Slow News Days - Seven Tips To Promote Your Practice Through Press Releases.
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Nothing will build your reputation faster than being featured in a story by a reputable news medium. Ever wonder how other health care providers manage to get coverage?
By Chuck McKay
Some days newspaper, television, and radio reporters are deluged with exciting stories to report to the public. Other days they have very little to choose from. On those slow news days, your press release may suddenly become a great story idea.
First, think like a reporter.
What will make a story the reporter’s audience might be interested in? That your practice has moved to a new location? Uh, sorry, no. If it reads like an ad, its not news. Think of something that people who don’t even know you will be curious to find out. What if you personally conduct cooking classes for your patients who are dieting? That could possibly work.
Nothing happening at your practice? Discuss the way a development in your specialty will affect your patients. Translate the procedure into terms that everyone will understand. The more specific, the better.
Second, visual appeal helps.
Including a photo of people actually doing something will add human interest, and give the newspaper editor another design element to add interest to the sameness gray of a text page. Use a black & white photo of not less than 5 x 7 inches. Do not write on the back of your photo with a ball point pen, it will deform the photo paper and make your writing visible on the front. Instead, write on a self-sticking label with a felt-tipped marker, and attach the label to the back of the photo.
Third, expand your shelf life.
Your story will be usable longer if it can be considered “evergreen,” that is, always in season. If you only conduct that cooking class once each year, and that time is in three days, you’re gambling that no one shoots the Pope, that a major storm doesn’t shut down all of the airports in the Northwest, or that a new strain of bird flu doesn’t break out.
A story will be considered evergreen if it doesn’t have a direct tie-in to today’s news, or if its about something that regularly effects people.
Fourth, tone down your involvement.
The story idea should be interesting without mentioning your practice, but mentioning you is your primary objective. Be sure your contact information – your name, your practice name, your practice address - are included, but not until at least the 4th paragraph. Use that information too early, and your story appears to be just another piece of puffery.
Fifth, grab attention from the beginning.
The better your headline, the better your chance of your story being used, and being read. Bad headlines are about you. Good headlines help the people reading the story to feel as if they’re in the story.
BAD HEADLINE
Diet cooking classes Thursday evening at the Junior College.
GOOD HEADLINE
Doctor teaches dieters the right way to cook macaroni and cheese.
Sixth, write for the medium.
Sometimes news media will pick up your story and run it will only minimal modification, if any. Reporters and editors operate under constant pressure. Spend a little time becoming familiar with the style your targeted medium uses. There’s a great difference between newspaper style and that of radio. Write in the appropriate style. The easier you make it for them to use your story, the more likely they will.
And seventh, get help if you need it.
And finally, if you can’t find the time to write a good release yourself, hire a ghostwriter who will make “your” writing crisp, articulate, and ready for the appropriate reporter’s use.
Of course, if you’re successful getting a story about your practice placed in any local medium, get a copy of the article (or a transcript of the broadcast) framed and placed in your lobby where it will continue to build your credibility for years.
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Slow News Days - Seven Tips To Promote Your Practice Through Press Releases. copyright © 2007 Chuck McKay and AdvanceMyPractice.com. All rights reserved.
Chuck McKay is a marketing consultant who works with professional practices and owner operated businesses. Questions about effective press releases and generating news coverage about your practice may be directed to ChuckMcKay@ChuckMcKayOnLine.com.