{"id":3699,"date":"2025-08-29T13:50:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/?p=3699"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:55:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:55:10","slug":"what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/","title":{"rendered":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
This stressful post brought to you by pictures of cute baby animals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n

So, apparently COVID has been surging again this summer<\/a> \u2014 apparently, there\u2019s a \u201cstratus\u201d and a \u201cnimbus\u201d strain, and I hadn\u2019t heard about either \u2014 and I had no idea. And that\u2019s weird for me, because I\u2019m a big ol\u2019 dorky science and medicine geek, and I pay attention to stuff like that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And I get it, kind of. We\u2019re more than five years out from the start of the pandemic, and it\u2019s hard to pay a ton of attention to any one thing for that long (particularly in our current\u2026 political\u2026 environment). Unfortunately, another surge is forecast for this winter<\/a>, and our current\u2026 political\u2026 environment has made it even more challenging to acquire the a) knowledge and b) accoutrements that can help minimize its impact. And public health communicators?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026. Yeah, you\u2019re kind of on your own for this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not, like, totally<\/em> on your own. But while you once might have been able to rely on the CDC for messaging and data, the CDC of today is, in fact, likely to be more of a hindrance than a help, spreading misinformation about diseases and vaccines with their full chest while you\u2019re trying to supply accurate information and hamstringing access to the resources you\u2019d be relying on to minimize, for instance, death and stuff in the coming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I am not, of course, a CDC, but with nearly two decades\u2019 experience in healthcare, medicine, and\/or research marketing and advertising, I do have some guidance for filling in any new communication gaps. And I will also say: I\u2019m not here to tell you how to do your job. If your shit is on lock right now \u2014 you\u2019re sufficiently staffed, you\u2019re sufficiently funded, you\u2019ve got your messaging nailed down \u2014 take me with you<\/em> but also you\u2019re good, watch this video of a mama and baby otter<\/a>. If you\u2019re worried about the prospect of stepping into winter without the help of a formerly trusted ally, here\u2019s what I got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What am I up against?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

[Gestures vaguely to overall public health environment]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Lack of science and medicine literacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most people in the U.S. aren\u2019t great big dorky science and medicine geeks like I am. Overall health\/science\/medicine literacy is pretty substandard<\/a>, particularly among older adults \u2014 like, the ones most likely to die of pandemic diseases. People range from middling to distrustful about medical science, and all the revolutionary, groundbreaking stuff is just as likely to confuse and\/or intimidate them as it is to make them go oooh<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average health consumer out isn\u2019t some kind of unfrozen caveman, but it\u2019s not a reach to say subjects like viral contagion, mRNA, public health modeling, so many other complex topics go above a lot of people\u2019s heads. And in circumstances like this, \u201cthing I don\u2019t understand\u201d has a tendency to lead to a lot of fear, which leads to\u2026 well, lots of stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Fear and mistrust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, pandemics and disease and such are scary, no matter where you fall on the politics\/literacy scale, and scary things tends to make your brain shut down (as in, literally impair your prefrontal cortex). Fear leads to vapor lock (which leads to anger, which leads to hate, which leads to suffering, which leads to the Dark Side). (I joke, but also, people didn\u2019t attack public health workers at the height of the pandemic because they were totally cool and chill about the situation.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speaking of attacking public health workers, a recent study shows that confidence among Americans in the CDC and other institutions did, in fact, fall during the pandemic<\/a>. (It sucks, but a populace that struggles with things like the scientific method and public health modeling are actually going to lose<\/em> trust in an institution when it manages to avert a worst-case scenario.) It did rebound a little in late 2024, just in time<\/em> for it to take another nosedive thanks to unceasing leadership shakeups<\/a> and<\/em> ongoing partisan disinformation<\/a>. So… cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Pandemic fatigue, and un-<\/em>scary numbers<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Screenshot
His name is Rico.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Currently, around 150 to 200 people in the U.S. die of COVID every week<\/a>, which is awful<\/em> \u2014 that\u2019s a weekly Boeing 737 crash with no survivors \u2014 but still pales in comparison to numbers at the height of the pandemic, and that makes our current numbers appear a lot tamer. And all this is complicated by almost certain underreporting \u2014 people testing at home and not reporting their results, people not even bothering to test \u2014 meaning the numbers would likely be higher, but we don\u2019t know by how much and probably couldn\u2019t prove it to the general public\u2019s satisfaction anyway. And all that can erode a sense of gravity and urgency that might have made people more open to public health messaging in recent times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Meme-able, memorable misinformation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Misinformation is easy to memeify, because it doesn\u2019t have to be accurate (obviously) or stand up to regulatory scrutiny. Accurate information requires nuance and details, BS can fly like a bird. Healthcare hoaxes and vaccine conspiracy theories get Joe Rogan and Jenny McCarthy and, y\u2019know, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Actual healthcare information gets Dr. Mike, and while he\u2019s a certified muffin, he\u2019s not exactly the world\u2019s most popular podcaster or a former Playboy<\/em> model. Or, y\u2019know, the top public health officer in the country. Lies are easy. Truth takes work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Moving targets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With healthcare policy and messaging (and staffing, and funding, and\u2026) changing in an instant basically on the whim of administration officials, you can\u2019t know what information you\u2019ll need to be providing and what mis<\/em>information you\u2019ll need to be fighting. Welcome to Public Health Whack-A-Mole, 2025 Edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(How are we doing? Porcupine ASMR<\/a>?