By William C. Weidler

How can you improve the image of chiropractic in general and your practice in particular? How can you let the public (potential patients) know the good things you are doing without expensive advertising?

You can take advantage of many opportunities to promote your practice through good news/press/media releases. Perhaps you’ve tried that before and were disappointed because your message was either terribly edited or eliminated altogether. Well, here are some rules and guidelines to improve your chances that the media will use your message.

First of all, in most major cities an editor receives as many as 500 news releases each day. There is no way the editor can use all of this information. The cost of paper and space is just too expensive. So you will have to make it easy for the editor to choose yours. Your news release should have all the main elements of any good story, (who, what, where, when, how and sometimes why).

With this in mind, your first sentence or paragraph is most important. You need a good “lead.” This can be achieved by writing your story in what is called an “inverted pyramid” style — that is, putting the most important information at the top. Remember: A news releases is not an advertisement. And if the editor views your information as such, it will probably not be used.

Now let’s discuss the mechanics of a good news release.

Unless your practice is in the middle of a primitive village, without any modern conveniences, your news release must be typed and double spaced. Remember, it is competing with 500 other news releases. It has to be easy to read. The double spacing also is for editing.

Always use 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Indent all paragraphs and only write on one side of the paper. Provide generous margins and borders, again for editing purposes.

Be certain to indicate the name, address and phone number of the person issuing the release. The editor may just want to contact you for clarification or additional information. Your news release should include a headline or caption (example: “Chiropractic Associates Announces Clinic Expansion”).

Always include a release date. Let the editor know if this is for immediate release (to be used right away) or if it has an embargoed release date (to be used at a later date) and indicate that date. Your dateline should include a place or origin and time of origin.

If you use more than one page, you should show “more” at the bottom of the first page, if there is a second page. “Add 1” should be indicated on the second page. All pages should be numbered. Paragraphs should not be broken between pages. Don’t be afraid to leave the extra space at the bottom of the first page and begin your new paragraph on the second page.

A standard closing paragraph should be used at the end of your news release. This can include such things as the name of your practice, location, size, years of service, employing X number of people, etc. This is used to establish identity and avoid confusion with another similarly named organization. It also adds local interest if the organization is in the same locale where the release is to be published.

Finally, complete your news release with either of the following end marks, ### or -30-. This is a clear indication to the editor that the article is finished.

Even with these guidelines and mechanics, you may still have refusals by some editors. Some of the more frequent reasons why as editor doesn’t use an item are:

1. The release has limited local interest. The readers of East Podunk could care less about a chiropractor in Timbuktu. Or it may have no reader interest at all, it is a non-news item. You may not agree, but the editor is the final authority and he/she doesn’t work for you.

2. Your story may be poorly written. With 500 other choices the editor doesn’t have time to do an extensive rewrite.

3. Your release might violate newspaper policy, it could be in bad taste (example: “Chiropractor Announces New Clinic at Sunnyside Nudist Camp”).

4. It might be considered as simply a disguised advertisement. Why should an editor give you free what others are paying for?

5. Your material may be obviously faked or there are apparent inaccuracies in the story.

6. The editor may consider this a duplication of an earlier release.

7. And your material may just be stretched too thin.

The content of your news release should answer the following questions:

1. Will the information or news release really interest the intended public?

2. Does the information answer every reasonable question that readers may ask?

3. Is the significance of the information explained in terms the audience will understand?

4. Is it sufficiently newsworthy to survive the stiff competition for public attention?

5. And will the information further the objectives of your organization?

Be sure to include dates, names and facts. Be accurate. Explain any technical terms.

Try to understand the mass media, what it is and how it works. They’re interested in both sides of the story. News media seeks exciting and interesting news. They want honesty. Above all, the editorial department wants to keep the cash register flowing. If they’re doing a good job and increasing circulation, this will increase advertiser potential.

Ultimately, whether you use these guidelines or not, the bottom line is getting your news release published. If it’s published, you have achieved your goal.