Making health stories land: What journalists actually look for

For communicators, that creates both a challenge and an opportunity: cut-through is more difficult to achieve, but the potential to reach highly engaged audiences across multiple formats has never been greater.

The stories that land are rarely just about data. Numbers matter because they provide proof, credibility and scale. But data on its own does not make people care.

What gives a healthcare story real traction is the human meaning behind it: the patient waiting for access, the clinician seeing the difference a treatment makes, the family living with uncertainty, or the innovator trying to solve a pressing unmet need. When evidence is paired with emotion, stories do more than inform, they connect.

That is especially true in health, where the stakes are deeply personal and the best journalism often combines hard facts with lived experience. The most effective stories prove and move at the same time: they are relevant, credible, timely and rooted in real life.

If you want your story to cut through, shape the debate and leave a lasting impression, you need more than a strong announcement. You need a story people can feel, understand and remember.

So what does this look like in practice? At our recent panel event, senior health journalists from the BBC, Daily Mail and Times shared firsthand insight into the stories that win attention, build trust and ultimately make an impact. Find the five things that stood out to me below.

If there’s no human story, there’s probably no story

A strong case study, is often the difference between coverage and silence. If they can’t see the human impact, it’s very hard to make it land.

Often, we’re working with very unwell patients where interviews aren’t possible. So, if a patient isn’t able to take part, think more broadly – carers, family, doctors, or a cool scientist can often tell equally powerful stories.

And bring it to life visually, this isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s essential. Wedding photos, family moments and real-life context, are the details that make a story tangible.

Relationships still matter (a lot)

Despite the volume of emails and the pace of the news cycle, this isn’t a transactional process. Journalists rely on trusted contacts (and we all breathed a sigh of relief when good PRs were nodded to for their role in supporting journalists, not just pestering them!).

They value honesty. And they’re far more likely to engage if they know you understand what they’re trying to do. That includes being upfront about constraints. In pharma especially, compliance can shape what can and can’t be said but journalists understand that. Being honest about it builds far more trust than trying to work around it.

That also means being realistic: their deadlines aren’t yours, and not every story will land. But strong relationships make better conversations and better outcomes (and the odd favour).

Think about the audience, not just the story

A recurring theme was relevance. Journalists are constantly asking: would my readers care about this?

That might mean connecting to something relatable (waiting times, access to care), or making complex topics feel more immediate and understandable. What makes someone go, “that means something to me!”?

In a crowded news environment and with growing post-Covid “health fatigue”, stories that feel distant or overly technical are easy to overlook. And, endless untailored pitch emails, are only going to lead us to the never-to-be-read folder of doom.

Make their lives easier (they’ll thank you for it)

One of the clearest takeaways from the panel was just how stretched journalists are. Teams are smaller, inboxes are fuller, and competition for space, especially in health, is tougher than ever.

So, the easier you make it, the better. Your email is being scanned quickly, alongside dozens of others. So, the question for comms teams should be: how can we make this easier to run?

A few simple ways to do that:

• Lead with why it matters: One line – what it is, why it matters, and why now.
• Show what’s ready: Have case studies and images ready and attach them.
• Help them sell it in: Think about the headline, does it feel fresh to an editor?
• Pick up the phone: If something adds colour but can’t go in writing, call.
• Share momentum: If others are interested, tell them.

This isn’t about placing stories, it’s about making their jobs easier and that’s what builds relationships that last.

Tailoring isn’t optional anymore

The idea of pitching one story in one way is long gone. Stories need to work across print, digital, broadcast and radio – a BBC story needs to work across 20 outlets, not just the red sofa, but online, breakfast, BBC Scotland and beyond.

That means thinking ahead: can this be visualised? Can it be explained simply? Does it hold up across formats? The story might stay the same, but the framing shouldn’t.

AI inevitably came up in our conversations and while it’s a hot topic, the reality is more measured. It’s being used but cautiously.

Tools are helping summarise complex reports and data but journalists are still checking, verifying and applying judgement. The fundamentals haven’t changed: accuracy, credibility and strong storytelling still matter. If anything, that makes human-led storytelling even more important.

None of this is new but it’s a useful reminder to keep reassessing what works. It’s not about reinventing how we tell health stories. It’s about doing the basics better:

• Start with the human impact
• Make the story visible and relatable
• Build relationships, not just contact lists
• And tailor relentlessly

Because when PRs and journalists work well together, the result isn’t just coverage. It’s stories that inform, resonate and occasionally, even change behaviour. And in healthcare, that’s what really matters.