How would you feel if important information about medicine, well-being, diseases, educational campaigns or new technology that you have written wasn’t publicized because it didn’t get the attention of the press? A well written health press release is short, has a catchy headline, newsworthy and follows the correct syntax.
If you are a medical professional, writing a release about any newsworthy information in your industry is a great opportunity to highlight your expertise. It’s not only for the popular and expert medical practitioners.
Even you are just a new doctor or nurse, you can write releases or hire a PR rep who can help you do the task. Check out how a release should be written:
- Write newsworthy medical topics.
When writing a release make sure that it’s newsworthy. Meaning, it is important to share with the press and the readers right at the moment.
Here are newsworthy reasons to write a release in the field of medicine:
? New location or expansion.
? Awards received.
? Milestones in your medical profession.
? A new case study.
? Participating in a trade show.
? Speaking at conferences.
? New medical equipment.
? Sponsorship or community projects.
- Write an interesting angle.
A new milestone in your career is really important for you as a heart surgeon. However, when you asked your PR pro to write a story about it, it didn’t land publicity.
Remember that journalists receive almost 100 email pitches everyday. Reading the same story that everyone writes wouldn’t cut through the noise.
When writing, make sure that your story brings the most interesting angle among all the pieces that a journalist reads. Don’t just write that you have reached your 10, 000th patient.
So what? You should ensure that your news brings valuable benefit to the readers. Instead of just writing that kind of news, write something like “10,000th client Receives Free Consultation for a Lifetime During the Heart Surgeon’s 10th Year in Service.”
- Write an attention-grabbing headline.
One of the most important parts of a press release distribution is the headline. It is the reason why people click into the page in the first place.
Write a boring headline. It is the surest way not to gain publicity.
Write a catchy headline. Your chance of getting media coverage is higher.
Example:
Bad: “Neurosurgeon Receives a Coveted Award”
Good: “Neurosurgeon Receives Award for a Breakthrough Research on HIV Medication”
- Follow the right syntax.
The first part of your release should contain the most important information about your announcement. For instance, in the above headline, the first paragraph should contain:
? Who
? What
? Where
? When
? Why
? How
It should tell the readers the 5 W’s and H of the story. Journalists want to see the important facts right at the start.
Keep in mind that they don’t have a lot of time to find what you want to say. Place the key facts in the beginning.
After the introduction, the body should contain the support details of your news. It should also contain quotes from important people affected by the announcement.
Don’t forget the information about you and your company. People want to learn who is writing the release, and how they can learn more about your brand.
Ensure that you also indicate a media contact. Journalists should not ask who they can contact for additional resources or to schedule an interview.
- Avoid jargons.
Journalists aren’t impressed with releases stuffed with medical jargons. Don’t forget that your release is read not only read by the journalists, but by your target audience.
How would you expect them to understand your news if it’s full of medical jargons, such as arrhythmia, stent, angina, hemorrhage, CABG (coronary artery bypass graft surgery), mitral, tricuspid and a lot more. It should be written in simple terms that common people would understand.
- Lengthy.
One of the reasons why many PR professionals and medical practitioners don’t land publicity is because of a lengthy release. Journalists don’t like reading long, boring press releases.
If you can use bullet points to emphasize your key points, they don’t mind it. Your goal is to get media coverage. To achieve it, at least follow what they want- a short and concise press release.
Go straight to the point. Don’t use buzzwords. Just focus on the facts and tell a story that the readers can surely relate.
Follow these tips to write a newsworthy and relevant press release. Make sure that you’re not wasting your effort. Stick to the rules and you’ll see improvement in your PR scores.
