How healthcare companies can secure impactful broadcast media coverage
In this blog, Matt Thompson, Director at healthcare PR agency, Evergreen PR, shares insights into our approach to pitching stories to broadcast media - one of the UK’s most trusted and influential news sources. From understanding the audience to crafting compelling pitches, this post outlines how we help clients to achieve impactful TV and radio coverage that drives measurable outcomes (and maybe even make your mum proud when she sees you on TV!)
The power of broadcast media
Over the last two decades, we’ve seen a shift in how people consume their news, with more and more people, particularly younger demographics, turning to online platforms and social media for their information.
But be in no doubt, while the power of traditional broadcast media (TV and radio) may have diminished slightly due to the proliferation of other news sources, it remains a trusted and influential source of information for millions of Brits, especially those aged 45 and over.
Key findings from recent Ofcom and Reuters reports underline this:
70% of people report getting news from TV, with broadcast media being particularly popular and well trusted among the over 45. (Ofcom News Consumption UK 2024)
The BBC is by far the most popular source of news in the UK, with its TV and radio coverage reaching 48% of the population weekly, it is also rated the most trusted for accurate UK news. (Reuters - Digital News Report 2024)
Radio coverage reaches nearly 50 million people aged 15+ weekly, with an average listening time of 20.5 hours per week – marking a 20 year high in both reach and listening time. (Ofcom Media Nations 2024)
In the UK, traditional broadcast media brands are still the most engaged with news sources on leading social platforms, according to Reuters. (Rise of alternative voices on social media - Reuters 2024)
We helped The Sleep Charity secure a 12 minute long prime spot on BBC Breakfast by creating a story that was newsworthy, interesting, and relevant to the programme. Read the full ‘Dreaming of Change’ campaign case study here. .
Making broadcast happen
Because of the influence and power it carries, securing coverage via traditional media broadcast outlets is incredibly challenging. The biggest programmes, such as BBC Breakfast, receive several hundreds of story pitches each day - yet they will only run a tiny fraction of these. It’s tough to secure coverage – but not impossible.
At Evergreen, when we kick off our Most Effective Route To Outcomes (MERTO) planning process with clients, we start with a simple but powerful principle: to achieve specific outcomes, you need to get specific people to take specific actions.
Essential to achieving this is identifying the potential barriers to action among your decision makers and understanding what will drive these individuals to take the desired action.
When thinking about broadcast media, we apply this principle to crafting messaging. This involves removing barriers and encouraging action. In this case, we want to encourage actions from journalists and producers, and to achieve this we need to:
Win their attention - Get your call answered and emails opened
Build your authority - Be seen as credible and trusted
Create enthusiasm - Demonstrate that your story is truly newsworthy
Drive action - Make it as simple and easy as possible for them to produce a broadcast package
By winning attention, building authority, creating enthusiasm and driving action, we can maximise the chances of securing broadcast coverage.
Below, we’ve outlined five key steps to include in any successful broadcast media engagement strategy.
Step 1: Know your audience (understanding their barriers and drivers to actions)
Before pitching, research the programme, host, and their audience thoroughly. Ask yourself:
What types of stories do they typically feature?
What’s their tone and style?
When are their deadlines, and what formats do they prefer?
Understanding these details will enable you to craft a pitch that is timely, relevant, and tailored to their specific needs.
Step 2: Ensure your story really is newsworthy
Your story must stand out to make journalists WANT to cover it (motivation barrier).
This requires:
A clear and compelling news hook (to ‘win attention’): Is your story genuinely new, exciting, shocking or interesting? No matter how well you research your audience or how strong your journalist relationships are, if you pitch a weak, unnewsworthy story, you won’t secure coverage.
Data, insights, and expert voices to support your narrative (to ‘build authority’): Demonstrating that your story is not only interesting but credible, by referencing strong data, insights, and subject experts, is a vital element of winning attention and building authority.
Clear relevance to the outlet’s audience.
Step 3: Develop a news package that’s specifically tailored to meet their needs (capability barrier)
Offering a genuinely newsworthy story might win attention but it’s rarely isn’t enough on its own – broadcast journalists receive dozens of these already. To convert their interest and drive them to act, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to tell your story. That means providing them with a news package that’s tailored to meet their needs. Broadcast media depends on strong visuals and audio to bring stories to life, so it's essential to supply high-quality, relevant materials that support your pitch.
