from good to epic: the principles of journalism applied to content marketing

From Good To Epic The Principles Of Journalism Applied to Content Marketing

Plenty of so-called journalistic practices have infiltrated marketing departments in

recent years.

Marketers are employing editorial calendars

Marketers are employing style guides

Marketers are employing entire brand journalism teams

and

While brands are pumping out content more efficiently, they’re

not necessarily doing it more effectively.

As described by the world’s top universities, here’s how marketers can apply the

principles of journalism to their own work – lessons

from content experts.

Respect for the truth

“Journalists must pursue the truth in a practical sense. This ‘journalistic truth’ is a process that begins with the professional

discipline of assembling and verifying facts… Journalists should be as transparent as possible about sources and methods so

audiences can make their own assessment of the information.”

Principle #1:

Source: Pew Research

This is a golden rule for journalists, and should be for content marketers, as well. Your credibility and

your company’s reputation are at stake.

Loyalty to the people

“While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and

shareholders, the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest. This

commitment to citizens first is the basis of a news organization’s credibility.”

Principle #2:


Every piece of content you create as a marketer exists to

serve a business goal, but it's guaranteed to fail if it

doesn't ultimately serve your audience’s needs in the process.

Discipline for verification

“This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of

communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment.”

Principle #3:


Journalism involves research, interviews, fact

checking and then rechecking. Your content

creation should be no different.

Do your research, get your facts right, include links to your sources, and double

check all before you publish. Accuracy is vital.

Independence from what they cover

“Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its reliability… While editorialists and commentators are not

neutral, the source of their credibility is still their accuracy, intellectual fairness and ability

to inform–not their devotion to a certain group or outcome.”

Principle #4:


The value of a whitepaper, eBook or other content asset

naturally diminishes if it is perceived as nothing

more than glorified marketing collateral.

Third-party gated content assets tend to generate more downloads, and also produce

better leads, on average, than company-branded

content assets.

Monitor reality

“Communicators have an obligation to protect freedom by not demeaning it in

frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.”

Principle #5:


Yes, your ultimate goal is to sell. But content marketing is

a marathon, not a short sprint. Your real goal is to

create better customers over the long term.

Provide a public forum

“Accuracy and truthfulness require that as framers of the public discussion we not

neglect the points of common ground where problem solving occurs.”

Principle #6:


Sometimes marketers forget about their audience and

talk to the CEO or to themselves. They end up

slipping into the corporate voice. Do that, and watch your audience slip away.

Make the significant interesting

“For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want with what they

cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant interesting and

relevant. The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how much a work engages its audience and enlightens it.”

Principle #7:


Journalists can find a good story in a sea of information and distill it into something

that the reader wants to stay with. Your content should be

every bit as riveting.

Keep content comprehensive

and proportional

“Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for sensation,

neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately negative all make a less

reliable map. The map is only an analogy; proportion and comprehensiveness are

subjective, yet their elusiveness does not lessen their significance.”

Principle #8:


Your content should always be comprehensive at every

level. From individual pieces to your overall strategy, you must effectively describe the

reality of your industry.

Exercise personal

conscience

“Each of us must be willing, if fairness and accuracy require, to voice differences with our

colleagues, whether in the newsroom or the executive suite… This stimulates the

intellectual diversity necessary to understand and accurately cover an increasingly diverse

society. It is this diversity of minds and voices, not just numbers, that matters.”

Principle #9:


It might seem difficult to always produce content that

is accurate, balanced, interesting, and focused on

your audience.

But content marketers must remain close to these values.

In the end, this is the only way to make your audience trust your content, share it,

and ultimately become loyal customers.

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