PUBLIC RELATIONS | Gaining Media Coverage from Partnerships and Special Events

By Vicki Bendure

This article is a part of the May/June 2019, Volume 31, Number 3,  Audiology Today issue.

Not everyone has a newsworthy story, and even some events don’t even have enough depth to interest media. Think through community partnerships and outreach that will generate visibility, give back to your community, and interest media.

Strategically, it’s important that the partnership and event you create generates visibility that also promotes your business. For instance, if you do not treat children, it would be a miss to hold an event that provides hearing testing for children.

When you don’t have a good story to pitch, you can create something. Holding an afternoon of free hearing screenings and inviting media to participate, will provide an opportunity for them to see and report on the process. You can hold the event at your practice location or another location within the community.

Location and Audience

Partner with a school, library, church, synagogue, health facility, day care, veterans center, senior center, or other location/organization where hearing testing would be a valuable and welcome service. If you want to hold a large event but don’t have the resources, partner with other area audiologists. If there are audiologists in your area with different areas of expertise, it makes sense to work together and create a larger event.

To best determine what type of event to create, assess the needs and demographics of your community and your customer base to determine the best demographic for the event. For instance, if you work mostly with seniors, look to do something at a community senior center. If many of your patients are veterans, look at holding a free hearing screening at a veterans center. If your customer base is diverse, hold a community hearing screening at your local library or health care facility.