WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

Getting good publicity for your health initiative is crucial – it can help to promote men’s health and increase the profile and credibility of your organisation.

Following these tips will help you generate the publicity you need:

	Plan your project (and your publicity strategy) well in advance.
	If your organisation has press/PR staff, liaise with the relevant person – don’t go it alone.
	Compile a list of all the local/regional media in which you hope to get your story covered (remember local radio, television and websites too – don’t focus just on newspapers). Wherever possible, identify journalists by name (e.g. whoever covers health stories).
	Decide whether you want publicity before and/or after the event. If you want pre-publicity, perhaps as a way of advertising an event to attract people to attend, many local papers will provide this in the form of short news items. You may also want to consider direct advertising in a local paper.
	Send out your press release about two weeks before the event. Remember – it must include the ‘5 Ws’ – Where, Who, What, Why and When. (See below for an example of a model press release.)
	Make sure the release includes a contact name for journalists. Include a phone number and, if possible, a mobile number and e-mail address.
	Decide on your embargo, i.e. the date and time before which you don’t want your story to appear in the media. If you want your story to be covered on the day of your event, you may well decide to embargo it ‘00.01’ for that day. (In other words, the story can’t be covered before one minute past midnight on that day.)
	Mention National Men’s Health Week in your release. You may well get more coverage if journalists know that your event is part of a bigger, national story.
	The press release should be sent out by post - and email and fax too if possible. Journalists get hundreds of press releases every week and can easily overlook potentially good stories. The more likely they are to see the release the better your chance of getting coverage.
	A week or so before the event, get on the phone to all the journalists on your list, starting with the most important. Although they are invariably busy, journalists expect people with good stories to phone them so don’t feel shy about doing this. Be upbeat too – even if you’re worried that no one will turn up to your event, exude confidence. If you don’t think you have a good story, neither will a journalist.
	If you are inviting journalists to an event, think about how you will manage them in advance. Some men considering a health check, for example, may well be put off if they turn up and see 15 journalists and five TV cameras. You could consider inviting the media to attend your event at one specific time, perhaps before your event is open to the public, and arranging for men who are willing to talk to the media to be present. Remember – it’s very important for the media to be able to talk to ‘case studies’ (i.e. ‘real people’), not just the experts. You should also prepare written quotes from your case studies in the press release or in additional information made available on the day of the event.
	Get the support of local celebrities or dignitaries, if possible. The media are more likely to cover a story if it includes an interview with Wayne Rooney or Robbie Williams! Your local MP may attend, for example, especially if given enough notice. If you can’t get a VIP to turn up, try and get a written statement of support which you can quote in your press release.
	Take photographs of the event. These may be useful for some media but also for your own records (they will look impressive in your annual report). If you produce digital photographs which can be e-mailed, so much the better.
	Make sure someone is available to deal with media enquiries, especially on the day of your event. If you’re all seeing patients all day, for example, you might well miss some media opportunities.
	After the event, contact key journalists by phone, email or fax with some key facts demonstrating the success of your event – e.g. ‘we saw 30 men, 10 of whom were obese and didn’t know it’.
	Monitor the media to keep a record of the coverage you achieved. This is especially important for funders who like to see this sort of evidence of a return on their investment. Please send copies of your cuttings (and photos) to the Men’s Health Forum too – this will enable us to assess the overall impact of the Week.

Model press release

PRESS RELEASE

Media contact: xxxxx xxxxx, tel: xxxx xxxx; mobile: xxxxx xxxxx; email: xxxxx@xxxxxx.

Embargo: 00.01, Monday 13^th June 2005.

Mr Local Celebrity joins Newtown Health Centre to launch new men’s health checks in shopping centre

Newtown Health Centre launches a major new health initiative for men today (13^th June) as part of National Men’s Health Week. Doctors and nurses from the Centre have set up a men’s MOT check in the Enterprise shopping centre, offering men free information and advice on how to achieve a healthy weight. Men will be able to get weighed and blood pressure and cholesterol checks will also be available.

The Centre is offering this service to encourage men in Newtown to take better care of their health and to make more use of health services. The Centre believes that more must be done to improve men’s health since too many men die prematurely, often because of problems linked to being overweight. Men are often also reluctant to visit their doctor until health problems have become serious and harder to treat.

The Centre’s first visitor was Mr Local Celebrity. He said: ‘We all know men don’t look after their health as well as they could and I have to admit I’m no exception. Until today, I had no idea about whether my weight could be affecting my health. I’ve found it very useful to get myself checked out and I’d advise other Newtown men to do the same, especially if it’s been a long time since they last saw the doctor. You never know – a quick check-up could result in a longer life.’

Mr X, 67, a retired Newtown storeman, said after his MOT at the Enterprise shopping centre: ‘My wife has been nagging me to go to the doctor for years but I’ve never bothered. But I’m pleased I’ve had an MOT today because the nurse found that I’m slightly overweight and that I must take more care about what I eat and make sure I take some regular exercise, like walking.’

Newtown Health Centre’s Director, Dr. Z said: ‘Because men are often reluctant to visit a doctor we’ve decided to take this new service to them. It’s in the centre of town, it’s free, it’s quick and it’s completely confidential. We hope men will use it to find out just how good their health really is or to ask about any problems or worries they might have, especially about their weight.’

Newtown Health Centre’s initiative is one of hundreds taking place throughout the country during National Men’s Health Week. The Week is organised by the Men’s Health Forum, a charity that promotes men’s health, and is backed by a wide range of other health organisations and charities.

Notes to editors

1. The MOT checks at the Enterprise shopping centre will be launched at a special press event at the Enterprise at 10am on Monday 13^th June. Mr Local Celebrity will be present as well as Mr X and other men who are willing to be interviewed about why they have decided to have a health check.

2. The MOT health checks are available to the public at the Enterprise shopping centre from 11am-6pm on 13^th June, from 11am to 8pm on 15^th June and from 9am – 6pm on 17^th June. Men can just turn up – no appointments are necessary – and the service is completely free and confidential.

3. The Newtown Health Centre is [describe the service].

4. The Men’s Health Forum, the organisation leading National Men’s Health Week, can be contacted on 020 7388 4449.

5. National Men’s Health Week runs from 13-19^th June. It aims to raise the profile of men’s health, encourage men’s health initiatives and increase men’s awareness of their own health. This year, the main focus is men and weight.

6. In 2001, according to official statistics, the proportion of men in England classified as overweight (BMI 25-30) was 47% and the proportion who were obese (BMI 30+) was 21%. By 2013, 78% of men are expected to have a BMI of 25+.

7. Men wanting health information can visit the Men’s Health Forum Scotland's website, www.mhfs.org.uk

This CD Resource was produced with support from Scottish Slimmers.