The media is a moving target, with attention-grabbing headlines coming at consumers from many different sources. Getting press coverage today requires regular care and feeding, much like staying current on your Twitter feed, Facebook posts and e-mail. Gone are the days when you could send out a simple news release and expect local coverage.
What’s a small business to do? With the onslaught of unfavorable HME media coverage, you are still your best advocate, but you should consider hiring professionals that have the skills and knowledge about your local media market.
Can you afford the investment? Yes, if it protects your hard earned reputation, provides positive validation to your company, generates community goodwill and perhaps even boosts sales. Here are a few tips from several successful integrated marketing and public relations campaigns. Whether you hire an outside firm or your internal marketing person does the following, you as management must have knowledge of your area’s media mavens, because you will be the one giving the interviews.
Build your media contact spreadsheet. Find out who covers the health care beat and writes feature stories for print, radio, TV, cable TV and news distributors. There may be many of these in a large market, but the news desk/news desk editor is a good place to start.
Digital newspapers such as Patch (owned by AOL) are active in smaller communities. Much of the content is submitted online directly by users. Include your news release, YouTube video, images and logo, or e-mail a press release to your city’s editor for expanded coverage.
Google all bloggers in your area. See who blogs on real estate, caregiving, seniors, home care, the disabled community—all topics that your customers would follow. Review the blogs and add them to your spreadsheet if they are appropriate.
If you want coverage in local papers or on radio and TV stations, familiarize yourself with what these outlets find newsworthy. The fact that you are launching a new sleep mask department with an appearance by a guest physician and a “Feel and Fit” Day does not mean it’s newsworthy. What is newsworthy, as evidenced by the preponderance of TV and radio coverage and advertising about snoring and sleep apnea, is how much money is wasted on ill-fitting equipment and why a proper fit improves breathing and saves the consumer/taxpayer money.
Ask about lead times. Print newspapers typically want a release two weeks or more prior to an event. Print magazines have longer lead times and will want material 30-90 days prior. PSAs (Public Service Announcements) for radio and TV may require material 30-60 days prior to an event. TV (for a media briefing) will want the media alert two to four days prior to the event, and it’s best to follow up with a reminder call to the assignment editor early the morning of the event to make sure you’re on their schedule.
Include on your spreadsheet all the aligning companies that should receive your press release such as vendors, home care nursing companies, home care aide firms, senior centers, independent living communities, consultants, nonprofit organizations, etc. Ask them to include your news release in their newsletters, blogs and e-mails.
Your news release, media alert or fact sheet should have a hook—otherwise, why should anyone care? It should also have a snappy title and contain only the key information. Most releases are e-mailed these days, but some newsrooms still prefer faxes.
Follow up, call and e-mail. Don’t say, “Did you get my release?” News outlets get dozens, sometimes hundreds of news releases each day, so the person you are communicating with will likely not recall the name of the person who submitted each item. Instead, say, “I submitted the release for ABC Medical. Do you need additional information?” The media appreciates someone who has done their homework, asks for the right person to speak to, times their releases well and provides concise and engaging news releases.
Be persistent. You may not get coverage at first, but the more your contacts hear from you, the more likely they will remember you as a credible health care resource. Keep sending releases on a regular schedule, and soon media representatives will be calling you for an interview about the impact of the latest health care mandate or other hot topic.
