Take it From a Former Newspaper Reporter

Over the last few weeks, I hope that my follow bloggers and I have helped to clarify where the supplement industry stands with the mainstream media, as well as identify some new publicity possibilities and threats.

Before we put this topic to bed, there are a few things that I need to stress. The acceptance of the mainstream media is wonderful, but it's not necessarily crucial. The natural products industry makes billions of dollars annually, so it's not as if the next story from Newsweek or The New York Times is going to cause John Gay, Steve Mister, and other association heads to strategize defense plans in a fortified compound.

But the less-than-favorable response from the media is still a pain.

Why is this happening? Here's a former newspaper reporter's take:  Most national newspapers and major magazines (or websites) have one, maybe two, health reporters. These people have to cover everything--flu outbreaks, pharmaceutical recalls, vaccine shortages. So, these men and women aren't going to know the intricacies of the supplement industry, especially the laws that govern it. It's not that they're lazy. The demands of the job make such studying nearly impossible. 

Reporters are limited by several things, primarily space and time. And everyone wants stories with meaty news angles. Positive studies on supplements come across every day, but rare is the study that influences the nation. When some miracle nutracuetical is proven to cure cancer, that'll be news. Until then, the garbage supplements that claim to cure cancer we'll be what the mainstream media writes about. It's an immediate, easily identified threat that readers would be interested in. The newest study on Vitamin D just isn't as pressing.

The solution to breaking through to the mainstream media is simple: reach out to the writers. You can find phone numbers and e-mails for just about any reporter. Just visit the paper's Website, do a Google search; call the magazine or paper's front desk. Reporters love when work is done for them. So send press releases, story ideas, contact information. The worst they'll do is delete your email or voice mail.    

By presenting yourself as an infallible resource, you can show reporters that the industry doesn't consist of short-cut seeking monsters whose only experience with science was senior year chemistry lab. And maybe, just maybe, the next time they write a story, you'll be the expert the reporter calls.