For TV, I would always recommend offering:
Video and B-Roll
Photos and graphics that help to bring the story to life
Relevant and diverse spokespeople to tell the story – ensuring they’re available for pre-recorded and live interviews
For radio, I would always recommend offering:
Pre-recorded sound bites from key spokespeople to help tell the story (the Voice Memo app is useful for this)
A relevant and diverse range of spokespeople to bring the story to life – ensuring they’re available for pre-recorded and live interviews
Make sure anything you share with them is easy to access, download or use.
We helped NHS England, the Royal College of GPs and Office For Veterans’ Affairs improve veteran healthcare through extensive broadcast coverage, including this 9-minute segment on BBC Morning Live
Step 4: Pitch clearly and concisely (Win attention, drive action)
Unlike their online and print media counterparts, broadcast media journalists are often more receptive to receiving pitches via a quick call. With this in mind, I recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to call them with a well-thought-out ten second pitch to introduce your story. They receive hundreds of email pitches every day and won’t open many of these - and broadcast journalists often move around between programmes, too. Calling is an effective way to ensure your story is firmly on their radar and to get immediate feedback on their interest and requirements. Just make sure you avoid calling at a bad time, such as when they’re likely on deadline or even reading a news bulletin!
After making the call and (hopefully) receiving an enthusiastic response, the next step is to share your news package with them via email. Broadcast journalists, like all journalists, are time-pressed, so clarity is key:
Start with a compelling subject line - Ideally no more than 10 words to convey the story and encourage them to open it
Tailor your pitch to the journalist and outlet - Reference any recent outputs from the journalist that connect to your story
Include a brief introduction and outline the story opportunity - Cover the basics: who, what, where, when and why
Embed the news story in the email - Include any hero imagery or video to immediately capture interest, but avoid large files
Provide links for easy access - Make it simple for busy journalists to access all elements of the package, from imagery to pre-recorded soundbites and case studies
If you can combine all of these elements, you will win attention and drive action by earning and keeping the busy journalist’s attention and making it straightforward for them to take the story forward.
Remember though, even the best pitches can sometimes be missed by busy journalists so don’t be afraid to follow-up. In the first instance, I’d recommend doing so via email. But don’t just email asking if they’ve seen your story; with any follow-up, always look to add additional value by providing extra information or materials that support the story and make it easy for the journalist or producer to run with it.
Step 5: Build trust and authority
Relationships really matter in broadcast media. Trust is built over time through providing relevant stories, being responsive and delivering on promises. For example, our team’s ability to consistently meet journalists’ needs has been a cornerstone of securing repeat coverage. Make sure you always follow through on any commitments made in your pitch. You’d be surprised at how many comms professionals don’t - damaging relationships and most likely jeopardising their chances of securing much sought after coverage for their client.
What are the common pitfalls?
Some of the most common pitfalls associated with broadcast media relationships include:
Sending un-targeted pitches
Failing to consider production schedules and lead times
Overloading pitches with too much detail
Neglecting to follow up or failing to deliver promised assets
Underestimating the value of strong, prepared spokespeople
Final thoughts
Broadcast media remains a vital consideration for any PR strategy. At Evergreen, we combine rigorous research, strategic storytelling, and trusted relationships to help our clients achieve impactful results on TV and radio that support them to achieve their goals - while also thinking about the full user journey so that people who see the item on TV know where to go and what to do next.
Whether it’s creating a strong news package accompanied by the perfect pitch, or training spokespeople to ensure they’re confident and able to deliver an on-message interview, our expertise ensures that your story gets the attention it deserves.
Want to make your organisation’s voice heard on broadcast media? Get in touch to find out how we can help.
About the author
Matt Thompson is Director of Evergreen PR, the healthcare PR agency that makes health happen.
He has 20 years of experience in PR and communications and has led PR and media relations at several major household name brands. At Evergreen, he has worked with a wide array of high-level clients, leading the delivery of some of our most successful campaigns.
He is a Strategic practitioner with significant expertise in campaign execution, particularly high-level media relations. He is especially experienced in media interviewing, having conducted hundreds of interviews and delivers regular media training for our clients.
Find out more about Evergreen PR:about us,our services,our work.