Using celebrities to appear in the media

Although the title may sound odd, by “using celebrities to appear in the media” we mean how you can leverage some of their news as a hook. You already know that tapping into current affairs—what we call having a hook (a reason to talk about your topic now and not in three months)—is important, as we explained in this other post. Today we reveal how to do it, and at the end you’ll find 4 examples that can be very inspiring.

In this regard, the world of celebrity gossip and celebrities—especially when it comes to health and wellness—can give us plenty of opportunities. Sometimes by making the proposal ourselves and, at other times, by hinting at what we mean between the lines. Just a suggestion… so to speak.

Celebs and their health in the media

Actors and actresses, models, members of royal families… Celebrities generate a great deal of content in the media. They analyze how they dress, where they shop, who they date, how much they spend, and where they go on vacation, for example. And, of course, the media also comment on some of the decisions celebrities make regarding health and wellness.

Not long ago, there was discussion about whether it was advisable or appropriate for Elle Macpherson to opt for holistic treatments in the face of cancer (you can read the news here). Likewise, there are outlets that follow Ibai Llanos’ progress in his weight-loss journey, for example.

2 reasons why celebrities’ health is discussed in the media

Each outlet has its own reasons, and there may be many, but in this case we believe the two most important are:

• To inform and raise awareness. As in the case of Elle Macpherson, we believe the outlet’s goal is to explain—scientifically and in an educational tone—the pros and cons of certain choices made by famous people. Celebrities can influence the decisions society makes, and therefore the role of the media is to present the facts to curb that potential influence on issues that may be harmful.
• To entertain and generate clicks. In this case, the objective is more trivial. A famous person sparks curiosity. We like to know what they have for breakfast or why they follow a diet based on a single food. It’s a way to entertain us as readers and to generate advertising impressions (and revenue) for the outlet.

To put this option into practice, you obviously need to stay up to date with celebrity news—at least as it relates to your sector. As soon as you see a news item about a celebrity that catches your attention, or statements by a well-known person about a particular process or feeling, you can be the one to proactively contact a journalist and propose topics.

You have two options: get straight to the point or suggest it subtly. What do we mean by that? If you know that celebrity X has just revealed that they do Y, you can write to a journalist and say, “Have you seen this about X? It’s positive/negative for several reasons, and I’d love to share them with you.” Or you can be more subtle and say something like, “Given the trend of doing Y, I’d like to comment on the pros and cons of putting it into practice” (that is, without directly naming the celebrity).

4 examples of our clients in the media

As promised, here are four examples of different health and wellness professionals we have worked with who have appeared in the media following this approach. Each one with a different angle and in a different outlet, but in all cases a celebrity appears as the hook to generate the content.

1. A nutritionist talking about Eva Longoria’s breakfast, no less than on Mujer.es, the women’s website hosted within 20 Minutos. You can see the article here.
2. A psychologist discussing loneliness and Vicky Martín Berrocal. In this case, her statements were featured by Semana magazine in its wellness section. You can read the article here.
3. A personal trainer with Dani Martín and his physical transformation thanks to a change in lifestyle, featured by CuídatePlus, Marca’s health and wellness website. You can see it here.
4. A coach, Queen Letizia, and leadership lessons come together in this piece published in Vogue. You can read the full article here.

With all of them, we worked on our Entrepreneur Plan to appear in the media, which comes in both a quarterly and a biannual version. It can also be upgraded to Premium by adding a press release to reach more journalists with a single action.

Were you familiar with this option for appearing in the media? Have you read any articles like this? Would you apply it to your personal brand?