Seven Ideas for Developing a Great Healthcare Story
(June 5, 2006)

If you don't reach out to the media, chances are they won't contact you.

Take 15 minutes to identify eight to 10 story ideas that you want to promote to both consumer and trade media this year.

It could be a feature story for TV during Sweeps Month - or a bylined article in a trade magazine. Here are seven tips for putting together a great healthcare story:

1. Medical news doesn't always have to be cutting-edge - it can be dated, but you need an outstanding patient success story.

2. Think outside the box with seasonal stories (forget pitching cardiac care stories during Heart Month in February, there's too much competition - be creative and come up with new ideas).

3. Identify something in the news (bird flu, childhood obesity epidemic, staph infections); find an expert in your organization who can comment on it and localize the story.

4. When developing a story idea, think about the visuals - photos, b-roll footage, charts/graphs - because they are essential to the "pitch."

5. Piggyback on national research - package your story around a newly released study.

6. Select spokespersons for your organization who are media-savvy, articulate and can tell the story in short sound bites. Remember, the "best" spokesperson may not be the "political choice." Qualify the spokesperson before the interview gets scheduled.

7. Make sure your media list is up to date, and contacts are correct. The media database should be reviewed for accuracy every few months.

-- Vicky Lekovish