EP161: Pitching to the Media: The Basics for Healthcare Professionals

This Is Getting Old Podcast with Melissa B PhD

We need a better way to translate studies and science

into something the public can understand.

—Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN

As a profession, nursing has struggled to effectively engage with the media, resulting in significant underrepresentation in most news stories. The primary experts sought out for healthcare stories are physicians, but nurses often aren’t proactive about engaging with the media either. Around 20 years ago, the Woodhull study examined nurses presence in the news and found that nurses were featured only 4% of the time. Fast forward to today, and our representation has dropped to a mere 2%, despite being the most trusted profession for over two decades (see my previous podcast with Dr. Dianna Mason discussing the Woodhull studies here).

As healthcare professionals, nurses can and should fully leverage the power of the media to educate the public and showcase our expertise – particularly related to health promotion.

Just imagine the incredible impact we could have on the world if we mastered the art of pitching to the media.

Whether you're a nurse, a healthcare professional, or a leader in a healthcare organization, this information will help you get started pitching to the media. Our guest is PR Expert Christina Daves, whose insights will be invaluable. So, don't miss out and tune in!

Join us on this episode where we delve into the topic of ▶️ Pitching to the Media: The Basics for Healthcare

✔️Are nurses really not advocating for themselves, or is it the media overlooking them?

Well, it's actually a combination of both factors. Journalists may not immediately think of nurses when getting interviews for health stories. At the same time, when nurses are approached, many decline the opportunity. It's important for us to take a proactive approach. Let's start embracing our role and contribute our expertise to the media.

✔️Highlight what you think is valuable and newsworthy.

Help journalists grasp the significance of your story effortlessly. For example, we pitched a topic about Ageism Awareness Day and linked it to the trending dating show, The Golden Bachelor. By merging these two elements, the pitch becomes a timely and interesting subject.

✔️Boost your online presence

Enhance your social media presence by sharing video content that reflects your expertise. Christina advises that TV producers often want to see you on video before inviting you to speak on their shows.

It's beneficial to be active on platforms that use hashtags, as this makes it easier for them to discover you. "If you reach out to them without a website, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any online presence, it will be much more challenging to receive a positive response."

So, it's important to make sure you have a strong online presence when the media is checking you out.

✔️Craft your WOW Bio.

When collaborating with institutions and academia, we tend to use specialized language. However, when dealing with the mainstream media, it's important to communicate in a way that resonates with 15-year-olds. As exceptionally intelligent individuals who have excelled in your fields through research, paper writing, and medical studies – it's time to adjust your thinking, speaking, and writing style to connect with everyday people who are tuned in.

We must find a better approach to convert complex studies and scientific concepts into something that the public can easily grasp.

Christina Daves is a PR strategist, inventor, on-air lifestyle expert, speaker and author.

After inventing her own product and working her way into over 50 media outlets in less than a year, she became passionate about helping others understand and go from Established to Known™.

Fast forward 12 years, and together with Christina’s clients, they’ve earned over 1 billion views and over $100 million in sales – all from publicity.

Website: https://christinadaves.com/

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About MelissaBPhD

Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN. I am a nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse educator and nurse researcher with over 25 years of experience in the aging and long-term care healthcare space. You can visit my website at MelissaBPhD.com to learn more about me, how you can work with me directly, and/or support future episodes of the podcast. Within the first 18 months of launching this podcast, we reached a ranking of top 10% globally. I have all of you who’ve been with me on this journey so far to thank for that!

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