Advancing Hearing Education Among Older Adults to Support Healthy Aging

As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear is on a mission to help people around the world to hear, especially the 1 in every 3 people over the age of 65 with hearing loss. If left untreated, hearing loss can lead to social isolation, balance issues and even diminished mental sharpness. While hearing aids may work for some, as hearing loss progresses, cochlear implants can help with clarity and comprehension, especially in noisy environments. Currently, only 5% of the almost 2 million Americans who are potential candidates for cochlear hearing technology have been treated due to low awareness, apathy and misinformation.

To help counteract this, Linhart PR balanced proactive cochlear implant recipient story sharing with reactive opportunities tied to hearing health topics appearing in mainstream conversation (known as newsjacking), to secure a steady stream of educational news coverage that reached older adults who may be potential cochlear candidates.

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Client
Services
Communications Strategy & Planning
Media Relations & Influencer Marketing
Industry
Health & Wellness
Awards

CHallenge

Linhart PR set out to educate older adults about hearing loss facts and health impacts, when to see an audiologist and the benefits of cochlear implants for qualified candidates via informative, fact-based, year-round local and national media coverage.

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Solution

Over the course of a year, Linhart PR harnessed its storytelling expertise to execute an outreach strategy that:

  • ‍Inserted Cochlear into mainstream hearing-related happenings and news by leveraging Cochlear’s in-house audiologist and hearing health expert. When Apple announced new hearing test and hearing aid capabilities for its latest Airpods Pro model, Linhart PR acted fast, offering insight to relevant health and consumer tech reporters from Cochlear’s expert on the benefits of hearing loss detection, prevention and care, ultimately securing an interview with USA Today. Not only did the coverage integrate Cochlear into important, mainstream hearing health news, but it helped advance the brand expert as an industry thought leader.
  • Matched reporters with the expert and recipient sources they needed – and in a timely fashion – to complete their stories via daily Qwoted and HARO monitoring. The team identified a HuffPost lead asking about the common signs of hearing loss and when to get your hearing checked. We pitched Cochlear’s in-house audiologist expert to weigh in, and HuffPost included her insights, further positioning her as a thought leader. A few months later, an AARP reporter was looking for real people experiencing sensory loss. The team pitched a 76-year-old guitarist and CI recipient for the piece and his story served as the opening paragraph for the May-June 2025 article.
  • Showcased older adults reclaiming their hearing to thrive as they age through educational coverage. In local print and TV pitches, Linhart PR layered hearing loss information and facts with the compelling stories of 5 older recipients from markets like San Antonio, TX and Farmington, MN, who won back their careers, social lives and more with restored hearing due to their cochlear implants.

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Results

Media efforts were successful, resulting in coverage that exceeded client expectations and KPIs:

  • 2 national stories for Cochlear’s hearing expert: a print and online USA Today story that was syndicated 16 times for a total of 686.6M impressions, and a HuffPost story totaling 14M+ impressions.
  • 2 recipient-based, national AARP stories (print and online), reaching a key demographic for Cochlear with educational messaging and totaling 75M+impressions.
  • More than 1 local media story for all 5 recipients for a total of 15 stories and 668M+ impressions. Coverage also helped drive customer inquiries from candidates in local markets.

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