By Jordan Baker, Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Wellness brands can have excellent media stories.
A founder may have created a product after struggling to find something that suited their own lifestyle.
A qualified practitioner may have useful expertise.
A consumer product may fit a shopping guide or review.
A company may have interesting research.
A customer may have a genuinely compelling experience.
But wellness PR also contains one of the easiest traps in media relations:
turning an interesting product benefit or personal experience into a medical claim that the evidence cannot support.
A founder might say their product:
reduces anxiety;
balances hormones;
improves insomnia;
treats inflammation;
prevents burnout;
boosts fertility;
or improves a medical condition.
Those claims can sound attractive in a pitch.
They also immediately change the evidential question.
If Fair is going to make a meaningful health or medical claim to a journalist, our instinct is straightforward:
we need strong evidence to support it and, ideally, an appropriately qualified medical or clinical expert who can explain the subject properly.
A commercially knowledgeable founder can still be a very good media spokesperson.
They simply need to talk about the things they genuinely know.
That distinction can make a wellness PR campaign substantially more credible.
Why is wellness PR particularly sensitive?
“Wellness” is an extremely broad category.
It can include:
sleep products;
fitness products;
supplements;
mindfulness;
breathing devices;
retreats;
healthy food;
apps;
beauty;
menopause;
women's health;
stress;
recovery;
longevity;
nutrition;
and a huge range of services.
Some sit comfortably within ordinary consumer journalism.
Others get close to medicine very quickly.
A pillow designed for comfort and a product claiming to treat clinical insomnia are not making the same proposition.
A meditation founder discussing why they created an app is different from that founder claiming the app treats anxiety disorders.
A skincare entrepreneur explaining packaging innovation is different from claiming the cream treats eczema.
The product may be exactly the same.
The claim changes the evidential burden.
Start by separating three different types of spokesperson
This is one of the most useful things a wellness brand can do before pitching journalists.
The founder
The founder can often explain:
why the company exists;
what problem they noticed;
how the product was developed;
what customers ask about;
how the business has grown;
how the category is changing;
and what they personally experienced.
That can create excellent founder and business coverage.
The specialist
A suitably qualified specialist can discuss professional subjects that fall within their competence.
That might be:
a doctor;
dietitian;
psychologist;
physiotherapist;
qualified nutrition professional;
or another properly credentialled practitioner, depending on the subject.
The ambassador
Sometimes the founder is commercially strong but does not possess the specialist credentials journalists need.
In that situation, an appropriately qualified ambassador or adviser can be valuable.
The founder explains the business.
The expert explains the medical or specialist subject.
Neither has to pretend to be the other.
Why is that distinction important?
Imagine a wellness founder has created a sleep device.
They know:
how the product was developed;
what consumers complained about;
why the team chose its design;
how much it costs;
how customers use it;
and what the company's commercial strategy is.
The founder may be an excellent interview.
But if a journalist asks:
“Can this treat chronic insomnia?”
the founder's business experience does not suddenly become a medical qualification.
An appropriate sleep specialist may be needed.
This does not weaken the founder.
It makes the overall media proposition stronger.
What health claims should make a PR team stop and check?
Statements such as:
“reduces anxiety”
“balances hormones”
“treats insomnia”
“lowers cortisol”
“prevents depression”
“reduces inflammation”
“improves fertility”
“treats menopause symptoms”
“reverses biological ageing”
should not simply be copied from marketing material into a journalist pitch.
Ask:
What exactly is being claimed?
Is it a health claim?
A medical claim?
A subjective consumer experience?
A product function?
What evidence exists?
Does the evidence relate to this actual product?
Does it support this exact wording?
Who is qualified to explain it?
In UK advertising, CAP guidance states that objective health, beauty and slimming claims need substantiation, with robust evidence required for stronger or novel claims. Medical or medicinal claims can also trigger more specific product and regulatory requirements.
