• Top Takeaways from Swaay.Health LIVE 2025: Healthcare Marketing, PR & Communications Trends You Need to Know

    Top Takeaways from Swaay.Health LIVE 2025: Healthcare Marketing, PR & Communications Trends You Need to Know

    Swaay.Health LIVE 2025 did not disappoint. The event brought together like-minded marketing and communications professionals from tech companies, health IT firms, hospitals, media outlets, payers and non-profit organizations for a three-day event focused on education, discovery and networking.

    At this year’s event, sessions and panel discussions centered on marketing, PR and communications sparked conversations and critical thinking about the most challenging aspects of our fields. As many health systems, hospitals, payers and providers face uncertain times ahead, having sessions focused on how communications play a vital role in moving brands forward was not only insightful, but inspiring.

    Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or someone just starting out, here are our three key takeaways from Swaay.Health LIVE that were top of mind for healthcare marketers, PR and communications professionals – and advice to overcome the industry’s challenges.

    The Need for Storytelling – Patients are Listening and Reading

    Day 1 kicked off with a powerful keynote from Shereese Maynard, a patient who was able to navigate the complex intricacies of a hospital when she needed immediate care. She credits marketing and communication efforts working behind the scenes to perfect messaging, pitch stories, and create content on social media that help explain the many patient platforms and solutions patients and clinicians use throughout a patient’s care journey. Without this information, patients would never know what to expect, what questions to ask, or how to navigate a hospital, doctor’s office or health system to get the valuable information they need during a time of anxiety and concern.

    As marketers and communication professionals, we often default to pitching the media or creating content that targets the solution rather than the impact to patients, and while tutorials are needed, we need to shift the focus to impact and bring these complex systems to life. When thinking about how to tell a company’s story, focus more on the end user and how a solution helps them when in need. Make it simple and remember, “From labs to lives, healthcare IT isn’t about code, it’s about care. The care of millions of people who are counting on you.”

    To Attend or Not Attend? That is the Burning Question

    It’s no secret that sponsoring or attending a conference such as HIMSS, HLTH or ViVE is pricey, but is it worth shying away from altogether? Many experts say NO! However, it is important to spend the time to evaluate and assess the value. When building out your strategy, consider the following:

    • What are your goals, what is your focus, and what is your audience?
    • Align values to initiatives and how and where you want to grow your business
    • Is it new or have you previously attended? And if you attended, did you get qualified leads that drive results?

    These are just three considerations when creating a marketing and communications strategy for the year ahead – and don’t do it in a silo. Bring in your sales and executive team to be a part of the discussion. After all, these extended team members will be the ones working the show floor, nurturing existing relationships while building news ones, and potentially speaking at a main stage event.

    Once you have aligned on which conferences you will attend, sponsor, or both, next up is to ensure you are firing on all cylinders:

    • Large investment: Engage several pillars to ignite the fire of awareness – the sales team, social media channels, and people on stage (executives and customers) Also, be sure you’re activating in the booth.
    • Be “present” without being on-site:  Engage with your marketing and communications team to develop a strategy that involves running digital content at the events, staying relevant and plugged in across social channels, and conducting outreach to media who are registered to attend or who have covered it in the past.
    • Conduct Media Outreach: Pitch registered media for on-site or pre- / post-conference interviews to schedule interviews and extend the reach of your message and presence.

    The key takeaway – don’t sell yourself short. Conferences are vitally important to be a part of – either on-site making a splash, or through a well-defined digital strategy that couples nicely with good ole’ fashioned media relations.

