What life sciences journalists want from PR

PR is vital to the life sciences industry, providing a crucial link between scientists and the general public. But often, life sciences companies can fall into the trap of being more interested in the technical nuances of their data or products than the context behind them – which is the part journalists crave. When I worked in life sciences journalism, the vast majority of press releases I received were simple data dumps which didn’t tell a story.

So what do life sciences journalists actually want and what are the key ingredients for PR success?

Think about the wider implications

Data is the core of almost all life sciences media coverage – and journalists in other sectors would love to have the same access to data that life sciences companies can provide. However, most publications cover the industry fairly broadly and will be more interested in stories that affect the whole sector rather than one company’s product-specific data. If journalists wanted to read a scientific paper they could easily do that. What they and their readers want to see is the context around the numbers – what’s come before, and what this means for the future.

Use this to your advantage. If you can provide insights into broader trends at work in the industry, this is likely to be more appealing to journalists and their publications’ readers, and still provides a chance to show off your expertise.

Likewise, journalists are often keen to hear how life sciences stories interact with the wider world their readers live in. Politics is an obvious example; if your product or service can reduce healthcare costs, that will affect more people than just those with the disease in question.

Write for the layperson

Many life sciences journalists aren’t technical experts themselves. Life sciences is an infinitely complex sector, and journalists rely on PR agencies and their clients to help them navigate it. Even if they’ve heard of a company, disease or drug before, it’s no guarantee they’ll immediately understand the significance of new data or a new product breakthrough.

Providing access to your scientific experts for interviews is a good way to help journalists learn more about a story. Likewise, infographics and graphs that you’ve created or accompany a study can be a great visual aid for journalists, as well as an eye-catching hook for their articles.

Where’s the story?

In most publications, a popular story will contain either: a well-known company, news that applies to the wider industry, a prevalent disease area, and/or something novel.

Consider what kind of people are affected by the news, and how much unmet need exists in the area you are discussing. Details like that need to be upfront.

Also consider what the eventual headline of a story will be. A journalist won’t necessarily write: “New cancer drug from [large pharma] demonstrates overall survival of 40.1% in patients aged 18-35.” But they might write: “New cancer drug from [large pharma] first to improve overall survival in 25 years, setting up blockbuster potential.” And while the name of an unknown biotech may not make for a headline, a journalist might write: “New biotech aims to fill gap in sepsis research”. If you can appreciate the parameters of your organisation and provide the foundations of a headline for a journalist, they are far more likely to pick up your story.

It’s also no secret that negative stories do far better with readers than positive stories. Obviously you don’t want to be pitching a negative story about your own business or your competitors, but presenting a problem that your product or service solves can get you the best of both worlds. For example, are clinical trials slow and plagued by inefficiencies? That’s an issue that will affect a majority of readers – but it’s also a problem you may have the solution to.

The ideal pitch

Overall, an ideal pitch for a life sciences journalist should contain as many of the following elements as possible:

• An eye-catching headline
• A high-level explanation of the data/product/insights being presented
• Insights into the context around the story and the problem/solution being discussed
• Offers for interviews with experts who can provide additional information and context
• Visual elements to enhance key elements of the story

Ultimately, life sciences journalists aren’t too different from journalists in any other sector: they want good stories that will engage their readers. Those stories usually aren’t extremely granular – they use data, insights and company updates to inform readers how the industry as a whole is developing. PR’s job is to translate that for journalists to make sure you are a trusted source.

George Underwood has spent 10 years in life sciences journalism and PR, having previously worked as an editor at Pharma Times and Pharmaphorum. He is now a Senior Account Manager at Spark Communications.