Thought leadership Moves Headlines
How Women’s Health Brands Can Turn Expertise Into Coverage & Authority
This month we have highlighted the roadblocks (paid filters, squeamish algorithms) and reframed the mix (paid × earned × owned), but this final installment is about the muscle that powers everything else: thought leadership. In women’s health, this how you build trust, credibility and give buyers and partners a reason to believe. Behold:
Five ways women’s health brands can turn thought leadership into meaningful earned media.
Below are concrete, repeatable plays. Each includes what to produce, how to pitch it and how to repurpose it so the value compounds:
#1: Signature “State of…” White Paper (annual or semiannual)
Produce: A data‑rich report on a narrow, high‑stakes topic (e.g., Menopause at Work 2026: Symptoms, Policy, and Productivity; Sex & Intimacy After Breast Cancer: Gaps in Care). Blend de‑identified platform data, small‑n surveys and data synthesis.
Pitch: Offer an embargoed exclusive to one tier‑one outlet and upon publications, deploy a campaign to reach reporters at business, health and workplace desks.
Repurpose: Provide an executive summary on your newsroom or website, create LinkedIn “document” posts and develop a half dozen visual representations of the findings to leverage across all channels.
#2: Expert Roster & Media‑Ready Quote Bank
Produce: A living bench of spokespeople (founder, clinician, researcher, patient advocate, etc.) and with pre‑approve topic lanes (e.g., menopause & CVD risk; postpartum care; pelvic‑floor basics) and 3 – 4 data‑backed quotes per lane.
Pitch: When news breaks, you can respond in minutes, not days. FMA (first-mover-advantage). Put simply, speed wins.
Repurpose: Short “explainers” on your site that mirror the quotes reporters have used, keeping facts consistent across the web (great for both journalists and discovery systems).
#3: Co‑authored Op‑Eds (health + workplace + finance)
Produce: Pair someone from your leadership roster (for example, your CMO/Chief Medical Officer) with a benefits leader or economist to argue for evidence‑based employer policies (menopause leave, flexible scheduling, coverage for pelvic‑floor PT).
Pitch: Aim for a mainstream opinion desk with high syndication and keep a trade‑press version with deeper detail ready.
Repurpose: Clip becomes the “why now” anchor on your website, fodder for social media and a meaningful addition to leadership bios.
#4: “Borrowed Data” Briefs (ethical newsjacking)
Produce: When another study drops, like a health screening or fertility trend, draft a two‑paragraph addendum that clarifies what it means for your patients/users, with one chart from your own data if available.
Pitch: Fast email to beat reporters: “Here’s what this means for women at work / new moms / menopausal athletes.”
Repurpose: Feature in your “news” or blog section of the website, share via social media and consider developing further content to capitalize on this cultural conversation.
#5: Mini‑Survey Series (3 questions, monthly)
Produce: Lightweight pulse checks with your community (e.g., Sleep & Work in Perimenopause). Publish a 300‑word post + one simple bar chart.
Pitch: Bundle three months into a single brief for Axios/Reuters‑style roundups, offering top‑line numbers and a quotable takeaway.
Repurpose: Develop a slide for the sales team, a stat card for social or an infographic in investor updates.
Net‑net: Creating a comprehensive plan to leverage the thought leadership within your organization allows for numerous ways to earn placements that move the needle, shape the narrative, and build trust – while creating durable assets you can reuse across social, sales, marketing, email and investor meetings.
The fact that advertising is rejecting images, words and topics around women’s healthcare is BEYOND frustrating. But there are other alternatives to getting your message out.