    Landing the Coveted Earned Media Placement

    A million-dollar question for those in the marketing and communications industry continues to be, “how do you land coverage in earned media?”  With the evolving media landscape, it is more important than ever to understand the media, how reporters and editors work, how they like to be pitched, how often they write, what types of stories they like to write, etc. Key takeaways include:

    • Don’t Be Lazy: Make sure you do your research; the publication and its audience, the reporters, the editors, past coverage, etc. For example, you never want to send a gardening pitch to a healthcare reporter. Do enough research so that you have some past articles for reference, and you know how companies (i.e. vendors) are covered. 
    • Thought Leadership is Thought Leadership: The big takeaway here – reporters and editors agree that thought leadership content is still prestigious whether it’s earned or sponsored.
    • Where Do Reporters Get Their Ideas: The good ole’ fashion way – through pitches, random conversations with family, friends, people they happen to run in to, what’s happening in the world, conferences – nothing is off limits. The key here is to be creative. Think about everyday conversations you have, you read, or you see on social and tie them to something bigger than a platform or solution. Show the impact your solution has on the target audience, patients and the industry.

    Swaay.Health LIVE provided an opportunity for leading healthcare thought leaders and industry experts to gather and share insights and difficulties but also come together to ideate on what’s to come. With so many like-minded individuals interested in understanding how marketing and communications can continue to help us navigate the evolving world of media consolidation, it’s no wonder that Swaay.Health LIVE continues to grow and is the largest gathering of its kind for the healthcare community – we’re already looking forward to 2026!

    Greg Amaral

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  • How to Identify Your Target Audience: Marketing Tools & Tips

    How to Identify Your Target Audience: Marketing Tools & Tips

    You can’t build your marketing strategy on guesswork. Whether you’re launching a new product or revamping your marketing strategy, knowing exactly who you’re talking to, what resonates with them, where they spend their time-consuming content and how they make buying decisions is imperative. 

    But let’s be real: marketing is expected to show results quickly and comprehensive market research or custom surveys can be expensive. Not every brand can invest years and spend $100k + on research projects. The good news? You don’t have to. There are smart, data-backed ways to zero in on your target audience using tools and tactics that are more accessible and just as effective when applied strategically giving you the opportunity to sale your research to balance your need for speed, depth and investment. 

    Here are some of the best tools and tactics to help pinpoint your target audience and craft a marketing strategy that will drive results. 

    1. Brandwatch: Social Listening at Scale

    • Discover trending topics among online chatter and news that would impact buying behavior before they hit mainstream  
    • Understand which social platforms your audience interacts with the most help to inform your paid and organic social strategy and where it is worth investing your marketing dollars  
    • Identify niche conversations and emerging themes online among your key stakeholders allowing you to tailor your campaign messaging to exactly what your audience is looking for 
    • Uncover demographic breakdowns of your target audience for smarter segmentation of your campaigns to ensure your message is getting in front of the right eyes 

    2. NetLine Audience Explorer: B2B Insights, On the House

    For B2B marketers, NetLine’s free Audience Explorer tool is a hidden gem. It allows you to dig into target audiences by job function, seniority, company size, industry, and region allowing you to better understand the behaviors of your specific audience. NetLine provides real intent data allowing you to fully build out your buyer personas and truly understand what they care about based on their latest content consumption habits.  From there, it gets even more useful: 

    • See what content formats your audience prefers 
    • Uncover trending research topics 
    • Align your content strategy with message themes they’re actively consuming 
    • Determine areas in the country your audience is most prominent in 

    3. Stakeholder Interviews: Get the 1st-Party Intel 

    Hearing directly from your customers and/or former prospects provides highly valuable nuances you can’t always get online. Talking to your audience in real-time gives texture to the data insights you obtain elsewhere, further bolstering your overall strategy. It is important to select key players from a variety of teams such as marketing, sales, customer service, operations and C-Suite in order to gather well-rounded insights. 

    • Identify core pain points and motivations 
    • Discover messaging nuances that resonate 
    • Pinpoint key opportunities or challenges from the people in the trenches 

    These conversations can shape everything from brand positioning to campaign strategy. 

    4. Job Postings: A Surprising Source of Insight 

    Think of job descriptions as mini roadmaps into your audience’s world. They reveal: 

    • Day-to-day responsibilities 
    • Skill sets and strengths 
    • Who the decision-makers are and what matters to them 
    • Potential gaps in their day-to-day responsibilities your product or solution can help fill 

    If your audience includes IT Directors or Marketing Managers, for example, their job listings can guide messaging that speaks directly to their goals and day-to-day tasks. 