US FTC guidance follows the same broad evidence-first principle for health-related marketing: express and implied health-benefit claims should be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence appropriate to the claim being made.
PR and advertising are not identical regulatory formats.
But the lesson for media relations is obvious.
If the journalist asks:
“What proves that?”
we need a real answer.
Fair's approach to claims: collect the proof before pitching
This is not unique to wellness.
If a technology company tells us:
“Our software reduces administration by 80%.”
we ask for evidence.
If a company says:
“We raised £5 million.”
we want the figure verified.
If a founder says:
“We have 100,000 users.”
we want to understand what “users” actually means.
Health and wellness claims deserve at least the same discipline.
Journalists need to be able to trust that the PR company is not feeding them claims it knows cannot survive basic scrutiny.
That trust matters to us.
Five types of wellness media story
A wellness business does not need to build every story around health efficacy.
There are several routes.
1. Founder story
Why did somebody create the company?
Perhaps the founder personally experienced a practical problem.
Perhaps they spotted a gap while working in another industry.
Perhaps they spent years developing the product.
The founder can tell that story without diagnosing anybody.
2. Product story
A journalist might care about:
design;
price;
availability;
functionality;
materials;
ease of use;
consumer trend;
or review potential.
The story can remain consumer-led without becoming medical.
3. Qualified expert commentary
An appropriate specialist can explain:
new research;
common misconceptions;
health trends;
professional guidance;
or a timely issue.
Their credentials should match the question.
4. Business story
The company might have:
a meaningful expansion;
significant growth;
a retailer partnership;
new market entry;
or another genuine commercial development.
5. Human story
A real customer may have an interesting experience.
Their experience should be presented as their experience, not automatically as scientific proof that the product caused the outcome.
Hypothetical example: sleep product
Imagine a founder sells a weighted sleep product.
Weak pitch
New clinically proven product eliminates insomnia and anxiety
Unless the company has extraordinarily strong and directly relevant evidence, this headline creates problems immediately.
Better product-led pitch
Founder launches weighted sleep product after struggling to find a travel-friendly alternative
This can explore:
the founder;
design;
consumer use;
product development;
price;
and availability.
Possible expert-led pitch
If the company works with an appropriately qualified sleep specialist:
Sleep specialist explains why struggling to fall asleep and clinical insomnia are not necessarily the same thing
That specialist can discuss the underlying health subject.
The product does not need to be forced into every answer.
A commercial founder can still be a valuable expert on the business
Founders sometimes feel disappointed when we tell them not to comment medically.
They shouldn't.
There are many subjects where the founder may be the best source.
They can discuss:
product development;
entrepreneurship;
consumer demand;
business growth;
retail;
manufacturing;
customer behaviour;
founding a wellness business;
market positioning;
US versus UK expansion;
and the practical problems they were trying to solve.
Those are real areas of expertise.
Being honest about that boundary makes the founder more credible.
Should a wellness company appoint an expert ambassador?
Sometimes.
Suppose a founder has developed a menopause-focused consumer product.
The founder has strong personal and commercial understanding but no medical qualification.
If they want the campaign to include substantial clinical commentary around menopause, an appropriate healthcare specialist could strengthen the campaign considerably.
The specialist should not simply be given a white coat and a script.
Journalists may want to know:
their actual qualification;
where they practise;
whether they have a commercial relationship with the company;
what they genuinely believe;
and whether the evidence supports what they are saying.
Transparency matters.
The expert should not become a prop
A qualified adviser who automatically says every company claim is correct is not especially useful to journalism.
Ideally, they should be able to say:
what the evidence supports;
what it does not support;
what remains uncertain;
and when consumers should seek appropriate individual advice.
That independence can make them more valuable.
What if the founder's personal experience inspired the product?
Use it.
Just frame it accurately.
Imagine:
“I struggled with poor sleep during a stressful period and wanted a simple device that helped me slow down before bed.”
That is a personal founder story.
