How Journalists Help Build a Strong Content Marketing Foundation

Compelling Stories Close Deals

Before becoming a successful, results-driven marketing professional at Vision Critical, Nick had a robust career as an award-winning writer for FORTUNE Magazine and a producer at CBC News. His extensive experience in print, broadcast, and online journalism has given him a solid foundation in creating compelling narratives for a wide audience which has translated beautifully to the world of content marketing.

Good content is compelling content; stories that drive interest and action on the part of the reader.

This is about more than just flashy dazzling click-bait headlines that get somebody to your home page. It’s about first, drawing them into your site and second, giving them a reason to stay and explore more.

Journalists can bring that breadth and depth of content to your marketing team. Their experience in whittling alluring content out of the most basic of sticks can turn your marketing strategy into a true sales-driving vehicle.

Nick knows exactly what to look for if you’re considering augmenting your marketing team by adding some journalists. His life experience both as a journalist-turned-marketer and a VP building a team makes him uniquely qualified to provide expert advice in this area.

In This Episode

• How having a former journalist with narrative expertise on staff leads to thought-provoking and actionable content
• Why being thoughtful with content means more than just getting a good story
• How connection marketing and sales through high-level storytelling leads to a unified voice throughout the sales funnel
• Why landing larger accounts doesn’t require tens of thousands of leads

Quotes From This Episode

“Learning to identify and tell great stories and build great narratives are really the foundation of all marketing, and especially content marketing.” —@stein_nick

“Be clear on the type of person that you are trying to get and make sure it’s someone who understands how to really do research and build a great story.” —@stein_nick

“Journalists understand not just how to write good copy, but how to tell good stories that are going to grab people.” —@stein_nick

“The best way to start a conversation with prospects is to grab them with a compelling story.” —@stein_nick (highlight to tweet)

“It’s finding the right balance between getting out enough volume with the right search terms so that people find you in the first place, but then ensure that what they find is going to be valuable, impactful, and useful enough to them that they want to start exploring your brand.” —@stein_nick

“As you start going after larger accounts, it becomes less about volume and more about getting the right people in the room and seeing your content.” —@stein_nick

“If you start with the idea of a high-level theme to your content, it’s much easier for the organization to speak in a unified way with one voice.” —@stein_nick

Resources

• Nick Stein on Twitter and LinkedIn
• Vision Critical
• Business of Story Podcast

What did you want to be when you grew up?

It’s hard to make big life choices as a child, and it can be even harder as an adult! Nick could never quite settle on just one thing and still hasn’t figured it out. But he likes it that way. Having a flexible attitude about what he wants to do with his life has allowed him to really roll with the punches and embrace change as it happens.