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, great. What am I supposed to do, then?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Short answer: Whatever you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. KISS (Keep Is Simple, Scientist).<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t talk down to people \u2014 they really hate it, and they\u2019ll  trust you less because of it. But keep it simple. Keep language accessible. Keep messaging relatable. Use metaphors. Use illustrations. Run it by a civilian to see if they can understand it, and if not, don\u2019t try to explain it to them \u2014 fix the materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the really involved stuff, explain it three times: Give \u2018em a soundbite, a brief overview, and a more detailed explanation, warming them up gradually and laying down a little bit of foundation before adding more complexity. They need the information they need, but if you hit them with all the complicated details all at once, they\u2019re going to lock up. Don\u2019t downplay or mislead, but always provide context so they can determine for themselves what they need to freak out about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Validate.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Validate their feelings. Yeah, the fear and mistrust. It\u2019s easy to dismiss people\u2019s fears to a degree, because what\u2019s to be afraid of? We\u2019ve already explained everything, right? And it\u2019s easy to dismiss and even become resentful of mistrust, because screw them, kind of, you know? But no one ever calmed anyone\u2019s fears by telling them their fears are stupid, and no one gained anyone\u2019s trust by demanding it. Acknowledge why people feel unsafe, confused, lost, worried, and then show them, through your messaging and the way you deliver it, that they don\u2019t have to feel that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t rely on a sense of urgency or gravity.<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Screenshot
Ready to hop. (Almost.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When the overall profile of the pandemic is as relatively low as it has been, you\u2019re not going to be able to count on people taking a lot of proactive steps for their own protection (particularly now that even if they would have been<\/em> inclined to take such steps, it might be off the table<\/a>). Messaging needs to come with a measured tone, clear calls to action, and no sensationalism. People will be getting enough of that from the fearmongerers and misleaders. Be the steady, trustworthy grownup in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Does everyone listen to the grownup in the room? Of course not. But those folks weren\u2019t going to listen anyway.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Choose your battles \u2014 but<\/em> be prepared to fight any and all of them.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The other guys can shotgun disinformation, knowing that something\u2019s going to stick and get the job done. You have to limit your messaging \u2014 you have about a million things that need to be conveyed to the public, but you need to anchor them in a more simple, cohesive message that\u2019s easier for them to hold onto and carry around. Make a list of all the ideas you need to express and find a common factor you can lean on. Focus on an action you want them to take. Pick an \u201cif you only remember one thing from this message, let it be this\u201d and start from there. You\u2019ll get all the important information to them \u2014 you just need to start with a cohesive message that will draw them in to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when people are drawn in to learn more? Have learning for them. Don\u2019t just make information available \u2014 give them a place to go for answers to their questions and concerns. Maintain that same level of accessible language and imagery. And when something new arises, whether it\u2019s a development that needs explaining or a rumor that needs debunking, you have a place to put your explanation, and they have a place they can turn, trusting that you\u2019ll be ready to explain it. Be ready to reply to any misinformative meme with a brief answer and a link for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Catastrophize.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not advice I\u2019d give anyone else under any other circumstances, but: Imagine the worst. And then prepare for it. FDA just add new restrictions that could make it hard for people to get the COVID vaccine<\/a>? What if the government outlawed<\/em> the COVID vaccine? What advice would you provide? How would you communicate it? What if it coincided with a rash of nursing home closures? Be prepared for the absolute<\/em> worst, and when the not-worst-but-still-shitty happens, you\u2019ll be all ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Work together.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations: You are now your own CDC. Hook up with other state, regional, and national public health organizations to share the burden \u2014 energy, attention, and money \u2014 of accurate, effective communication efforts. Also consider groups like the National Public Health Information Coalition<\/a> (NPHIC) and the Public Health Communications Collaborative<\/a> (PHCC) for support and guidance. You can also<\/em> also reach out to your local\/regional chapter of the AAF<\/a> and\/or AMA<\/a>, who can almost certainly hook you up with people who can help you at least get some messaging and imagery together. (Feel free to hit me up<\/a> for whatever connections I\u2019m able to make.