Compare:
“I cured my insomnia with this device, which is why it will cure yours.”
Very different claim.
A founder's lived experience can explain motivation without becoming universal evidence.
What if customers say the product changed their lives?
Customer experiences can be powerful.
But:
“This helped me relax before bed”
does not prove:
“This treats anxiety.”
And:
“I slept much better while using it”
does not prove:
“This cures insomnia.”
UK advertising guidance specifically cautions that customer testimonials do not automatically substantiate objective efficacy claims.
The same common-sense distinction is useful in PR.
A journalist can tell a real person's story.
The business should not automatically convert that story into a medical conclusion.
Product claims checklist
| Proposed claim | What Fair would ask | Possible route |
|---|---|---|
| “Helps users relax” | What does “relax” mean and what supports it? | Possibly consumer/wellness, depending on evidence |
| “Reduces anxiety” | Clinical claim? What evidence and specialist support exist? | Requires much more care |
| “Helps create a bedtime routine” | Can product function genuinely support this? | Potential lifestyle angle |
| “Treats insomnia” | What medical evidence and regulatory status support it? | Do not pitch casually |
| “Balances hormones” | Which hormone, what measurement, what evidence? | High scrutiny |
| “Customers report better sleep” | How many? How collected? | Qualified customer-data claim |
| “Clinically proven” | Which study, design, product and outcome? | Use exact evidence only |
What does “clinically proven” actually need to mean?
It should not mean:
“Somebody with Dr in their title likes our product.”
It should not mean:
“We found a study about one ingredient.”
It should not mean:
“Eight customers said they felt better.”
If a brand wants to make a strong clinical efficacy claim, the evidence should genuinely relate to what is being claimed and, where necessary, to the actual product or intervention.
Current CAP guidance notes that stronger breakthrough-style health claims generally require a robust body of evidence, often including controlled human studies.
Do not use scientific vocabulary as decoration.
Can wellness PR still be bold?
Absolutely.
Evidence-led does not mean boring.
Consider:
Boring:
“Wellness expert shares healthy living tips.”
More useful:
“Why your weekend lie-in may not fix five nights of poor sleep, according to sleep specialist.”
Or:
Boring:
“Founder launches new breathing device.”
More useful:
“Why one founder built a screen-free breathing device after realising every relaxation app required another screen.”
The second versions have a clearer human or reader consequence.
They do not need unsupported treatment claims to be interesting.
Real Fair example: moonbird
Fair's documented moonbird campaign combined product and expert-led PR.
The current case-study record documents 25 published articles across 20 publication titles during six months.
That is useful as a model because a wellness product does not always have to choose between:
product publicity
and:
expert-led storytelling.
Where the underlying evidence and expertise are appropriate, the campaign can use different routes.
That result is specific to moonbird and should not be treated as a guarantee for another wellness brand.
Other Fair wellness routes
Fair's Wellness PR material also connects to historic work including:
and:
Different wellness businesses can therefore require very different approaches.
A gut-health product campaign.
A wellness technology product.
A nutrition specialist.
A founder.
A consumer story.
A product review.
There is no single “wellness press release” formula.
What should a wellness press kit contain?
At minimum:
product description;
price;
availability;
founder biography;
expert biography where relevant;
professional credentials;
images;
research sources;
claim evidence;
sample information;
website;
contact information;
and clear boundaries around what each spokesperson can discuss.
If the product sits anywhere close to health treatment, also establish which wording has already received appropriate professional or regulatory review.
Which journalist should you approach?
The subject determines the journalist.
A wellness product might fit:
shopping editors;
lifestyle writers;
health journalists;
fitness writers;
beauty journalists;
technology writers;
business journalists;
founder profiles;
or specialist trade media.
Do not send the same medical-sounding pitch to all of them.
A shopping writer may want:
price;
product;
photographs;
sample;
and reason to include it.
A health journalist may want:
research;
qualifications;
limitations;
and clinical relevance.
