Research, develop and launch a new platform that lends itself to showcasing the deep commitment of Nemours Children’s Health to the health and well-being of every child in the U.S. The answer: the Well Beyond Medicine Podcast, part of a multi-faceted strategy that’s 1) thoughtfully designed to create awareness, dialogue and action among peers, thought leaders, legislators and policymakers of the many issues affecting children’s health in today’s world, beyond medical care and 2) further elevate Nemours’ voice and vast expertise on matters requiring systems-level disruption.
Our goals for the podcast include:
Expressing the diverse expertise and experiences throughout Nemours Children’s Health, its partners and communities in providing a new kind of health care for children.
Elevating the brand and amplifying the organization’s strategic goal of reputation and impact.
Highlighting areas aligned with the organization’s 2021-2026 strategy through stories and engaging expert interviews.
Engaging with current and potential partners to elevate their perspectives, highlight their work and build relationships.
Our objectives include:
Leveraging the podcast to bolster Nemours’ national consumer reputation measurement by .5 percent as measured by RepTrak.
Increasing brand awareness by ensuring the podcast platform reinforces key brand attributes while reaching audiences beyond the organization's clinical catchment areas.
Driving Nemours associates’ (employees) understanding of the strategic intent of Well Beyond Medicine by 10 percent as measured by the Nemours’ annual employee engagement survey.
We began by researching podcast best practices. We evaluated and determined the cadence (weekly) and format (interview/discussion). We identified a host to achieve the desired tone (knowledgeable, confident, approachable). We developed the podcast name and brand to align with Well Beyond Medicine — the brand expression of Nemours' strategy to go beyond medicine to improve the health of the world in which every child lives.
Next was to identify topics and potential guests that would align with Nemours' strategy and business goals, while amplifying the health system's brand message and maximizing the timing of key events, milestones and relevant news. Using this information, we built an editorial calendar and started outreach to pitch the podcast to Nemours Children’s experts and other external guests related to the topics. Topic examples thus far include: health equity and access; mental health; social determinants of health; artificial intelligence; telehealth and tele-genomics; diversity and inclusion; virtual nursing and hospital-at-home; and value-based care, among others.
As part of initial launch efforts, we developed the podcast website; produced original intros and music; designed branded assets for directories and promotional campaigns (internal- and external-facing; display, collateral, owned media, digital and social media); and established functionality for two-way communication with future subscribers, including voicemail, email and newsletter capabilities. All marketing assets include QR codes and/or direct links to the podcast and/or specific episodes.
We chose to officially launch the podcast at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting and in August 2023, Nemours Children’s acquired and branded a vehicle to leverage for “live” podcast experiences. We created a podcast studio within the truck, put it on the road and have made two dozen appearances at events including national health care conferences as well as appearances at each major Nemours Children’s location (Orlando, Jacksonville, and Wilmington) during “Well Beyond Medicine” Days.
We supplemented organic promotion with a paid digital ad campaign and audience aggregation beginning September 2023 and started live streaming on YouTube in April 2024.
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024, the Well Beyond Medicine Podcast produced 67 full-length episodes (94 total). We have attracted a variety of prominent industry and thought leaders to guest on the podcast, including former U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services Alex Azar; Dr. Garth Graham, Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships at YouTube; and author and health care innovator Dr. Stephen Klasko, to name a few.
Through July 31, 2024, the Well Beyond Medicine Podcast generated:
➢ A national consumer reputation score of 80.6, .6% higher than goal, as measured by RepTrak
➢ 375,620 downloads and 24K followers on Apple and Spotify
➢ A 22% increase in employees’ understanding of WBM
➢ An average of 10,000 website visitors a month
Additionally, (on Apple Podcast Charts) the podcast has ranked as high as #2 in Medicine (U.S.) #9 in Health & Fitness (U.S.) and as high at #83 across Top Charts.
The Well Beyond Medicine Podcast has extended Nemours' reach beyond its clinical locations (Delaware, central and north Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) to 68 countries and U.S. cities, with top audiences drawn from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. It's also sparked numerous conversations and generated others to partner with Nemours to create the healthiest generations of children.
