Health In Harmony

Problem 

Health In Harmony (HIH), an international nonprofit dedicated to reversing global heating by protecting rainforests, faced significant challenges in gaining media coverage. The organization struggled with the entrenched nature of media silos, in which reporters focus on specific “beats” such as healthcare or environmental issues. This made it difficult to generate interest in HIH’s intersectional story, which touches health, conservation, and Indigenous affairs. Additionally, the remoteness of HIH’s project sites in Indonesian Borneo, the Brazilian Amazon, and Madagascar pose logistical challenges.  

These sites require multi-day travel and significant resources to access, with safety concerns and variable weather conditions further complicating media visits. Language barriers also add to the complexity, as effective communication between media and local communities necessitate translation services. 

Action 

Teak Media + Communication collaborated with Health In Harmony to address these challenges through a strategic approach: 

1. Media Relations: 
   1. Raise awareness about HIH’s mission and efforts to combat global heating by preserving rainforests. 
   2. Draw media to HIH’s rainforest sites, highlighting the interconnectedness of human health, wildlife, forests, and the Earth. 
   3. Conduct continuous outreach via press releases, pitches, and information-gathering calls to educate reporters about planetary health and HIH’s work. 
2. Thought Leadership: Position rainforest communities as experts in forest conservation, elevating their role in addressing the climate crisis. 
3. Media Training and Preparation: Develop messaging, speaking points, and facilitated media training for HIH spokespeople. 
4. Logistical Support: Create visitor portals, facilitate unique travel needs, arrange translators, and secure approvals from local authorities for media interactions. 

Solution 

Teak Media + Communication has secured hits in ProPublica, Nature Medicine, Science and Atmos. These hits also lead to syndications in nearly 20 other outlets, including Apple News and MSN. Results over the years have included New York Times, Glamour, The Hill, USA Today, Salon, Newsweek, Fast Company, Popular Science, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and many others. CNN is also expected to publish a piece in early August. 

Zeroing in on the power of even just one hit, ProPublica’s article lead to: 

• $125,000 for the organization within weeks of publication.  
• $2,400 in recuring monthly donations 
• 68 new monthly donors 
• 16,800+ impressions on Twitter 
• 134% increase in page views (26,000) the highest monthly total in the history of HIH 
• 250 new Instagram followers 

Impact rooted in numbers (readership, donors and funding) inspire us to continue to push the important connection between human and planetary health, but transcending media silos and helping reporters see and understand the bigger issue is what made these series of placements so impactful. 

For example, ProPublica Reporter Caroline Chen published a 12-part Twitter thread making a case for health reporters covering climate change that received more than 1.5M views, and tens of thousands of likes and RTs. The post was also shared on the ProPublica Instagram account. 

In earning these media hits, we are promoting planetary health, potential solutions and Health In Harmony in a way that will be realized for years to come. 

In the spring of 2023, Teak Media won a PR industry award for its stellar and impactful news coverage generated on behalf of Health In Harmony.