A business writer may care about:
growth;
funding;
retail;
founder story;
or market development.
What if the product has no qualified specialist attached?
That does not automatically make it unsuitable for PR.
It means we should be realistic about which stories it can support.
A founder can still discuss the company.
The product can potentially be reviewed.
The brand can have a business story.
Consumers may have relevant non-medical experiences.
But if the central strategy depends on giving medical advice, the company may need a genuinely appropriate specialist.
What if the specialist disagrees with the founder?
Listen.
That can be a useful warning.
If a doctor says:
“I would not describe this as treating anxiety.”
the solution is not to find somebody else who will repeat the claim.
The solution may be to change the wording.
Good PR pressure-tests claims before a journalist does.
When might a wellness brand not be ready for PR?
It may be too early if:
the central product claim is unsupported;
the website makes medical promises nobody can defend;
the founder wants to be presented as a clinician without the credentials;
the product is not actually available;
there are no usable assets;
or the company insists that every article must say the product “works”.
Sometimes the right recommendation is to fix the foundations first.
How should wellness PR results be measured?
Track separately:
stories developed;
journalists pitched;
journalist responses;
sample requests;
interviews;
published articles;
expert quotes;
links;
relevant referral traffic;
and later commercial signals where they can genuinely be identified.
Do not claim that one article:
caused a sales increase;
improved rankings;
created an AI recommendation;
or changed consumer health behaviour
unless you genuinely have evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Can a wellness founder be quoted without medical qualifications, and is an expert ambassador necessary?
Yes, where the founder is discussing what they genuinely know: product design, entrepreneurship, retail, consumer needs, growth or their own experience. They should not be presented as qualified to diagnose or treat a condition. A properly qualified specialist or ambassador may help with substantial medical or clinical commentary, but is not automatically needed for founder stories or ordinary product publicity. Relevant credentials and any commercial relationship should be transparent.
Can a wellness brand claim it reduces anxiety or treats insomnia, or rely on testimonials?
Such claims require care because they can imply health or medical efficacy. The brand needs substantiation for the exact express or implied claim and may need specialist and regulatory review, depending on the product and jurisdiction. A genuine customer saying they slept better describes their experience but does not prove that the product treats insomnia or will have the same effect for others. UK advertising guidance and US FTC guidance both emphasise adequate evidence for objective health claims, while PR and advertising have different legal contexts.
Can journalists review wellness products without making medical claims?
Yes. Depending on the product, a reviewer can assess its design, build quality, usability, price, convenience, specifications and ordinary consumer experience. An independent product review need not claim that the item diagnoses, treats or prevents disease. Supply accurate specifications and samples where relevant, but do not pressure reviewers to make conclusions unsupported by the evidence.
What is the difference between Wellness PR and Health & Medical PR?
Wellness PR often centres on consumer products, founder stories, lifestyle, qualified commentary and commercial developments.
Health & Medical PR may involve clinics, healthcare providers, patient stories, regulated products or clinical subjects that require more formal medical expertise and evidence checks. The categories overlap, and the best route depends on the actual story, claims and spokesperson rather than the word 'wellness' alone.
Could your wellness business have a credible media story?
Fair Public Relations works with suitable wellness businesses, products, founders and experts on journalist-led earned media.
For wider brand, product, founder and business publicity, explore Wellness PR and Standard PR.
Qualified wellness and wellbeing professionals with genuine, verifiable specialist expertise may also be suitable for Expert Commentary PR.
We can help make a story clearer.
We will not make a health claim stronger than the evidence allows.
If you are a wellness founder, brand or qualified professional with a credible story, get in touch to discuss whether Fair PR is a suitable fit. Editorial coverage is never guaranteed.
About the author
Jordan Baker is the founder of Fair Public Relations and a former UK national journalist.
Fair works with wellness brands, experts, founders and consumer businesses across earned-media campaigns, product PR and expert commentary.
View Jordan Baker's media expert profile