    5. Industry Forums & Chat Groups: Where the Real Talk Happens 

    Spaces like Reddit threads, Slack groups, and Discord servers are full of organic, unfiltered discussion. Monitoring these spaces gives you: 

    • A window into ongoing challenges, questions, and frustrations 
    • Cues on tone, language, and community norms 
    • A sense of what topics are top of mind for your audience 
    • Unfiltered feedback on opportunities for growth and what matters the most to your audience 

    If your audience includes IT Directors or Marketing Managers, for example, their job listings can guide messaging that speaks directly to their goals and day-to-day tasks. 

    Flip your weaknesses into strengths
    byu/Torholic inmarketing

    These insights can help inform everything from thought leadership to ad copy, so you’re not just heard, you’re understood. 

    6. Surveys: DIY Doesn’t Mean Low Quality 

    Yes, full-scale survey panels can get pricey. But targeted stakeholder surveys (think: past clients, current customers, newsletter audiences) can still deliver high-value insights: 

    • What is the biggest problem they are looking for your product or service to solve? 
    • What pushed them to choose your product or service? 
    • What kind of content do they trust most? 

    Keep it short, focused, and value-driven to get the answers worth acting on. 

    7. CRM Data: What’s Already Working (or not) 

    You probably already have a goldmine of audience data sitting in your CRM that is unique to your exact audience. Take a peek under the hood and dig into: 

    • Identify themes in the types of organizations or job titles buying your solution to better inform campaign targeting 
    • Reveal which campaigns and content are consistently found in the buyer’s journey and should be prioritized in future content initiatives 
    • Identify which prospects may not be converting and decide if they may not be a fit for solution right now  

    Pair this with lead scoring or email engagement rates to learn which segments are moving and which need more nurturing in real-time. 

    8. De-Anonymizing Web Visitors: Turn Intent Into Action 

    There is no better way to identify your target audience than to see who is already organically researching your brand. Platforms like Apollo and Propensity can tell you who’s showing research intent and visiting your website, even before they fill out a form. That means: 

    • You can see which companies are checking you out 
    • Understand what pages they’re engaging with most 
    • Refine your outbound and content strategy accordingly 

    It’s a modern way to bring your audience out of the shadows and into the pipeline. 

    Final Thought: Strategy Over Single Tactics

    Audience insights don’t live in a silo, they fuel every smart, integrated marketing plan. From brand storytelling to media buying, knowing who you’re talking to is the first step in showing up the right way. The right mix of tools and tactics will lead to a smarter approach and allow you to thoughtfully apply findings quickly to your next marketing campaign. 

    Want help building a research-backed, insight-led strategy that actually moves the needle? Let’s talk.

    Melanie Orcutt

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  • Why PR Pros Must Expand Their Media List: Tapping into Podcasts, Substack and More

    Why PR Pros Must Expand Their Media List: Tapping into Podcasts, Substack and More

    Americans are increasingly getting their news from non-traditional media like social media and other alternative sources. Substack, for one, has seen a huge jump in popularity over the last few years, recently hitting a record 5 million paid subscribers. At the same time, newsrooms are shrinking and the lines between journalist and content creator are becoming more blurred. In today’s fast-evolving media landscape, people are following the voices they trust – no matter the platform.

    Public relations professionals and communications leaders need to evolve their approach to meet consumers where they are online. It’s time to consider non-traditional channels as part of your media relations strategy.

    3 Reasons to Pitch Non-Traditional Media Outlets

    • Despite having a lower reach than more traditional news outlets, podcasts and blog platforms like Substack or Medium tend to see high engagement since they cater to a more niche audience of people who have opted to subscribe to this type of content.
    • With the deluge of pitches sent to traditional news outlets these days, it’s tougher than ever to make your pitch stand out. Non-traditional media outlets, however, may get fewer pitches, giving you a better chance of breaking through. Many of these platforms are also hungry for fresh and interesting content that will resonate with their audience.
    • While major news outlets are held to strict editorial standards and tight deadlines, non-traditional media often offers a bit more flexibility and creative freedom. Podcasts also allow for more in-depth discussions, which opens up opportunities for more authentic storytelling.

