Fix Fear-Based Healthcare Messaging at the Brief Level using Get Who To By
Healthcare marketing is basically a contest of who can make the patient feel more doomed. It’s exhausting, it’s ineffective, and frankly, it’s a cheap trick. If your brief relies on 'fear of death' as a primary motivator, you're doing it wrong. The Get Who To By framework is here to stop you from being a doom-monger and start being a solution. It strips away the melodrama and focuses on the actual human behavior you’re trying to change before you waste another million on a scare-tactic TV spot that people will just mute anyway.
The TL;DR
Stop using fear as a crutch for bad strategy. Use the Get Who To By framework to pivot from 'you're going to die' to 'here's how to live.' Identify a specific human (GET), find the actual friction point (WHO), give them a brain-dead simple instruction (TO), and build the bridge to get them there (BY).
Why This Framework Beats Scaring People to Death
Fear-based messaging causes 'defensive avoidance' - your audience literally stops listening because you've stressed them out. This framework fixes that by replacing panic with a plan.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are you trying to reach?
Stop saying 'all patients.' It's lazy. Define the smallest, most winnable group of people who are currently ignoring their health because they're tired of being lectured.
WHO
What’s the critical behavior insight about them?
Why are they ignoring you? Is it because they're scared, busy, or just think the healthcare system is a bureaucratic nightmare? Find the friction, not the symptom.
TO
What’s the message that makes action obvious?
Craft a message that feels like a relief, not a threat. If they can't understand the benefit in the time it takes to blink, you've over-explained it.
BY
How are you going to make them actually do it?
Outline the mechanism. Is it a 2-minute quiz? A text-based appointment? A drive-thru screening? If the 'how' is hard, the 'who' won't do it.
Common Healthcare Blunders
(The Hall of Shame)
- ×Using the 'Grim Reaper' approach to motivate behavior
- ×Confusing a diagnosis with a target audience
- ×Using medical jargon that requires a PhD to decode
- ×Ignoring the logistical friction of actually getting care
- ×Assuming fear is the only emotional lever available
- ×Vague calls-to-action like 'Learn More' or 'Talk to your Doctor'
- ×Focusing on the disease instead of the person living with it
- ×Lacking a clear mechanism to make the action easy
If your brief looks like a horror movie script, start over. People want solutions, not a reminder of their mortality.
Real Examples
Cardiology Screening
Moving away from 'heart attack' fear to 'active lifestyle' maintenance.
GET
Middle-aged parents who 'don't have time' for the doctor.
WHO
They ignore heart health because the testing process feels like an admission of getting old and slow.
TO
Keep the pace with your kids without the guesswork.
BY
A 5-minute digital 'Heart Age' calculator that provides a personalized activity plan instead of just a risk score.
Mental Health App
Pivoting from 'clinical depression' talk to 'daily burnout' management.
GET
Overworked healthcare professionals.
WHO
They recognize the signs of burnout but feel that seeking help is a sign of weakness or more paperwork.
TO
Offload the mental clutter in 60 seconds.
BY
An anonymous, voice-to-text 'venting' feature that doesn't require a formal therapy intake session.
Diabetes Management
Changing the conversation from 'complications' to 'freedom'.
GET
Newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics who are feeling overwhelmed.
WHO
They are paralyzed by the 'don'ts' and the fear of a restricted life, leading to non-compliance.
TO
Eat what you love, just with a better map.
BY
A grocery list generator that highlights 'safe' swaps for their favorite comfort foods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fear ever okay in healthcare marketing?
Rarely. It works for immediate, one-time actions (like 'get out of the building'), but for long-term health behavior, it just leads to burnout and avoidance.
How do I convince a client to drop the 'scare tactics'?
Show them the data on defensive avoidance. People literally tune out messages that make them feel powerless. Give them a framework that offers power instead.
What if the 'WHO' is just 'they don't care'?
Everyone cares about something. If they don't care about the disease, find out what they DO care about (family, work, hobbies) and link your 'TO' to that.
How specific should the 'BY' be?
Granular. If the mechanism is 'social media,' you've failed. It should be 'a 3-click booking interface' or 'a localized map of free clinics.'
Can I use multiple GET groups in one brief?
No. Pick one. If you try to talk to everyone, you'll end up back in the 'generic scary health warning' trap that no one listens to.
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