Top 10 Tips: How to Impress the Biotech Press

Nov 23, 2015

On Thursday November 12th, MassBio hosted Meet the Press with a panel of some of the most influential journalists in healthcare and biotech including:

  • Jessica Bartlett, Health Care Reporter, Boston Business Journal
  • Doni Bloomfield, Biotech Reporter, Bloomberg News
  • Stephanie Simon, Managing Editor of News, STAT
  • Luke Timmerman, Founder & Editor, The Timmerman Report

The reporters shared insider tips to help the audience learn how to get their stories covered.

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We’ve captured the top 10 tips in case you missed the event:

  1. Develop relationships with reporters and be sure to make meetings worth while.
  2. When pitching your story, look over a reporter’s past headlines to learn their style and the topics that interest them most.
  3. Preferred way to receive a pitch? Email!
  4. Press releases aren’t dead, but they are more useful as background so don’t obsess over wording. Write a short summary in your email and explain why this would be a great story.
  5. Originality and timeliness are key elements of a good pitch, and exclusives are ideal.
  6. When possible, connect reporters to the “decision-makers” at your company even if it is off the record.
  7. On drug pricing: It’s not going away so don’t avoid it. Focus on conveying the value of medicine and always be transparent.
  8. Respond to questions promptly and be willing to jump on the phone to explain technical elements.
  9. See an error? Call immediately! The reporter wants to know and is happy to make a correction. (Just remember an error is something that is factually incorrect, not a wording preference.)
  10. Data is valuable. Share it!

Happy pitching! We hope to see your story in the news soon!

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