    How to Pitch Non-Traditional Media

    • Do your research and make sure you understand the creator or platform’s audience, style and content themes. Tailor your pitch accordingly and focus on offering valuable content, not just promoting a product or service.
    • Keep your pitches concise and direct, avoiding lengthy press releases or overly detailed proposals. Emphasize why your story would be relevant to their audience and how it would add value to the existing content on their platform.
    • Leverage any existing relationships you may have with the creator or platform. Unlike journalists who work for large outlets, bloggers, podcasters and Substack writers often have a closer relationship with their audience. Start by engaging with their content by commenting, sharing or offering your perspective on their recent work to help establish a rapport and show them that you’ve done your homework.

    Real Brands, Real Results: Who’s Winning with Non-Traditional PR?

    • Mobi (Matter client) is a tech startup based in Somerville, MA that uses artificial intelligence to build solutions for global travel, tourism and logistics companies. To elevate its overall awareness and reinforce itself as a player in the travel tech industry, the team leaned into its subject matter experts as brand ambassadors and thought leaders. The longer format and casual tone of podcasts like Destination On The Left and The Modern Hotelier allowed them to explain the technology in layman’s terms, while delving into the brand narrative and why behind the startup. As a bonus, podcast interviews yielded great content opportunities for sharing or cross-promoting on social media.
    • When TalentNeuron (Matter client) acquired HRForecast, the companies’ combined insights brought strategic workforce planning to a new level. Despite the groundbreaking announcement, the clutter of noise in the talent management space forced them to think outside the box and find non-traditional ways to reach their target audience. By identifying and fostering relationships with Substack creators and podcast hosts, the team was able to secure several briefings and podcast opportunities, as well as coverage on Substack platforms such as Recruiting Brainfood and Workforce.AI, which reach a niche target audience of HR technology professionals.
    • And Substack isn’t just for journalists. Women’s workwear brand M.M.LaFleur recently launched its own branded newsletter, migrating its long-running editorial platform, The M Dash, from its own website to Substack. As of March 2025, it was reported to have around 90,000 subscribers and is part of a growing trend of using the platform as a direct-to-consumer marketing channel. That said, branded Substacks are less of a business tool and more of a driver for audience engagement and thought leadership content.

    Don’t Obsess Over Reach – Focus on Relevance

    The challenge with many podcasts and blogs like Substack is that the audience numbers are very difficult to gauge. Even if you could measure their reach, the numbers would probably be relatively low, but you can be sure you’re reaching a highly interested and highly engaged audience.

    Hannah MacVane

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  • The Rise of B2B Influencers: A New Era of Brand Awareness

    The Rise of B2B Influencers: A New Era of Brand Awareness

    Influencer marketing has been a common practice in direct-to-consumer spaces for years, with the rise in popularity of platforms like TikTok driving revenue for brands, individuals and social media sites alike. In fact, since 2020, the global influencer marketing market value has more than tripled, and is expected to hit a record $33B in 2025. In terms of B2B influencer marketing, the practice has emerged as an effective tactic for brand exposure. Paired with a shrinking media landscape and reporters taking on more beats than ever before, businesses need different tactics to engage with their desired audiences. However, succeeding in creating a B2B influencer marketing campaign requires a deep understanding of the new model.

    What is B2B Influencer Marketing?

    Influencer marketing leverages the authority, trust and reach of influential figures to spread the word about products or services. We’ve seen this play out consistently online in B2C scenarios, with influencers like TikTok star and self-proclaimed Dunkin’ lover Charli D’Amelio partnering with the brand to release her own menu item, “The Charli.”

    These partnerships are often with thought leaders, industry experts, academics and other relevant professionals with strong followings in a target sector or vertical, designed to share insights and educate peers, rather than promoting a specific product. One successful example of this is the Cisco Champion campaign, where Cisco enabled IT industry experts to appear on their podcast, radio, or video to share industry insights. In exchange, experts received early access to new products and the opportunity to test and provide feedback.