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s absolutely no telling what\u2019s going to happen with public health this winter. There\u2019s no telling what\u2019s going to happen this week<\/em> \u2014 by the time I get this post published, the FDA may have outlawed hand sanitizer unless taken internally. All you can do is lean less on the unsteadier parts of the public health structure and more on the parts that are still steady. And then you all hold each other up, and then we all hold each other up, and then more of us make it out of this thing alive. (That sounded hopeful, right?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now watch this orphan baby kangaroo take his first hops<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, apparently COVID has been surging again this summer \u2014 apparently, there\u2019s a \u201cstratus\u201d and a \u201cnimbus\u201d strain, and I hadn\u2019t heard about either \u2014 and I had no idea. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[18,23,39,40,57],"class_list":["post-3699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-humanity","tag-communication","tag-covid-19","tag-how-to","tag-im-from-the-government-and-im-here-to-help","tag-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So, apparently COVID has been surging again this summer \u2014 apparently, there\u2019s a \u201cstratus\u201d and a \u201cnimbus\u201d strain, and I hadn\u2019t heard about either \u2014 and I had no idea. …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Caperton Gillett | The Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Caper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CapeGCreative\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Caper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Caper\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a8b294ce5e33f2905e82f8435c3650c4\"},\"headline\":\"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1951,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Communication\",\"COVID-19\",\"How To\",\"I'm from the government and I'm here to help\",\"Politics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"The Humanity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/\",\"name\":\"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Screenshot from a video of a mama and baby otter. The gray-brown mama otter floats on her back in dark water, with her brown, incredibly fluffy baby cuddled on her chest.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Caperton Gillett | The Blog\",\"description\":\"A blog about advertising, copywriting, creativity &c.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Caperton Gillett Creative\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cropped-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cropped-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Caperton Gillett Creative\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/capertongcreative\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/acgillett\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a8b294ce5e33f2905e82f8435c3650c4\",\"name\":\"Caper\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Caper\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/capertongcreative\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/acgillett\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/CapeGCreative\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/caper\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog","og_description":"So, apparently COVID has been surging again this summer \u2014 apparently, there\u2019s a \u201cstratus\u201d and a \u201cnimbus\u201d strain, and I hadn\u2019t heard about either \u2014 and I had no idea. …","og_url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/","og_site_name":"Caperton Gillett | The Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative","article_published_time":"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Caper","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CapeGCreative","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Caper","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/"},"author":{"name":"Caper","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a8b294ce5e33f2905e82f8435c3650c4"},"headline":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own","datePublished":"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/"},"wordCount":1951,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg","keywords":["Communication","COVID-19","How To","I'm from the government and I'm here to help","Politics"],"articleSection":["The Humanity"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/","url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/","name":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own - Caperton Gillett | The Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-29T18:50:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-29T18:55:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mama-and-baby-otter.jpg","width":640,"height":800,"caption":"Screenshot from a video of a mama and baby otter. The gray-brown mama otter floats on her back in dark water, with her brown, incredibly fluffy baby cuddled on her chest."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/what-public-health-communicators-need-to-know-now-that-youre-on-your-own\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What public health communicators need to know now that you\u2019re on your own"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/","name":"Caperton Gillett | The Blog","description":"A blog about advertising, copywriting, creativity &c.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Caperton Gillett Creative","url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cropped-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cropped-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Caperton Gillett Creative"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/acgillett\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a8b294ce5e33f2905e82f8435c3650c4","name":"Caper","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76a8676c5e46f71e04b1e36e7a86c8ed2ad109a4dac4e70e3842a19b1ead7279?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Caper"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/acgillett\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CapeGCreative"],"url":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/author\/caper\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3699"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3712,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3699\/revisions\/3712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}