Reach out to message board moderators to disseminate Rx news

Reach out to message board moderators to disseminate Rx news

Questions about how pharma can reach consumers on Internet message boards and chats were fired around the room Wednesday during the HMC Council's May Industry Forum in Philadelphia. According to Lydia Worthington, vice president of client services and healthcare practice leader for Nielsen BuzzMetrics, reaching out to the group's moderator is the best bet. She suggested that pharma send press releases to the moderators the same way they would send releases to a newspaper. Melanie W. Kittrell, PhD, Merck's executive director of e-business strategies and solutions, agreed. She said the moderator may disseminate the release, and may also choose to provide links to more information or tell the group whether the information is helpful. However, the downside is that the moderator could present the information with a negative spin.