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For organizations of any size, working with the local media can be an effective way to gain publicity and exposure. With the increase in competition for patients, physicians and staff members, a little positive press coverage can go a long way toward putting your organization on the map for these individuals.

The good news is that getting media coverage may require little to no investment besides time. Also working in your fa-vor: local media are often eager to develop relationships with providers. Healthcare is a year-round issue of interest to your community (i.e., consumers of local media). There are top-ics that receive recurring coverage, such as flu season, youth sports safety and insurance enrollment, while others can

receive coverage over a limited period of time — think Zika. Some topics may only receive coverage for a single day, such as the opening of a new facility, addition of a physician or a special event, such as a fundraiser. When the name of your organization and/or staff is included in coverage, it will raise the profile of your organization in ways that you cannot rep-licate on your own.

To help you work with your local media — and do so effec-tively — here are 10 steps you can take.

1. Find your local media. Do you know all of the me-dia organizations that cover your market? These can include daily and alternative weekly newspapers, tele-vision and radio stations, and magazines. Conduct searches online to identify these organizations. Once you have a list compiled, consider running it by staff to see if you omitted any.

2. Determine how to contact media. Most media orga-nizations include information on their website explain-ing how to contact them to share news. Look for pages

LORI TRZCINSKI

By Lori Trzcinski, Marketing Communications Specialist

Working with the Media:

10 Steps for a Better Partnership

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FALL 2016 EndoEconomics | 21

Working with the Media:

10 Steps for a Better Partnership

BuzzMarketing

with titles like “Share News Tip,” “Submit Your News” and “Contact Us.”

Once you find the organization’s instructions for sharing news, which will usually be through an online form or via email, make a note with the name of each organization on your list.

3. Identify healthcare reporters. Some media organiza-tions assign specific “beats” to team members. A beat is an area of focus for a reporter. Take some time to see if the media on your list have reporters assigned to a health-care beat. Sometimes media will identify which of its team members have a beat.

If you can’t find this information spelled out, look at the byline for recent articles about healthcare, including cov-erage of other providers in your area, to see if a reporter(s) name is associated with any of them. When that’s the case, it is likely that this individual has at least some form of a healthcare beat, even if it’s not a dedicated beat. Note what you learn with the information you have already as-sembled about your local media.

When you identify someone who likely has a healthcare beat, see if there is a way to contact that individual directly. Oftentimes, clicking a writer’s name in the byline will bring up information about the writer that may include an email address, contact form and/or social media handle (usually Twitter, if anything). Note this information in your media documentation as well.

4. Introduce yourself. The media can’t work with you if they don’t know about you. Contact the media organizations on your list and any healthcare reporters you identified, and express your willingness to help with stories. Also pro-vide background on your organization, including your list of services and areas of expertise for physicians and staff. This will help media gain an understanding of the different subjects you are in a position to discuss.

Make sure also to explain the best way for media to con-tact you for assistance with a story. If you are initiating con-tact with a media organization via email, it is best for the sender to be that individual. If you are submitting a form, share this individual’s contact information.

If you receive replies to your initial contact efforts that pro-vide additional details about how your organization can work with the media, add this to your notes.

5. Periodically review media list. Just like any company, media organizations undergo turnover and changes to staff responsibilities. It is worthwhile to, at least annually, review the information you have compiled about local media and confirm it is correct based on what you can find online. Update any changes you find, including any new reporters assigned to a healthcare beat. When re-porters leave an organization or change responsibilities, they do not always share a comprehensive list of their community contacts, so make sure to introduce yourself to any new reporters.

6. Make it easy for media to contact you. Even with your ef-forts to educate media organizations about how they can contact you for assistance with a story, it is best to assume that this information will not always reach the right people, let alone “stick” with the people you reached out to.

That’s why it’s important to make sure media can easily determine the best way to contact your organization for assistance with a story. Receptionists should be informed of your organization’s media point person. (Note: It is best to also have a secondary/backup media contact in the event that the primary point person is unavailable.)

