Broadly speaking, media relations or PR is the process of preparing a story for the media, and then 'selling' the idea to a journalist, in order that they will write or broadcast the story for free, giving your practice lots of nice publicity. People often describe PR as free advertising. It very rarely is. In most cases you're going to have to spend time and money in developing the story in the first place.

Benefits

• Media coverage generated by PR usually carries editorial endorsement at some level. In a brochure, it's obviously the practice describing itself as cutting edge. Much more persuasive to potential clients if the local newspaper describes you as cutting edge. The financial value of editorial endorsement is difficult to quantify, but the PR industry uses a broad indicator of two-and-a-half times what it would have cost you to place an advertisement of the same size as the editorial coverage.
   
• Based on that measure, it is often possible to generate publicity worth many times the cost of the exercise. The author of this section has generated media coverage worth tens of thousands of pounds, armed just with a pen and some paper, and a telephone.

Risks

• PR is not risk-free. Nine times out of ten, you're relying on someone else (a journalist) to tell your story. Sometimes they'll misinterpret it, and the result will be publicity that fails to benefit the practice. You may even generate a negative story. But don't let this put you off - it is very rare, especially in the veterinary profession, and the chances can be minimised with careful planning.

Secure media coverage with a good story 
At the heart of all successful PR is a good story. Forget anything else. This is where you start. What makes a good story? Well, that's harder to define. The best thing to do is to imagine that you are a journalist for the newspaper you're targeting. Now, what are you going to write about that will interest your readers? There are three types of story that, as a journalist, you are going to hear about:

• Interesting and relevant. "New Veterinary Practice Opened By Tap Dancing Dog."
   
• Dull but relevant - "Veterinary Practice Opens New Branch". Sure, you're excited about it, but don't expect the journalist to feel the same. If sent to a local paper, at least the story is relevant to their readers, and there is a sporting chance that it will be published.
   
• Dull and irrelevant - "Veterinary Practice Opens New Branch" (sent to a journalist on Knitting Monthly magazine). Clearly the readership of Knitting Monthly will have only a limited interest.

It doesn't matter what message you are trying to get across, always try and present it in an interesting and relevant package. OK, so it may be a bit tough finding a tap-dancing dog for your launch ceremony, but what else can you do to make the story more involving? Can you get a local celeb to attend? Could you hold the launch in a nearby park, and invite all local pet owners? Perhaps with a M.A.S.H style medic tent.

Life in veterinary practice offers a rich vein of media opportunities for ongoing publicity about the practice. You should always be on the lookout for remarkable stories about the animals you treat. Does one of your clients have "the biggest", "the smallest", "the most destructive" animal? Superlatives sell stories. Be on the lookout for patients that make truly remarkable recoveries, especially from extraordinary conditions. The spaniel that swallowed a spanner, for instance. If you have rescued an animal from cruelty, and it is appropriate (i.e. it wasn't at the hands of a client), think about telling the press. It could generate fantastic coverage for the practice, and, as importantly, it might send an important welfare message to the wider world. For example, you find record numbers of fleas on an abandoned pet. Count them. There's your story. And with it a strong message that your practice is the ideal place to deal with that problem.

Writing a good press release
Having decided on your story, you need to present it to the media in the form of a press release. Remember that even local newspapers get lots of press releases every day, so make yours stand out from the crowd.

There are some basic rules to follow when writing a press release:

• Journalists are busy. Try and keep your story to one side of A4.
   
• Present it in a tidy format. Standard fonts (such as Arial) only. Start with an attention-grabbing headline in bold capitals. Underneath, format your main body text in line and a half spacing. It's easier to read.
   
• Make sure your contact details are immediately obvious (and, incidentally, BE THERE when you say you will be).
   
• Be accurate. Journalists are a sceptical bunch. A little dramatisation in the name of a good story is one thing. Stretch the truth, and you're asking for trouble.
   
• Make your message integral to the story. For instance, it is easy enough for a newspaper to write about a tap dancing dog with absolutely no reference to your practice. So when they come to take a picture, have the dog give a performance on the operating table, and make sure your practice logo is highly visible in the background.
   
• Check your spelling and punctuation. Journalists hate receiving press releases littered with grammatical errors.
   
• Try and supply professional photography, or a photo opportunity for the publication you are targetting. Stories with pictures, especially of people and / or their pets, always have a better chance of being published.

Targeting the right journalists 
If you're aiming for coverage in local publications, first identify which are the best. Then ring them and find out who you should send your press release to. Longer term, you want to be building a relationship with that person. Don't be put off if, when asked, they tell you to send it to the newsroom. Try asking: "who in the newsroom?"

Find out if there are any news agencies in the area. If there are, and they think your story merits national coverage (tap dancing dog), you could find yourself on the front pages with very little extra work.

Say thank you! 
If the local paper runs your story, giving the practice favourable publicity, don't forget to ring the journalist and say thanks. Not many people do, and you'll be remembered for it.