With so much content being published on the internet everyday many content marketers ask themselves “How can I standout with so much content being published daily?”
For many content marketers and bloggers creating content is a weekly process that can sometimes feel overwhelming. Since the boom of the internet it has allowed for not only journalist to report, discuss and debate news topics. It has opened up a relatively new concept entitled content marketing that can still benefit a lot from the practices of traditional reporters.
Here are five lessons any digital marketer, blogger, or business owner can learn about content marketing from journalism.
- Avoid using click-bait headlines
Utilizing the “click-bait” method can cause your website to seem “spammy” and unreliable. Although headlines should be interesting to entice readers, they should also be genuine to the content actually conveyed to the reader. Thus, gaining the readers trust that your content is authentic.
- Know your audience
Having an understanding of your reader is vital to creating content that will resonate with your audience. This is a simple rule that most journalist have stood by for decades. As a mentor of mine told once I showed an interest in journalism “Not many readers actually read an entire piece of content nowadays… therefore understanding our core audience and what stimulates them to give us their time and attention, has never been more important.”
- Balance current news with evergreen content
Evergreen content is content that lasts, theoretically, forever. It isn’t affected by seasonal changes, and doesn’t rely on news or events that expire in relevance. For example, an article explaining how to safely drive a car is not subjected to any major changes that could damage the reliability of the article. However, current news topics, trends and recent events change daily. Traditional journalists make it a point to create timeless content that can be used when another article is shelved at the last minute or an unexpected boost in page count creates additional space. Your editorial calendar should function the same way. Covering current events in your industry is certainly important, but you’ll want to balance this with evergreen content to meet your audience’s needs.
- Get to the Point
One of the first lessons journalist are taught is the “inverted or upside-down pyramid” method. The technique is pretty straightforward and also very effective. The most significant details appear at the top of the story, either in the lead paragraph or a close-to-the top “nut graph” that gives the point of the story and explains its news worthiness in a nutshell. Less-essential details appear, in order of importance, in the subsequent paragraphs.
- Fact-Check Like a Pro
Good journalists are meticulous about fact-checking, mostly because they have a responsibility to their readers and also because somebody else will ensure they’ve done their due diligence on reporting. Generations of reporters have been trained with the popular saying “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Fact-checking is even more important in today’s news era of “fake news” which has caused some people not to trust the mainstream media.
What lessons have you learned from being a content marketer or blogger?
Copyright ©2017 Jay Colby All Rights Reserved.
Jay Colby 
Another great message Jay. I am still learning a lot from blogging. I have made new friends and I am finding new blogs to follow. I enjoy reading and learning from other writers.
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Learning is an ongoing process I try to learn as much as I can. Thank you so much for reading!
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I so agree with the click bait titles. I HATE those so much. It seems like such a cheap way to get clicks.
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I love blogging and visiting other blogs, but I hate Click baits! You;ve shared great points here 🙂
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You definitely have some good tips here – and I’m with Amber in thinking that advising people to stay away from click-bait is the #1 top tip here. Click-baiting really is dishonest, and you’re right; it does make your whole site look spammy. It’s just never a good idea, but WAY too many bloggers (and vloggers, too) are using this tactic.
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These are all great tips! I always prefer to write what I really love and I’m interested in, readers well understand if you write with passion and heart or only to make money!
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Really great tips! I hate landing on a blog from a search and I can’t find the information that I was looking for. Totally hate it!
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Good advice, now if I can follow it in my own blog.
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Thank you I’m glad it resonated with you!
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Excellent post, Jay! I hate click-bait titles on blogs. It might get clicks, but if your content is terrible people will just bounce right off your page. Not good for you or your readers.
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Knowing your audience is so important! So is getting to the point. If articles are not short and sweet, people get bored!
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The quote you give for number five did not really fit well: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” how do you fact-check a subjective statement? And If you say she cares for you and all that, well is it really out of love? Or she is doing because she has to do it.
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Fact-checking is so important when you are writing content for your blog. I try to have a few posts ready for when I get busy.
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These are such great things to think about when you are developing content for your website. I love all of the tips here.
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These are really good tips. It is odd, with blogging you are sharing things that you are interested in, without necessarily thinking of a specific audience. More hoping that those that share your interests, however niche will gravitate towards your space.
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These are good tips! I hate click-baits So I wouldnt dare to do it on my blog. Though I am really struggling to create an evergreen content. Thank you for this!
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I think knowing your audience is such a big step in writing. If I didn’t know what my readers liked, they wouldn’t be reading my post.
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Great article Jay. So many excellent points… check facts, know you audience and one of the important ones is caring about your audience by talking with them and not preaching.
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Thank you for reading & I agree knowing your audience is key!
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Journalism and marketing go hand in hand and it’s important to know what you use effectively for business. These are all very accurate.
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I think this is something that people in marketing should take note of. Writers definitely know how to grab people’s attention without having to use click baits and the like.
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That is a good point to make. I like to create a mixture of evergreen and current type content which is a good balance to have I think x
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Nice suggestions. I have learned a lot. From photos and taking photos to writing and putting it all together. It took me some time but now my content is a lot better than before and I have been able to put my photography and writing skills together to post a great blog post.
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That is great it takes time to learn somethings. You have a great blog btw!
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Amazing tips, what a great article. I learn some new stuff as well. This is just great.
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I agree with you on the click bait titles especially on youtube. It makes me feel that they’re trying very hard to get clicks by over exaggerating it. Thanks for the tips!
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It’s true! Blogs or websites can benefit a lot from Evergreen content. Thanks for the other wonderful tips.
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I hate click baits. I describe them as opportunists who want effortless marketing.
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