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In this week’s episode of Lifers, Chrissy hosts Dr. Kameron Matthews (Chief Health Officer at IMPaCT Care, Founding Physician at Roon, and a 13-year veteran of mentoring the next generation) & Shelli Pavone (President and Co-founder of Inlightened, on a mission to get clinicians onto cap tables and connect healthcare innovators with qualified expertise).
The latest episode of Lifers is available now! Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts
This episode refuses the usual healthcare optimism. Instead they cover:
Why healthcare's "toxic positivity" (h/t Sachin Jain) prevents honest conversations about systemic failures
The absurd reality of state licensing barriers: why your psychiatrist can't treat you across state lines (even by phone)
What motivates the next generation to enter healthcare despite unprecedented burnout (and why Kameron still mentors students daily)
Why clinicians need to become public communicators to combat health misinformation
The AI vs. human debate in primary care - and why GLP-1s will have more impact than AI in the next decade
Thanks to Inlightened who facilitated this conversation. Healthcare professionals and “Lifers” can sign up to provide — and access — expert insights at https://getinlightened.com/
Our recent panel, “Supercharging Healthtech Marketing: Three Veteran Marketers Share Strategies in an Era of AI,” brought together industry leaders to discuss practical strategies for navigating healthtech marketing in an AI-driven world. Moderated by Derek Flanzraich, Founder and Managing Partner of Healthyish Ventures, the discussion featured three expert panelists:
John Hallock, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Smarter Technologies
Arielle Spiegel, Co-founder and veteran CMO, Cofertility
Brandon Young, CMO, Garner Health
Our team of panelists shared insights on practical, real-world strategies for navigating shrinking budgets, rising CAC, and a crowded content landscape.
1. AI is a force multiplier, not a starting point
Starts at 10:19
Our session kicked off with a discussion on emerging trends in AI-driven content creation and the direction health companies are heading. Panelists emphasized that AI doesn’t replace core marketing fundamentals, but rather, it amplifies them.
As Hallock described it, AI and the various tools marketing teams are using act as a force multiplier. Any team member who is efficient in their role and comfortable leveraging these tools will become even faster and more effective. At the same time, AI needs a solid foundation of good content to work with. "If you're not capable of creating good content–engageable content without AI–I don't know how much AI is going to really help you," Hallock shared.
In a perfect world, Hallock sees PR and AI working together to really differentiate a company's story and cut through the jargon common in healthcare. At the same time, he explained that all the AI tools in the world aren’t going to do much for companies if they don’t have reporter contacts or analyst contacts or influencer contacts or the ability to create messaging.
Why this matters for healthtech marketers:
AI accelerates strong marketing teams but does not compensate for weak fundamentals
High-quality content is a prerequisite for effective AI use
PR, relationships, and messaging remain critical inputs for AI-driven marketing
Think of AI as layered amplification, not a replacement for core marketing skills
2. The traditional PR playbook no longer delivers results
Starts at 11:50
All three panelists agreed that PR remains an integral part of marketing strategy. Still, the mechanics of how it works have fundamentally changed. Instant third-party validation through traditional media is harder and less reliable than it once was. "Traditional media is dying; there are fewer healthtech reporters than there were five years ago," shared Young.
Hallock agreed, noting that the earned media landscape has changed, and that companies have either adapted to it or they haven’t. He added that the $20,000 or $30,000 monthly retainers that health companies typically provide to PR firms are no longer effective. Instead, strategy must come first, with spend following afterward. "You need to be really good at PR and have contacts and relationships, not just with reporters, but with influencers and industry and corporate marketers," Hallock added.
Key takeaways for healthtech marketers:
PR strategies must adapt to a smaller, fragmented media landscape
Relationships now extend beyond journalists to influencers and industry partners
Strategy should drive PR spend, not traditional retainer models
Earned media is most effective when activated across owned and paid channels