Documo first engaged with Sterling on a project basis in August 2025 to help drive awareness of its first original data report, which highlights the pervasive role of fax machines in healthcare communications. While Documo operates within the health IT ecosystem, the company’s leadership and expertise are not actually native to healthcare. The company built a product designed to eliminate manual workflows caused by processing unstructured data, and found a passion project and market fit helping healthcare organizations eliminate the burden of manually faxing information, an outdated but entrenched industry standard.
Documo sought Sterling’s help in establishing the company’s credibility in health IT media outlets since it had no prior presence within that vertical. Sterling secured six placements in key media outlets like Healthcare IT Today, Medical Economics, and Healthcare NOW Radio.
Building a holistic program
Following the success of that initial project, Documo partnered with Sterling on an ongoing basis in January 2026 to further establish itself as a leader in the industry. The goal was to build a multifaceted PR and marketing program that elevates Documo from a crowded market of digital fax providers and demonstrates its transformational IT modernization potential, while establishing CEO Denis Whelan as a key thought leader. Sterling created a focused, 90-day plan with the first month focused on building the messaging foundation, followed by a month of activation, and finally, sustained momentum through month three and beyond.
Focusing on what matters
In tight collaboration with the company’s in-house marketing talent, Sterling spent the first month of the engagement with a disciplined exploration of Documo’s business, its product differentiators, and the value that customers expect to receive from their investment into new technology. Sterling led a session with Denis to workshop Documo’s messaging and brainstorm thought leadership topics that could offer his POV on important issues in healthcare today and IT’s role in them, while underscoring the value Documo’s Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) platform provides. The Documo team also shared anecdotes, results, and additional insights from its customers that Sterling, in turn, developed into different pitch angles for media outreach.
Activation and execution
In month two, Sterling focused on getting the media flywheel spinning — highlighted by the placement of the first byline we developed for Denis in MedCity News on the technical nuances rural healthcare systems require. Denis is an engaging speaker and had already secured a presentation slot at the annual HIMSS conference, but Sterling wanted to augment his trip with added high-impact media opportunities. We secured a podcast interview on The AI Shift, produced by the Healthcare NOW Radio podcast network that was recorded on the show floor. Sterling pitched a number of attending reporters to drive them to Denis’ speaking session as well, resulting in additional Documo coverage in Healthcare IT Today and partner announcement coverage in HIT Consultant. Our team also focused on getting Denis some exposure in more mainstream, entrepreneurial outlets to build his profile as an entrepreneurial tech CEO, highlighted by an appearance on The Digital Executive podcast — a top 10 podcast in the Technology category on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Sustained momentum
Now fully focused on creating a consistent media drumbeat, Sterling has continued to proactively find opportunities for Denis to book strategic podcast appearances and supply commentary to reporters engaged at HIMSS, resulting in ongoing placements in key industry media outlets. Sterling also identified two award opportunities, then quickly drafted and submitted the nominations. As a result, Documo was awarded Healthcare Technology Solution Gold Honor at the 2026 TITAN Business Awards, and the Pinnacle Award for Best Use of AI in Healthcare. Sterling has also begun to develop content for other Documo executives, most notably securing three Forbes placements for Senior Vice President of Marketing, Larisa Summers — the first of which was a long-form contributed article demonstrating Documo’s aptitude with AI technology integration, followed by two inclusions in expert commentary roundups on critical industry topics.
A disciplined approach to truly understanding a new client’s business, their spokespeople and their talents, and the broader industry at the onset of the engagement has paid dividends. By focusing on being a true extension of Documo’s marketing team, Sterling has been able to better identify relevant opportunities and created the necessary foundation to dynamically adapt strategy and messaging for maximum impact as time goes on. These early results have created the kind of solid media footprint Documo needed as it establishes itself as an innovative player in the health IT space, and serves as a catalyst for driving sustained visibility in the months ahead.
Breaking into a new vertical takes more than a press list. It takes knowing what the industry cares about and why your story fits. Working in healthtech? See what Sterling brings to the table.