    These campaigns don’t just take place online. Inviting influencers to company-owned tradeshows and events can be a key driver for influencer engagement and a critical tool for creating content that can be used for months to come. Even better, these programs can be organic or paid – or a combination of the two – depending on budget considerations and the type of impact you want to make in the market, meaning organizations of any size can engage in a B2B influencer campaign.

    Why Your Business Needs a B2B Influencer Program

    In addition to other top-of-funnel marketing tactics like contributed content in industry publications, social media marketing, and paid advertising, influencer marketing can play a key role in driving brand awareness. These programs help businesses:

    • Build trust and credibility. By partnering with established and respected influencers, businesses can leverage this built-in trust to increase credibility among new audiences who may be unfamiliar with their brand.
    • Reach the right audience. Influencers often have a built-in audience, which can range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand. This audience is typically made up of professionals in their sector who act as decision-makers within their organizations. By working with influencers, businesses can benefit from an already established target audience.
    • Mitigate long technology sales cycles. The sales decision-making process is getting longer as decision-makers deal with increased complexity of processes, products and services. By sharing valuable, educational content that appeals to specific industry pain points, influencers can help businesses nurture leads over time.

    How to Approach B2B Influencer Marketing

    When considering if a B2B influencer marketing campaign is right for your business, it’s important to evaluate these programs holistically. While not every program will – or should! – look the same, there are a few key components to keep in mind:

    • Find the Right Influencers: Unlike B2C influencers, the best B2B influencers won’t necessarily be those with the highest number of followers or the most engagement on a platform. The right influencer should be hyper-targeted and have authority in your sector. Consider the below factors when vetting potential candidates:
      • Are they already sharing content that resonates with your target audience?
      • Do they post unique content and engage regularly on platforms like LinkedIn?
      • Are they active on the right platform(s) for your business?
      • Do they have an interest or natural tie in to your business, product, or service?
    • Focus on the Long-Term: Rather than a one-and-done campaign that won’t necessarily make a lasting impact on your audience, find opportunities to re-engage with influencers regularly. This could include bringing them onto a podcast, creating case studies, and cross-sharing content on LinkedIn or another platform. Think about it as a long-term investment; this will help establish a consistent brand presence over time while ensuring authentic campaigns that resonate.
    • Value over Virality: B2Bdecision-makers are seeking educational and informative content rather than being fed your company’s product or messaging. Lean on B2B influencers as partners for sharing valuable content in the form of research, webinars, blog posts, and more, and ensure each post or touchpoint addresses a specific challenge.
    • Tracking Performance: Like any campaign, tracking the success of a B2B influencer campaign is crucial. Some key performance indicators (KPIs) to think about include engagement rates, content impressions, and lead generation.

     The Bottom Line

    The technology media landscape is changing fast, and businesses are looking for new and creative ways to get in front of their desired audience. Aside from Substack and email newsletters — which are valuable tools — B2B organizations are more often turning to influencer marketing to reach potential customers.

    Through earned influencer marketing programs, we’ve been able to increase impressions – that’s eyes on the brand via influencer posts – by over 1K. Through strategic tracking links, brands have also been able to increase website page views and experience user conversion rates on par with broad paid campaigns. These programs can play a key role in fostering credibility and increasing brand visibility in the market. By partnering with industry thought leaders, businesses can nurture lasting relationships that can move the needle and help them reach their brand awareness goals.

    To learn more, contact us today.

    Kirra Sullivan

  • How Professional Services Firms Can Get Quoted in the Media in 2025

    How Professional Services Firms Can Get Quoted in the Media in 2025

    Professional services firms are grappling with a lot: widespread and unpredictable regulatory and economic changes, the state of AI, a difficult hiring market – the list goes on. And they’ll need to simultaneously help clients overcome the very same issues.

    In this environment, having a strong, forward-looking point of view isn’t just beneficial – it’s essential to any professional services media strategy. Businesses are seeking guidance that transcends immediate economic fluctuations, whether it’s adapting to market volatility, responding to global trade disruptions, or mitigating the impact of industry-wide layoffs. By sharing insights on these pressing issues with target media, professional services experts can differentiate themselves in a crowded competitive landscape and position their firms as indispensable thought leaders – and ideal partners for challenging times.

