? What treatment did they have? What was involved? What does their future look like as a result of this treatment? What things can they do now that they couldn’t before?
5. Personal details. A few small personal details about the patient can help your readers relate to the patient. Consider including simple things like her age, what she does for work and what she enjoys doing in her free time.
With these simple key elements, you’ll have what you need to get started on your next patient success story.