Look the part if you want publicity
Consultants who want to build a reputation in the press and online have been advised to make sure they ‘look the part’ in their publicity material.
Media training expert Steve Bustin said: ‘It you want people to know you are a surgeon, then look like a surgeon. Most of them end up looking like an accountant.’
He advised specialists to invest ‘a couple of hundred quid’ for half a day with a professional photographer to ensure they got the job done properly.
Photos of the doctor could then be sent to media outlets who were covering stories about their patients’ treatments. In most cases, newspapers and magazines were unlikely to send a photographer to take a picture of the doctor.
Mr Bustin (right) said investing in communications was a small outlay compared to the value of publicity it could generate: ‘A piece in Independent Practitioner Today, The Sun or The Telegraph could be worth thousands to a practice.’
Talking to the conference earlier, he warned that doctors would not like to hear it but the lay media was far more interested in their patients than them.
Journalists wanted stories about their readers, what had happened to them and pictures of them.
He said there were very few consumer-friendly photos they could use that depicted medical travel and there was a reluctance to publish detailed pictures of operations.
So doctors wanting to promote a pioneering technique or treatment in the media would do best to think about the human interest angle and use case studies, because people were much more likely to react to what patients said about their experience.
They should also be prepared to find that the resulting press features carried another view, perhaps from one of their competitors.
Former BBC journalist Mr Bustin, who is now chief executive at Medical Media Training, said he received a lot of press releases saying ‘this is the best technique’.
But he advised doctors and clinics who were claiming this sort of thing to make sure it really was. They needed to be able to prove it and show it was safe.
Journalists would ask for data and before-and-after photographs, particularly in the cosmetic sector. So it was worth having a contract with patients who would be willing to take part in media work. Case studies could be used to highlight the great experience people had and their excellent results.
Mr Bustin highlighted what he saw as the difference between advertising and editorial: ‘An advert says “Hey, look at me; I’m great!” Editorial says “Hey, don’t these people look great!’’
He told the audience it was the industry’s job to try and change negative reporting and put a positive spin on things. They should try and connect with journalists; for example, through Twitter. ‘If you have a good story, tell the world. The media appetite is there.’