Quantify Your Cause
As if you were talking to an investor and trying to estimate the total addressable market, arm your spokesperson with data about the size of the problem you are solving. How many people are affected by [insert disease state here]? What early results do you have that show you can reach these people and places within the healthcare ecosystem or marketplace?
Reporters can be naturally skeptical, so be prepared to have provable facts and outcomes. While sometimes the story you pitch can be variably different – depending on local vs. national media – it always boils down to the readership and takeaways for the audience. The Wall Street Journal has more of a financial, international business-leaning audience, while TechCrunch is specifically geared toward investor news and guidance for startup founders. Research the reporter you engage with, just as they will research you.
Protect What’s Proprietary
Set some ground rules at the beginning of the conversation. When engaging with a journalist, it is safe to assume that you are on the record, unless otherwise stated. Every reporter wants a good scoop – something that nobody knows or news that hasn’t been made public yet. It’s your job to dangle that carrot to get them interested.
Give plenty of notice for an announcement, and show that you researched why it's a good fit for the person you're pitching to. We also love exclusive news and good visuals to go with it. Be open to building a long term relationship, not just between comms and the reporter, but between the stakeholders in your company and their editors too.
For example, if you’re raising money, it’s important to communicate with the reporter your timeline. You control when the formal announcement is made. If you want to go “off the record”, you can share relevant details and a reporter cannot use them until you go “on the record”. This is a strategic way to buy time and make sure you keep the information private while you may still be closing the round.
Another tool at your disposal: on background. If you’re having a conversation and don’t want your quotes to be attributed, you can say this upfront and will appear anonymous in any reporting. Sometimes this is a good way to initially form a relationship with a journalist and to revisit the discussion themes at a later date when you are more focused. Taking interviews off the cuff or in a public setting with distractions can be a recipe for disaster. Always be present, alert, and protect what’s proprietary (i.e. your news, which is gold).
Everything is Earned
Reporters don’t owe you anything. Developing a personal relationship with a reporter doesn't guarantee positive coverage. Journalists are always going to use their trained discretion, and rest assured that you are not the only source they will speak with to verify or fact check a story. Also know that you may be fitting into a crafted narrative that doesn’t precisely align with your interpretation. That’s okay – it’s just about level-setting and understanding how to pick and choose the right times for your company to be highlighted.
Be yourself at all times and never mislead a reporter with data you can’t stand behind 100%. Find a granular topic that makes you “1 of 1” – a go to source who knows more about a given subject than anyone else in their network. While your company will usually take the spotlight at this stage, there are always opportunities for your C-suite experts and co-founders to be quoted in key trade publications and national media. You just have to forge strong relationships and understand what makes a good story.
