For health advocacy professionals, mobilizing advocates has never been a walk in the park. However, rapidly shifting regulations, policy developments, and an uncertain economic climate are making 2025 particularly complex. How can advocacy professionals ensure their strategies still resonate?
Our 2025 Advocacy Benchmark Report analyzed 585 million advocacy engagements from across industries. In the health sector — which includes hospitals, nursing homes, health services, and pharmaceutical and health products — we discovered important trends and insights to support professionals. In this article, we uncover the data, highlight sector-specific takeaways, and share best practices from health advocacy leaders.
Sector Snapshot: Health Advocacy in the Last 18 Months
In 2024, open rates steadily declined for health advocacy emails, while action rates remained moderate. While fewer people are opening health advocacy emails, those who do appear more motivated to act. Our report shows open rates declined steadily in 2024, starting at 46.2 percent in January and tapering to 33.8 percent in December, while action rates remained relatively moderate at 4.1 percent in January and hitting a peak of 7 percent in December.
The first six months of 2025 have shown similar figures, with health sector open rates experiencing a minor rebound of 37.1 percent and action rates hitting 4.4 percent. Within the sector, health services and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) saw the third-highest industry open rates at 42.3 percent, while health professionals saw open rates of 41.2 percent, and hospitals and nursing homes saw 40.8 percent. Health professionals also saw some of the top action rates across industries at 6.2 percent, while hospitals and nursing homes saw rates of 3.5 percent.
Compared to the 16 other sectors analyzed — some of which include agribusiness, energy and natural resources, and infrastructure — the health industry’s open and action rates fell relatively in the middle, with labor experiencing the highest open rate at 50.1 percent and clergy and religious organizations the highest action rate at 13.7 percent.
Trends in Healthcare Advocacy in 2025
“The biggest trend happening right now is fatigue,” says William DeVoe, director of communications and advocacy at the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State. “People are bombarded with asks and political news, so getting people to convert and take the action that you want them to has been more difficult.”
DeVoe says his organization has seen a slight dip in engagement, which he attributes to fatigue. However, he notes that those who open emails are likely to take action, aligning with the findings of our benchmark report. “We try to focus on quality over quantity,” DeVoe says.
At the same time, changes to Medicaid, AI-related health policy shifts, and increased scrutiny on pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance practices are issues to watch, according to Michele Guadalupe, director of advocacy and access at the National Eczema Association.
Strategies for Boosting Engagement in Health Advocacy
1. Don’t panic over open rate declines
While the benchmark report shows a decline in open rates for the health sector, it doesn’t mean advocates are disinterested. To address this, advocacy leaders say professionals should clean up their email lists, test new subject lines, and experiment with targeted email campaigns.
“We’re doing some database cleanup to address the open rates versus clickthrough rates,” says Stephanie Armstrong-Helton, who heads up advocacy and communications at Trinity Health. “Really start looking at your database and clean it out to the best of your ability.”
2. Lead with stories, support with data
To boost engagement, health advocacy experts say highlighting people’s individual stories is essential. “Stories are your engine,” DeVoe says. “Personal stories are going to get you the farthest, with data to support those stories. A lot of people want to lead with data and then give anecdotal stories to supplement that, but it’s got to be the other way around.”
When sharing personal stories, advocacy professionals are encouraged to approach sensitive topics with care and empathy. “You have to show compassion and be really cognizant that these folks are pouring their hearts out about the things that are really impacting them,” Guadalupe says.
3. Test and iterate
The changing political climate means advocacy tactics that worked in the past may not be as effective as they used to be. That’s why professionals need to use different advocacy tools — from in-person engagements to digital applications.
DeVoe says his organization uses targeted emails, switches up subject lines, posts on social media, and conducts peer-to-peer outreach. “In person, I think, is always the most effective,” he adds. “We tell our advocates to build a delegation.”
Armstrong-Helton says advocacy professionals must be nimble and pick their core strategies. “Pick your strategic aims, stick to your goals, and continue to educate.”
4. Segment your audiences
To increase engagement, advocacy professionals need to segment their email lists by location, profession, and interest. This allows professionals to tailor their content to increase engagement and optimize campaign results.
“You have to be multi-channel, and you have to personalize,” DeVoe says. “You have to do audience differentiation — it’s never going to be the same message for every audience.”
For example, while legislators may be more interested in data-heavy content, op-eds targeted toward the general public should contain accessible messaging. At the same time, families and self-advocates want to hear the same language they use in their day-to-day conversations.
5. Build relationships
Health advocacy leaders stress that building relationships is essential for driving engagement and action. This can be done by establishing rapport through attending meetings, hosting events, and sharing policy updates, as well as by providing evidence-based information for medical professionals to review. Advocacy professionals should also ensure they’re respecting people’s time and avoid overwhelming them with frequent requests.
“Be transparent with your advocates,” says Guadulupe. “Have opportunities for live discussion, where you can share any wins, challenges, and next steps. We ask them to share their story — and they are eager to know how that translates to the organization’s advocacy priorities.”
Looking Ahead: Health Advocacy in 2026
The current political climate is testing the health advocacy space, with open rates declining as advocates grow fatigued. However, the stability of action rates shows that health issues are still a priority for advocates.
The challenge, and opportunity, for professionals is to meet advocates where they are. By refining audience databases, focusing on storytelling, testing and iterating new tactics, segmenting audiences, and building relationships, professionals can ensure they’re prepared for the future. “You have to start the relationship-building early,” DeVoe says. “But it’s never too late.”
