‘FREE’, CREDIBLE ADVERTISING FOR PLASTIC SURGEONS

 The vast majority of plastic surgeons have been overlooking the value of media coverage for years.  Whereas paid advertising is accompanied by the stigma of commercializing the sacred ground of medicine, unpaid print articles, and/or television coverage, provides a plastic surgeon ‘third-party credibility’ along with an opportunity for patient education. Consider that this can provide your practice a significant advantage – without cost!

HOW TO PREPARE FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS

Advice and Consent. Advise local newspapers, magazines, journals. radio outlets, television stations and podcasts that you are available to them as a ‘media resource’ for subject matter related to plastic and cosmetic surgery.

Create a Biographical Press Release ‘Teaser’. In addition to providing media with impressive credentials, demonstrate your ability to creatively convey subject matter in an interesting fashion. Pick a topic which reveals your innovative approach to cosmetic surgery, the ability to communicate concisely, and present information in a stimulating manner. Often, it is wise to retain a consultant experienced in media relations to provide you with initial support to help get your media efforts off the ground.

Be available when the media calls – Things move quickly in the news world. Most of the time reporters and producers are working on a deadline. With this in mind, make it easy for the media to reach you by providing your accessible phone number and an email address that gets priority attention.

Know your talking points – In the event that you are interviewed about subject matter within your area of expertise, make certain you’re prepared to be clear about what points you want to make. Without a clear plan, your answers could ramble and you risk creating a negative impression.

Television guests are expected to talk in sound bites—which essentially means that thoughtful answers should be conveyed swiftly. If the producer were to edit out bits of your interview for promotional purposes, they’d want to capture information and ideas in short quotes.

REQUEST YOUR ‘FREE’ MEDIA WHITE PAPER

There is much, much more to know about dealing with the media and obtaining patient education press coverage – which can be attained without cost to your practice. If you are interested in learning more, simply email us at: hmapro@aol.com My staff will provide you a complimentary copy of my new ‘white paper’ on this subject matter.