MEDIA GUIDE

Tips for a Successful Interview

Know your talking points

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is continuous high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery leading to the lungs which results in an enlarged heart which can lose its ability to pump.

PH is:

• Misunderstood
  The severity of PH is not widely recognized by insurance companies, employers or others who associate PH with the more common systemic high blood pressure instead of a distinct grave illness.
• Misdiagnosed & Under-diagnosed
  PH is often misdiagnosed as asthma, congestive heart disease or chronic bronchitis. PH patients visit an average of three doctors before being diagnosed.
• Costly
  PH is expensive to treat. Many treatments cost over $100,000 each year
• Life-altering
  PH affects people in the prime of their lives. The typical PH patient profile is a woman of childbearing age, though the illness affects people of any gender or age.
• Chronic
  An estimated 50% of patients survive five years from diagnosis. There is no known cure for PH, but new research and treatments are increasing longevity and hope.

Be concise when answering questions

Provide “soundbites,” which are targeted statements that get to the heart of the issue. Reporters often use them as quotes in their stories. You can create sound bites with just a few words, such as:

• “It’s a life-threatening type of high blood pressure that no one knows about.”
• “My insurance bills are so high – I can’t believe this is America!”
• “My doctor said it was asthma, but I didn’t feel better.”
• “I have to wear a pump going into my heart all day and all night.”
• “No one can see how sick I really am.”
• “After leading an active, vibrant lifestyle, I suddenly found myself immobilized!”

If giving a TV interview, look at the reporter, not at the camera

Share the ways in which PH has affected your life

If you’re comfortable discussing your experience during the diagnostic process, the financial impact of PH, your prognosis or the ways in which PH affects your daily life, share this information. It will help reporters and audiences understand what it means to live with PH.

Relax

Speak at a normal pace and avoid fidgeting.

Dress for success

Solid fabrics come across better than prints on camera. Avoid white clothing or flashy jewelry that might reflect light into the camera.

Have fun!

This is your moment and you are the expert on PH!

 

Contact Elisabeth to order press kits and for help preparing your media outreach. Contact PHAware@PHAssociation.org or 301-565-3004 x753.