How to apply journalistic principles to content marketing.

Nobody knows their audience better than newspapers and magazines, whether they’re print or online. Publications like this are expert at creating and publishing content that appeals to the people that go to them for news, opinion, education, and entertainment.

Similar journalistic methods can also be applied to the process of building a brand through content marketing. Firstly, in the research phase of building a strategy. Thereafter, brands can use the same long-established methods of engaging an audience.

Research

This covers research on marketplace, audience, and competitors. Clues exist everywhere about how your competitors are acting, who they’re targeting, and what their goals are. It takes some digging to unearth this information, much of which will be hidden deep in corners of the web. An investigative approach will uncover valuable gems.

For audience research, interviews and focus groups help to understand the common concerns, hopes, and dreams of your audience. This is an essential starting point for any campaign, and combined with the investigative approach, you can build an in-depth knowledge of what makes your audience tick.

Content creation and publication

Output can also take the form of typically journalistic styles. Here’s a couple of ideas to enhance the content that you deliver for your audience:

Documentary films:

Releasing a hard-hitting and informed short film, sponsored by (but not advertising) your brand, can help to build integrity and trust amongst your audience. This route has been pursued by many huge corporations recently, as consumers’ attention turns to visual media.

Interviews:

Interviews produce brilliantly unique and insightful pieces of content, whether they’re in text, audio, or video format. Conducting interviews can yield impulsive quotes and stories straight from the horse’s mouth.

In the full article, you’ll also learn about the importance of storytelling in your content, plus how to yield newsworthy results from studies, surveys, and other research.

You’ll learn how to use some of the above techniques to build a strong and trusted brand through online content that has integrity, principle, and meaning.

Visit the link below for the full piece.

What is a journalistic approach to content marketing?