    Topics Getting Ink in the Media

    Economy and policy

    With each new administration comes a slew of policy reversals and proposals, but 2025 is setting up to be record-breaking, creating uncertainty for businesses. Staying ahead of changing dynamics is what your customers come to you for, but this is proving more difficult than ever.

    Capitalize on this opportunity to share your time-earned expertise on weathering rocky economic waters and adhering to regulatory pressures and changes without compromising missions, visions and values. Connect successfully with reporters by being willing to provide unbiased, factual but compelling commentary on the latest headlines, coupled with real takeaways for business leaders.

    Every business publication is covering these angles regularly, as are the top verticals, so there’s no shortage of targets. Home in on your target audience, and what it is you have to offer. Perhaps industry- or issue-specific outlets such as Environment & Energy Leader are your best bet.

    But if outlets like Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Reuters are top of mind, ensure you’re willing to offer a differing POV, data, get bold and be timely.

    Artificial Intelligence

    It’s everywhere. It’s a compelling and important topic, and you want your clients to see you as experts, but reporters are inundated with AI pitches, and the recently booming reporter landscape on the topic is dwindling – just last month, the Wall Street Journal announced layoffs that included the reduction of three AI-related reporters, including its overarching AI editor.

    To stand out, you’ll need named customer case studies with impact, bold points of view on what should and shouldn’t be done, actionable insights into the messy regulatory landscape and a purview of unique, under-considered risks.

    CIO, TechTarget and VentureBeat are on the forefront of AI coverage at the moment, covering everything from adoption and use cases to actionable strategy and best practices.

    Isabelle Bousquette (Wall Street Journal) and Will Knight (WIRED) are leading on the top-tier front, with the former focused on the larger implications of the technology on the business landscape, and the latter on truly innovative and interesting real-world examples. Approach both thoughtfully, with stories larger than yourself.

    Extreme Weather

    The effects of climate change are here, but so is confusing top-down messaging about ESG policies and priorities. Regardless of policy shifts, companies must prepare for natural disasters that threaten operations and financial stability – and they’re looking to third-party partners to ensure they are both prepared and protected.


    Engage with media before, during and after major weather events with thought leadership surrounding the real business impact of ignoring environmental concerns, and counsel around risk mitigation. Owned data will set you apart. Mine customer data, conduct research reports and build the narrative you want to see in headlines.

    Outlets covering this particularly well include Bloomberg Green and The Washington Post. They’re focusing on large-scale weather events, and crafting compelling narratives to underscore the broader, oft-forgotten, impacts.

    Final Thoughts

    Building strong relationships with journalists and sharing valuable insights isn’t just about getting quoted—it’s about positioning yourself as a trusted thought leader in your industry. By offering data-backed commentary, real-world examples, and forward-thinking analysis, professional services companies can make it easier for reporters to turn to them for expert perspectives.

    Staying engaged on social media, attending industry events, and collaborating with your marketing and PR teams will further amplify your presence. Keep your insights timely, relevant, and jargon-free, and you’ll quickly become a go-to source for the media.

    Jackie Brown

  • Why Crisis Response Training is Critical for Your Organization

    Why Crisis Response Training is Critical for Your Organization

    We recently laid out why your organization needs a crisis communication plan, but once you have the plan in place, it’s not a “set it and forget it” document. Organizations that invest in training for their crisis communications response team are better prepared to work collaboratively when issues strike. By having a larger portion of an organization trained on the plan, everyone is prepared to respond instinctively, not just the communications team.

    Why Crisis Response Training Matters

    A crisis can escalate rapidly, leaving organizations with little time to react. A study by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP found that 28% of crises spread internationally within an hour, and 69% within a day. Without a trained team that can act swiftly and decisively, companies risk losing control of the narrative before they even have a chance to respond.

