Ways to Celebrate NRTW^®

A great way to generate interest and publicize your NRTW® activities is to contact members of the media. The more interest and excitement you can build about the event, the more opportunities you’ll have to increase public awareness about the radiologic technology profession.

Send a News Release

Connect with members of the media by sending them a news release. A news release is a document that includes an interesting headline, contact information, details about your event or initiative and information about your local affiliate.

We created a news release template to help members promote NRTW® activities. Simply insert your information and start reaching out to the media in your area.

Download News Release Template

You can send a news release to members of the media via email. You can usually find their contact information on news outlet websites. Here are some tips to help improve your odds of getting media coverage.

• Know your contact. Identify journalists who cover health care and community news for the news outlets you’re targeting. Read or watch their past reports to get a feel for which topics they tend to cover. You can often find this information in the “Contact Us” section of news outlet websites.
• Plan ahead. Don’t send the release the day before an event and expect to receive coverage. Allow enough time for the publication to decide how it wants to cover the story.
• Research deadlines. Make sure you know when you must have information submitted to a publication for it to be included in a news report.
• Keep it short. Reporters and editors are notoriously busy. Keep your communication – whether it’s by phone or email – as brief and to the point as possible.
• Provide visuals. Let journalists know if you have professional-quality photos or a spokesperson who is willing to go on camera. They will be more likely to cover something if it has visual appeal.
• Edit your work. Journalists value correct spelling and grammar, so make sure you double-check yours.
• Include a “pitch.” You will be more successful if you explain why the information you’re providing is relevant to the media and their audiences. Include this explanation in your email when you send your news release.
• Make the call. Take the time to pick up the phone and tell reporters why your information would make a good story, and ask them to cover it. Calling in addition to sending a news release can help improve your odds of getting media coverage.
• Consider alternatives. There are many ways to get a reporter’s attention. Consider sending fact sheets, inviting a reporter to attend an event or adding event information to a news outlet community calendar.

Connect with Reporters through Social Media

Reporters use social media daily to share news, conduct research and engage with the community. They also often look for news and story ideas, so it’s appropriate to talk to them about NRT W® on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Here are some tips to help improve your odds of connecting with reporters through social media:

• Be authentic. Social media is all about building reciprocal relationships, so be yourself. Show that you understand and find value in whichever platform you choose to use. However, if you don’t use a certain platform, like Twitter, for example, don’t create an account just to try to reach reporters.
• Develop a relationship. Plan ahead and spend time developing relationships with reporters in your area. Share their stories with your own network and comment on articles they write. The more interest you show in their work, the more likely they are to return the favor.
• Be patient. Give reporters time to respond to your inquiries. It’s possible they’re being inundated with tweets and posts and need time to respond. Follow up one or two more times if you don’t receive a response the first time.
• Don’t spam. If you don’t hear from a reporter after you’ve reached out three times, assume they’re not interested.