Hi!

In our latest press panel, we took on the topic of ASCO and how to stand out in congested, high-science news moments.

Moderated by T2B Media Minds Roundtable members Michael Fitzhugh and ​Becky Vonsiatsky – who did a fantastic job, scoring a perfect 100% on audience feedback – this session featured personal insights and anecdotes from ​Brianna Abbott (WSJ), ​Angus Chen (STAT), and ​Alex Knapp (Forbes).

Our top 10 takeaways

1. Filter through the press program. The ASCO press program guides reporters and their coverage, so use this as a plan for considering how your experts can weigh in on related topics.
2. Spotlight genuine scientific novelty. Highlight true outliers that break established patterns. Brianna, Angus, and Alex collectively said they get fatigued with repetitive storylines.
3. Include specific data in pitches. Share actual numbers and topline results directly in your email (under embargo if necessary), rather than just mentioning "interesting data."
4. Humanize executive interviews. All of our panelists agreed that they prefer sources who speak naturally and authentically rather than sounding polished or sticking to press release talking points. (This is something we keep hearing in our press panels, so unfortunately, it must be more common than one might think!)
5. Showcase candor about limitations. Differentiate spokespeople by encouraging transparent discussion of unknowns and challenges. Brianna, Angus, and Alex all expressed an appreciation for this increasingly rare quality!
6. Position executives as industry observers. Prepare your spokespeople to discuss sector-wide trends and competitive approaches, rather than focusing exclusively on their pipeline to increase their source value.
7. Recognize policy's growing impact. Connect scientific advances to broader political contexts, as federal funding shifts and regulatory changes have become essential elements in healthcare reporting.
8. Play the long game with reporters. Value your media connections beyond the opportunity for immediate coverage – story ideas often take months to come to fruition, with features sometimes emerging from backgrounders conducted years prior.
9. Optimize email subject lines. It might sound basic, but do ensure that you include "ASCO" in subject lines to ensure visibility when journalists search their crowded inboxes.
10. Request meetings well in advance. Send meeting invitations at least two weeks before conferences (but not too early, either!), as reporters typically have schedules filled days before events begin.

My reflections

This was the first T2B press panel where I haven't been working behind the scenes, which meant I was able to actively listen and take in all of the fascinating perspectives. For me, it was really difficult to narrow down my personal top insights, but these were certainly on the list:

• Media reporting trends are shifting toward big-picture, pattern-spotting stories across health and life sciences (Brianna).
• There's often too much focus on simply providing ‘soundbites;’ go into an interview with the goal of shaping the national conversation (Angus).
• Journalists are experimenting with AI tools like NotebookLM (at AACR) to dig into abstracts and track new modalities (Alex).

Remember, T2B Pro and Student members can watch this panel conversation via their login on the T2B website:

​Oncology Reporting and ASCO Coverage Replay​

And, if you'll be on the ground in Chicago ...

Don't forget to RSVP for our first T2Bmeet @ ASCO, hosted by AbbVie, with support from Weber Shandwick!

🗓️ Monday, June 2, 2025

🕟 4:30-7 p.m. CT, come and go

📍Pizano's Pizza & Pasta, 2106 S Indiana Ave, Chicago, IL 60616 (10-minute walk from McCormick)

🎟️ Register here. ​T2B Pro/Student members: Log into your account, and get your promo code.

Hope to see many of you there!

Lynnea

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​P.S.: T2B Pro and Student members can revisit this content (plus loads of other exclusive webinars, resources, and online events) at any time by accessing the T2B content archive.

​Become a T2B Pro member.

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