    Yet, despite these high stakes, 40% of companies lack a formal crisis management plan. Even those that have a plan often find that when a crisis hits, execution is the real challenge. On average, it takes 21 hours before companies can issue meaningful communication – a delay that can result in reputational damage, financial loss, and stakeholder distrust.

    And the impact is long-lasting. 53% of companies’ share prices fail to recover to pre-crisis levels even a year later. This underscores the need for a proactive approach – not just in planning but in preparing your team to respond effectively.

    Tabletop Exercises: Bringing Crisis Scenarios to Life

    Tabletop exercises are one of the most effective ways to test and refine your team’s response skills, both with communications and operational recovery. These structured simulations walk teams through realistic crisis scenarios in a controlled environment, allowing them to:

    • Evaluate Decision-Making Processes: Identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement in escalation protocols.
    • Test Communication Strategies: Ensure messaging templates and response frameworks are effective across different stakeholder groups.
    • Assess Team Readiness: Confirm that all stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities in a crisis.
    • Identify Gaps: Proactively address vulnerabilities in crisis plans before they become critical failures.

    What Does This Look Like in Practice?

    • Pre-planned Time: Tabletop exercises are scheduled in advance, with all participants aware of the session. Teams should be prepared for a half- or full-day commitment. While the Incident Communications Team (ICT) Lead may have a general understanding of the scenario, they typically won’t know all the details to ensure a more authentic response.
    • Facilitator-Led Scenario: An external facilitator, such as an agency or communications partner, leads the exercise. They kick-off the session with a high-level overview of the crisis, including key players, initial impact, and early response actions. The facilitator should be well-versed in the organization’s crisis communications plan to guide the session effectively.
    • Guided Prompts & Escalations: Throughout the exercise, the facilitator introduces prompts to help the team follow crisis response protocols, conduct fact-finding, and make critical decisions. The scenario may escalate in complexity, including unexpected “curve balls” designed to test adaptability and address gaps in real-time.
    • Debrief: Once the scenario reaches its resolution, the facilitator leads a structured debrief. The team reviews their response, identifies challenges, and pinpoints areas for improvement—ensuring the insights gained translate into stronger crisis readiness.

    Best Practices for Effective Crisis Response Training

    The most effective crisis response teams continually train and evaluate themselves. Here are a few considerations for keeping your team ready:

    • Train Regularly: Schedule crisis response training sessions at least twice a year to keep skills sharp and ensure new team members are up to speed (quarterly is even better!).
    • Vary the Scenarios: Rotate different crisis situations, such as data breaches, executive misconduct, or product recalls, to test response flexibility. Where possible, ensure the exercise brings in leaders from multiple functional areas to stress test the organization.
    • Engage Leadership: Senior executives and department heads should actively participate to reinforce the importance of crisis preparedness.
    • Document Lessons Learned: After each training session, conduct a debrief to capture insights and refine the crisis communications plan accordingly.
    • Leverage External Expertise: Consider bringing in crisis communications specialists to facilitate exercises and provide objective feedback through a best practices lens.

    Don’t Wait Until a Crisis Happens

    Crisis response training isn’t just a nice to have; it’s a critical safeguard for your organization’s reputation and stability. When a crisis strikes, your team should be ready to respond with confidence, clarity and speed.

    Need help conducting training for your team? We specialize in crisis communications preparedness and can design a tailored training program to fit your organization’s readiness. Let’s talk.

    Julianna Sheridan

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  • Dos and Don’ts of Using AI for Video

    Dos and Don’ts of Using AI for Video

    AI is Transforming Video Production—Are You Using It the Right Way?

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has undeniably transformed video production, offering tools that streamline processes and enhance creativity. But like any tool, AI is only as effective as the person wielding it. Used wisely, it can streamline workflows and unlock new creative possibilities. Used poorly, it can produce lifeless, generic content—or worse, land you in hot water with copyright lawyers. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about the right—and wrong—ways to use AI for video.

