Demystifying Health Tech PR

INTERVIEW: LYDIA RAMSEY PFLANZER

We spoke with Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, health tech deputy editor for Endpoints News, to discuss what works and what doesn’t when it comes to PR for health tech companies and startups, her perspective on the future of the industry and how founders can use storytelling for the benefit of their company’s growth.You’ve been in journalism for over a decade, from Managing Editor of your college newspaper to an intern at Popular Science Magazine to a writer and editor at Business Insider and now an editor at Endpoints News. Why did you choose to follow a career in journalism? How did you get your start?I started my journalism career in undergrad working on my school newspaper. I knew I was interested in healthcare reporting because I was exposed to the space through internships that taught me the intersection of science reporting and business reporting, and I was always intrigued by what folks deep in the healthcare space were discussing.Early on in my career, I got thrown into the deep end and got on the phone with Martin Shkreli a few times when that was all bubbling up in 2015, and was on top of the Theranos drama as it unfolded. It was such a fun journey that really propelled me into health reporting.So now you’re at Endpoints as the Deputy Editor for their Health Tech channel - what does the day-to-day look like for you? What have you learned?At Endpoints, I'm approaching an audience that's invested in the healthcare industry and wants to know how it's changing - so that feels distinctly different from my previous work. I spend lots of time planning out the newsletter because that's what I have to hit send on, as well as figuring out what the most important news of the day is and what's worth including in the top line of the newsletter. I've also been doing a lot more reporting, which has been a ton of fun. It's been exciting to be in more of a startup environment with the backing of the Financial Times.What makes for a good story for you?For me, the story has to answer a few central questions:1. How is healthcare changing?2. What forces are changing it?3. What does this change look like on a granular level?This can include funding news or M&A news, like financing moments, but it can also be talking to someone who's in the trenches on this stuff and can speak to what is changing and what's different. I think that's what I tend to look out for - how something fits into the broader healthcare picture. I'm really charting out the forces that are shaping the next decade of how healthcare is paid for and delivered.What types of stories do you want to stay away from this year?The beauty of being in charge of our health tech newsletter means that I get to turn down stories all the time. I don't ever feel like I have to write something. I only write something if I'm interested in it or think it's a worthwhile story to tell.What are your favorite resources to get story inspiration from?There are some really great tools out there, like AlphaSense, which does a good job of creating dashboards that make it very simple to find press releases. I rely on these aggregation tools to find day-of news in my wheelhouse. The truth of the matter is that I can ask people to send me all the press releases in the world, but sometimes I still miss them. Resources like these ensure relevant news is on my radar. I also used to get lots of my intel from Twitter/X and TweetDeck, but now that it’s becoming so hard to navigate, I’ve moved away from Twitter and am increasingly getting my news on LinkedIn. I also scan newsletters for timely news - they’re easy to read, and I can bookmark the top-level news of the day or week to keep track of.What do you look for in a pitch?For me, email is king. With that said, LinkedIn and social media are still good places to connect. I like promoting my stories and talking about topics in a public environment there.My biggest pitching advice is, don't bury the lead. I’m usually only looking for a few things:1. What's new?2. Why is it important now?3. What might actually be the headline/what’s the big picture?Are there any use cases for AI that you think will be implemented in the clinic in the new year?What I could see folks doing over the next year is trying out some things in the clinic that could go really well or really poorly. The biggest use cases I’ve been hearing about lately are around: - How much administrative work can be taken off folks’ plates, which is really interesting because if you can cut down on our administrative burden and administrative costs, you could really make a dent in healthcare costs. - How some companies are pushing the envelope with using AI to supplement what doctors are able to do.When I think about new advances, I think a lot about how it's going to impact patients - how are patients being affected by a shutdown or a company behaving badly?Are there any other trends in the healthcare space that you’re really excited about?What I've been the most curious to follow is what happens to startups that came up really big in the past decade. Right now, we're seeing a lot of companies having to sit on the sidelines and not go public or be growth-stage privately held startups for a really long time. It seems like a lot of founders are holding out for 2025 at this point. I think we know who the next 20 to 50 companies are going to be that might want to go public, but they just need a window. So what happens before that window is open? This is something I’m curious to follow and see where it goes.Why do you think some founders receive massive attention from the media while others don’t? How does storytelling play a role?As business reporters, we're trained to follow the money. And as reporters, we're on the lookout for the most interesting characters in the areas we cover. I'm guessing where those priorities intersect with access to founders who produce soundbite after soundbite could be what drives that increased media attention.What are the common mistakes that startups make when communicating about their company, and how do you recommend they avoid them?I'm going to want to really understand exactly how a company works and how it gets paid. Being direct about that can save me time asking the question a few different ways and get us using the interview time more efficiently. I also appreciate when startup leaders can speak on topics that aren't their company's talking points. Sometimes, it can feel as if I'm getting an investor pitch, but that's not my job!What advice would you give a health tech founder based on the current funding and M&A environment?Coming at this as a reporter, I don't have a ton of business advice to give, but what I can say is it's great to invest in talking to the media. When the time comes to announce a deal, funding, or even bad news, it's nice to have those connections so the news can go beyond a press release announcement.A big thanks to Lydia for sharing her insight and expertise. You can follow Lydia on Twitter and connect with her via LinkedIn. You can also subscribe to her Endpoints Health Tech Newsletter, here.To learn how VSC Adrenaline combines strategic media relations and surgical digital content marketing to empower startups to build credibility and awareness while adhering to regulatory and industry standards, visit us at https://vsc.co/adrenaline.