June 5, 2025
Last month, the healthcare industry celebrated Clinical Trials Day, a crucial reminder of the transformative power of medical research. As healthcare communicators, this is our moment to challenge the status quo and ask ourselves: are we truly connecting with the patients who can benefit most?
The very nature of clinical trials presents unique communication challenges. The science can be complex and intimidating, and researchers, while brilliant, often have highly specific communication and regulatory needs.
For patients, it’s a mixed bag.
To patients, clinical trials may be perceived as too complicated, too experimental, or even a last-ditch treatment option. Occurrences like the Tuskegee experiment also linger among communities historically underserved or mistreated by the healthcare system. Mistrust, lack of representation, limited access and systemic inequities all contribute to low awareness and participation.
Traditional communications efforts won’t break through these perceptions.
Instead, we must redefine what it means to relate to patients. We must be obsessed with culture and people (beyond medical conditions). And we must be unafraid to embrace unexpected strategies.
Here are our six non-traditional strategies for bold clinical trial communications:
1. It’s not What You Know, It’s Who You Know
Trusted voices are key to reaching patients. Both paid and earned influencer partnerships have proven effective in healthcare marketing campaigns and can be effective in clinical trial outreach, too. This can mean recruiting diverse patient advocates, clinicians and community leaders, but we can also go broader, working with influencers in beauty, entertainment, food and lifestyle who hold real cultural capital. These voices can deliver messages in a way that feels more human and less clinical.
2. Embed Where Everyday Culture Happens Now
Classic patient outreach strategies often include partnership building and community activations. But are church visits and health fairs as effective as they once were? To go deeper, we must show up where community and culture naturally intersect.
Think about seeding clinical trial information and offering info sessions to staff at Black-owned wellness studios, Latina-run coworking hubs, culture conferences or even mobile beauty buses offering brow shaping. Think neighborhood cafés that host poetry nights or speaker events that also feature health resources. Work with hybrid grassroots spaces that reflect modern community — not just where people worship, but where they live, hustle and build. The key: go where trust, community and culture already exist and add value.
3. Substack Strategies
Don’t just buy space — build connection. Instead of traditional paid partnerships, consider collaborating with independent journalists and writers who have cultivated highly engaged communities via Substack (this is another way to leverage influencers). Their audiences follow them for their voice, credibility and niche insights. Said another way, audiences sign up for Substacks, making them even more welcoming to the content.
Partnering with journalists and influencers on Substack on thoughtful, well-written content about clinical trials can make messages feel fresh, personal and real.
4. Let Data Lead (and Follow)
Rethink the corporate playbook. Rather than relying on dated comms plans, use predictive modeling and sentiment data to test messaging and creative before (and after) launching. This not only ensures smarter, more resonant campaigns — it also gives your team a better understanding of why certain groups feel hesitant, helping shape smarter strategies that cut through.
Instead of just launching campaigns and activations, measure their effectiveness. Track patient reach, perception, behavior changes and attitudes. Publicly report on your commitments and progress. Highlighting incremental wins— such as increased enrollment or positive community testimonials— reinforces that the industry is listening and responding.
To expedite these processes, the GCI Health clinical trial team employs a valuable technology called Decipher Health by Burson. Decipher Health was created in partnership with the AI company Limbik and is offered through PR Studio in WPP Open — WPP’s intelligent marketing operating system powered by AI.
5. Redesign the Digital Front Door
Clinical trial websites do not have to be digital brochures. They can be dynamic, user-friendly hubs of information. Ensure your site is up to date, easy to navigate, accessible to those with disabilities, available in multiple languages and optimized for mobile. Consider adding interactive elements like gamified quizzes, webinars or chatbots to answer questions and engage hesitant users. Leverage paid targeting to reach key audiences in areas with active trials. Pair this with paid digital targeting in high-interest zip codes to build awareness where trials are active.
6. Don’t Shy Away From the Pain Points
Transparency earns trust. Outreach should plainly explain clinical trial benefits, risks and what participation really involves. Use plain language and real patient-doctor dialogues to break down the experience. Address hard truths like historical and contemporary medical mistrust head-on. Why? Because patients are thinking about them anyway. Through blogs, videos and social content, create a space where curiosity is welcomed and skepticism isn’t shamed.
Clinical trial communications must evolve beyond simple awareness campaigns to connect more patients with potentially life-changing treatments. Old tactics won’t solve new challenges, but bold strategies will.