HOW TO HELP | Get Media Attention
Reporters and their editors pay attention to stories about real people. Local public officials and celebrities will often draw the media to any event. But messages from real women can be just as powerful, if not more so. Readers want to hear from people who have overcome difficult odds or changed a group of people's lives for the better.

For example, if you choose to encourage employer support for early detection and treatment of breast cancer, find a woman who will talk about the difficulties she may have faced at her workplace when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, or find an employer who brings mammography screening to the worksite. Ask the CEO to talk about why it is important to provide this benefit, and talk to employees who have used and appreciate the service.

Tips for Getting the Media's Attention
  • Make a list of all the news reporters in your community. Contact the managing editor or health editor at each of your local newspapers and magazines and the news directors or public affairs directors at each of your local television and radio stations. In each case, be gracious, communicate a clear and succinct message, be prompt in responding to their requests, and keep track of all contacts.
  • If you want the media to attend your NBCAM event, send them a one-page media advisory, several weeks in advance, that briefly describes the "who, what, where, and when." Then send a reminder a few days before with any updates, and follow up with phone calls to encourage their attendance.
  • Print all press materials (media advisories, press release, and public service announcements) on your organization's letterhead.
  • Know your speaker's story before you put her "on air." Ask her every question that a reporter might ask. It will help her get comfortable telling her story, and you'll avoid any surprises that might steer the interview away from your main messages.
  • Use the sample press release and public service announcements (PSAs) to get your message out. Press releases should be sent to the managing editor, health editor, or news directors. PSAs go to public affairs directors at radio and television stations.

Recipes for Breast Cancer Patients! Designed for cancer patients and their families, these easy-to-follow recipes focus on foods best tolerated and those to ease the symptoms during treatment.
May 2008 - Neutropenia
Courtesy of Holly Clegg, co-author of "Eating Well Through Cancer," and NBCAM.
Find NBCAM Events
Near You: Click here for more
information
Find A Cancer Hospital Near You: Click here for more
information
 Find a Mammography Center Near You: Click here for more
information
 Board of Sponsors :
View complete list
 Obtain Free Materials: Click here for more
information
 1,730,122 visitors
to nbcam.org since January 1, 2007