Also provide contact information for media on your web-site. If your “contact” page on your website is a form, in-clude an option for submitters to identify themselves as media. If you provide phone numbers and/or email ad-dresses for specific departments, make sure there is a listing that speaks to the needs of media. If your website has a section dedicated to news about your organiza-tion, list this information there as well, or at least pro-vide a link to your contact form with a note that points media in that direction.

The easier you can make it for media to contact your or-ganization and reach the right person, the more likely it is that you will be included in stories. If media representa-tives find it difficult to contact you, especially on a short deadline, they are more likely to seek other sources.

7. Submit your news. When you have news to share, share it with the media. This is where the time spent research-ing your local media pays off as you will know who should receive your announcements.

As mentioned earlier, your news may include the open-ing of new facility, addition of a physician or a special event (e.g., fundraisers, open houses, educational ses-sions at your organization). It can also include awards for your organization or members of your staff, milestones, the addition of a new piece of capital equipment (as this is not only a substantial investment in your organization but often in your patients) and partnerships with other organizations.

When you submit your news, provide the most critical background information and explain the significance of the news so media can easily understand why you be-lieve the announcement is newsworthy. A quote or two from leadership can help add a little more color to the piece, as can the inclusion of images.

Make sure your submission identifies how media can contact you to learn more about your news. There is a good chance that if media organizations have interest in covering your news, they will want to conduct an inter-view. It is best to have identified members of your team, including physicians, in the best position to speak to the news. Also, confirm in advance their willingness to be in-terviewed, whether it be over the phone, on the radio or in front of a camera for television. When you are pre-pared to handle media requests, the coverage tends to go more smoothly.

8. Extend invitations. When you share news about an up-coming event involving your organization with media or-ganizations, invite them to attend. As previously noted, you will want to make it easy for media to get the cover-age they want, so share the contact information of the event’s media point person. This person should always be near the entrance to the event. If this individual needs to step away, other staff members near the entrance should know how to reach the media point person.

9. Remind media of your expertise. Media organizations strive to provide coverage that matters to as much of their audience as possible. That’s why media produces

content on major areas that may not just be about a sin-gle organization but are rather topics that affect an en-tire community. Reporters will be looking for community experts to speak to these issues, and you can potentially provide these sources.

For example, March is National Colorectal Cancer Aware-ness Month. As March approaches, contact the media or-ganizations on your list to see if they are planning any cov-erage about the importance of screenings. Ask if they are looking for physicians to comment, and offer members of your staff as sources.

As another example, there have been a number of gastro-enterology/endoscopy-related stories that have gained national attention over the past few years, such as new screening test options and treatment regimens for hepa-titis C, as well as the infection outbreaks associated with reprocessed duodenoscopes. These are all topics where members of your organization may be in a position to serve as sources who can add a local perspective.

When you know or learn of a major issue that may receive coverage, be proactive by bringing sources to reporters rather than hoping they will come to you. When you can get members of your staff quoted on these issues, it will send a message to the community that you have experts working in your facility.

10. Promote coverage. When you are fortunate to have news about your organization covered and staff mem-bers quoted in stories, maximize the benefits of and show your appreciation for the coverage by helping promote it. Share links to coverage on your website and social media.

In addition, look for opportunities to share and support (“like”) coverage unrelated to your organization but that might be of interest to your patient community. Media or-ganizations will appreciate your bringing more attention to their coverage, and these efforts will help keep you on their radar for future stories.

Lori Trzcinski is the marketing communications specialist at Physicians Endoscopy and the managing editor of EndoEconomics. With over seven years of marketing experience, Ms. Trzcinski leads the corporate and center marketing initiatives of PE and its affiliated centers. Ms. Trzcinski earned a B.A. in Business & Economics and Media & Communications from Ursinus College.

For more information, she can be reached at ltrzcinski@endocenters.com.

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