A medical practice can plan one or two feature stories a year around moments patients already think about, such as an awareness month or the start of school. Pick a date, choose a practical topic, let a clinician speak in plain words, and send the story for approval well before the date.
Want to know whether your story would run? Todd Simon, National PR Director, will tell you on a strategy call.
Book a call with ToddHealth stories suit the calendar. People think about checkups in January, about their kids in August and about screenings during awareness months. A story that arrives at the right moment answers a question the reader already has, so it feels like a service and not an advertisement.
2027 dates and story angles
| Moment | When in 2027 | Story angle | Approve the story by |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | January 1 (Friday) | A fresh-start story about small, realistic habits to talk over with a clinician, such as booking overdue checkups and writing down questions. | December 2, 2026 |
| Cervical Health Awareness Month | January (all month) | A plain guide to what a screening visit involves and what to ask your clinician beforehand, written to put nervous readers at ease. | December 2, 2026 |
| National Nutrition Month | March (all month) | A clinician or dietitian shares everyday meal habits and what to ask at a visit about eating that fits your own health needs. | January 30, 2027 |
| Daylight saving time begins | March 14 (second Sunday of March, under federal law) | A practical piece on adjusting sleep routines when the clocks change, with a reminder to ask your clinician about lasting sleep problems. | February 12, 2027 |
| Mental Health Awareness Month | May (all month) | A gentle story on how to start a conversation with your clinician about stress or mood, and how to support a friend who is struggling. | April 1, 2027 |
| Men's Health Month | June (all month) | Questions men can bring to a checkup, and why the visit is worth booking. The tone is calm and direct, with no scare tactics. | May 2, 2027 |
| Back to school | August (most of the month, varying by district) | A parent checklist for school paperwork, forms and appointments, with advice on what to bring to a child's visit. | 30 days before the confirmed date |
| Breast Cancer Awareness Month | October (all month) | A respectful story on what to ask your clinician about screening and how to prepare for the appointment, with a clinician's voice and no promises. | September 1, 2027 |
| Daylight saving time ends | November 7 (first Sunday of November, under federal law) | A story on settling into darker evenings, covering sleep, mood and routine, with a pointer to your clinician for ongoing concerns. | October 8, 2027 |
Pick one or two moments
You do not need all nine moments. Choose one or two where your clinicians have real, practical advice and a clear view, and plan them early. A practice that tells a few stories well will be remembered longer than one that rushes through the whole year.
Sample headlines
- Questions to bring to your next checkup
- How to talk to your clinician about stress and sleep
- A parent's checklist for the first doctor visit of the school year
What to keep out
- Promises about outcomes. Never say a treatment, habit or screening will work for everyone or guarantee anything. Describe what a visit involves and encourage readers to ask their own clinician.
- Patient stories without written permission. If a story includes a patient, get their written consent first and let them read what you plan to publish.
- Anything your privacy lead has not seen. Check with whoever handles patient privacy at the practice before you share any detail about a real person, even without a name.
- Diagnosis by article. A story should help people prepare for a visit, not tell them what is wrong with them. Keep advice general and point to a clinician.
- Claims you cannot source. Leave out figures, studies and comparisons. Plain, ordinary advice carries the story.
Turn an angle into a story
Lay it out with the feature story template, see the shape in the feature story examples, and check the draft with the feature story checker. For other industries and months, the story angle finder suggests dated angles.
Want it written for you? NewsUSA has a journalist write the story, you approve every word, and it runs on 2,000+ US news sites within 30 days. Book a strategy call with Todd Simon.
Questions
When should a medical practice start a seasonal story?
Start well before the date. Choose the moment, agree the topic with your clinician and check anything about privacy first. Then submit the story for approval early, because an approved NewsUSA story runs on 2,000+ US news sites within 30 days, and you want it live while readers are thinking about the topic.
Can we use a patient's story in a feature?
Only with the patient's written permission, and only after they have seen what will be published. Check with whoever handles privacy at your practice first. Many strong stories need no patient at all, since a clinician explaining what a visit involves is often more useful to readers.
How many awareness months should a practice cover?
One or two a year is enough to begin. Pick the months where your clinicians have the most practical advice and the time to help. A few well-timed stories are easier to approve ahead of the date and easier for readers to remember than a full calendar.
How this page was made
Dates from NewsUSA's 2027 feature story calendar, which links each observance to its organizer. Angles and advice written by NewsUSA. NewsUSA figures (2,000+ US news sites within 30 days, live-only billing, the 2,637-site September 2026 campaign) come from NewsUSA and its campaign reports, which Todd Simon can show you on the call. How these guides are made.