Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

45Wait. What's Brand Journalism?

Some companies are looking toward traditional journalism to fill the gaping content maw; they are hiring those trained in J-school tactics, such as reporting and storytelling, as in-house brand journalists.

A brand journalist or corporate reporter works inside the company, writing and producing videos, blog posts, photos, webinars, charts, graphs, e-books, podcasts, and other information that delivers value to your market.

Such content creators convey your company's true story in a compelling way by uncovering the stories about your brand and the way your customers are using your products and services. They narrate those stories in a human, accessible way, and they spark conversation about your company, customers, and employees.

In short, brand journalists bring a reporter's sensibility to your content—an editorial approach to building a brand. That's especially useful when we all need to place the needs of our audience first and rise above our corporate-centric messaging. Journalists' innate understanding of audience means that every time they sit down at their desks to create content, a little voice in the back of their head reminds them: Nobody has to read this. That kind of pressure on your content-creation efforts can only benefit your brand and enhance your integrity.

But Is It Really Journalism?

This might be a good time to ask, but what about that integrity issue? Is a brand journalist really a journalist?

In my mind, brand journalism ...