    At Matter, we integrate AI into our video production process in specific, strategic ways. It’s an assistant, not the director. We use AI in pre-production for pre-visualizations and mood board inspiration to align with clients on creative vision. We use it to sift through mountains of interview transcripts, identifying key themes and structuring compelling narratives for short-form content. In post-production, AI helps us speed up time-consuming, repetitive tasks such as color matching, audio repair and cleanup, generating captions/subtitles and resizing exports for various platforms.

    Do’s: Using AI in Video Production

    DO Enhance Efficiency with Automation

    AI excels at handling repetitive tasks, allowing our creative teams to focus on more strategic aspects:

    Pre-Production: We like to use AI for pre-visualizations and mood board creation to help us align with clients on their vision for the video. AI is also great for organizing the most relevant stock footage examples and weeding out the junk.

    Post-Production: Our NLE editor of choice, Adobe Premiere Pro, has robust built-in AI features for expediting and improving color correction, audio cleanup, subtitling, and auto-resizing videos for different screen formats. This helps us ensure consistency and quality across all deliverables.

    • Social Content: So many of us are accustomed to reading along when viewing video content on social. Take advantage of AI tools to help generate captions quickly so you can focus on getting your content in front of your audience in a timely manner. Just don’t forget to do proofreading pass for quality control.
    DO Organize and Synthesize Content with AI Assistance

    Managing extensive footage and whittling down dozens of pages of interview transcripts into a compelling :90-second video can be daunting. For us, AI aids in:

    Structuring Messaging Cuts: A “Messaging Cut” is an early edit of an interview-based video that only includes the talk-track without the final polish of B-Roll, effects, and sound design. By analyzing hours of interviews, AI helps separate the signal from the noise, suggesting potential story structures for the Messaging Cut that get our creative juices flowing. This helps us arrive at a cohesive, compelling narrative for concise videos faster than before.

    DO Maintain Brand Voice and Authenticity

    While AI offers numerous tools, human oversight ensures that the content resonates — this is crucial whether we’re talking about longer form high production projects or quick hit social posts:

    Customization: We tailor AI tools to reflect our brand’s tone and storytelling style, preserving the unique voice that our audience expects.

    Quality Control: Human review is integral to validate AI-assisted edits, ensuring they meet our standards and authentically convey our message.

    Don’ts: What to Avoid when Using AI in Video Production

    DON’T Over-Automate and Lose the Human Touch

    Relying solely on AI can result in content that feels impersonal and “off” if not checked carefully by a human:

    Creativity and Storytelling: AI lacks the nuanced understanding of human emotions and narratives. We avoid using it for final scriptwriting or making creative decisions that require a human touch.

    Generic Output: AI-generated visuals often fall into the uncanny valley where something doesn’t look quite right, but it’s tough to put a finger on what. (Sometimes, it is the finger; AI notoriously has difficulty faithfully recreating hands!) They also simply lack the soul and originality of human creation, which is why we rely on them in pre-production rather than final delivery.

    DON’T Neglect Ethical and Legal Considerations

    As we know, misusing AI can lead to massive ethical dilemmas and legal challenges:

    Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: We steer clear of AI-generated visuals that could mislead or deceive our client’s audiences. We take our clients’ brand credibility seriously.

    Copyright Concerns: AI-generated content might inadvertently incorporate copyrighted materials, opening us and our clients up to potential infringements. That’s why, for the time being, we’ll stick with the verifiable license agreements that come with traditional stock footage.

    DON’T Rely Solely on AI-Generated Content

    While AI can produce content, it often lacks the depth and authenticity of human-created material. It can be particularly tempting to rely heavily on AI tools to consistently get content out at a quick pace like on social media:

    Visuals and Footage: We prefer original, high-quality footage over AI-generated stock, ensuring our content remains genuine and engaging.

    Quality Limitations: AI-generated videos can exhibit unnatural or unpolished elements, affecting the overall viewing experience.

    Final Thoughts

    Incorporating AI into video production offers remarkable benefits, but it’s crucial to balance technological advantages with human creativity and ethical considerations. Want to learn how your brand can start strategically using AI to enhance your video marketing efforts? Drop us a line below or on our Video Production page.

    Marc Checket

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