On Air!

Watch NP KC Arnold's diabetes care infomercial.

Nurse practitioner KC Arnold isn't exactly a TV star - yet -but she's been spreading her message about diabetes care on TV newscasts for more than a decade. Her strategy has been to establish herself as a reliable health care expert available to reporters. In return, she receives their help getting out her public service message and maybe some free publicity for her practice, The Diabetes Center, in Ocean Springs, Miss.

Arnold arranged her first TV appearance to promote a health fair by calling up the local TV station and asking. The station had a bit of air time and sent out a reporter, who reviewed the topic with Arnold before her appearance. He then asked her a few questions on air. The bonus came when the weatherman asked her what an NP does, and she had the opportunity to promote her profession, too.

That first interview led to others, and now Arnold appears on the local news two or three times a year. Reporters call her as an expert to comment on healthcare news (such as the recall of the diabetes medication Rezulin in 2000), and she calls them when she thinks she has a good story (such as the Baycol recall in 2001 or her annual diabetes walk).

"If we NPs can got on air as experts," says Arnold, "it can really help our practices." Each time she appears, she hears about her performance from her patients and enrolls new ones.

Below are Arnold's tips for getting on air:

• Ask and keep asking. Local stations often cover human interest and event stories if they have time. Don't be discouraged if they turn down your first story pitch - they might have a full news day.
• Be ready on short notice. Arnold was once called at 7 a.m. to appear on the noon broadcast.
• Be prepared. Know what you want to get across, and practice stating it succinctly. Refer to bullet-point notes.
• Keep on point. Answer off-point questions briefly, and steer the conversation with "But what I really want to talk about today is ."
• Provide contact information. Arnold appears armed with Web site addresses and her practice address and phone number for further information.
• Track your audience. Note which broadcast times seem to work for you. Arnold finds that her patients notice her 6 a.m. appearances more than her noontime interviews.

Arnold's latest press turn is an 8-minute infomercial. In the piece, which ran in her local media market, she talks with a reporter at her practice about diabetes diagnosis and treatment and about how to use an insulin pump.

The production package would normally cost around $700, but Arnold paid $125 for hers as the winning bid at a Humane Society auction. "But it would definitely be worth it for a new practice to pay $700," says Arnold.