By Leo Valiquette
There’s a quote that I am fond of from journalist and author Gene Fowler, who passed in 1960:
“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”
I could only wonder what he would say if he were alive today about making a living from writing. Content is king. It is fresh and original content, as Katie Parsons wrote the other day, which remains the strongest draw to pull in readers. And yet, we live in this contradictory age in which the ability of almost anyone to easily and affordably be a global producer and distributor of content has undermined the definition of what constitutes quality content and fostered a growing disrespect for the time and craftsmanship required to produce it.
Nonetheless, I wholeheartedly believe that a quality writer has a substantial advantage in today’s marketplace by virtue of the fact that their skillset is the basis of a premium service that is highly transferable between disciplines. The classic example is the journalist who jumps the fence into other fields, such as public relations or marketing.
I use this example because I live it. After working for eight years as a business journalist and editor, I made the leap into a PR/marketing role. Here are my lessons learned along the way.
Customer service matters now
Simply put, sources don’t pay your salary, clients do. It’s a whole other vibe that demands a high level of customer service. It also demands an attention to detail vital to keeping a client happy that is subtly different than what a journalist is accustomed to in a deadline-driven environment.
Understand that you’ve just been demoted
This can be a tough one. Not only have you taken on a new job, you have switched gears to a different industry. While your experience as a journalist as a writer and communicator are most definitely assets that will be profoundly useful, you are still a greenhorn with a lot to learn about your new PR or marketing role. There’s this thing called tacit knowledge – the knowhow that comes from experience that’s hard to articulate and pass on. Your new colleagues have it and you need to soak it up, but it will take time. Get used to the idea that you are going to feel uncomfortable in your own skin for a few months and your ego is likely going to suffer as a result.
This is a different kind of deadline pressure
In journalism, the workflow is very results-oriented. But with PR, there can be long periods of furious paddling under the water line and little to show for it as you tackle a media contact list and struggle to find receptive ears for your pitch. After years of ignoring the media releases flooding your inbox and cutting phone calls from PR types short, the shoe is now on the other foot. Hard results, such as a flurry of media coverage for the client, are great, but sometimes you just have to take comfort in the fact that you have done everything you could to get the story out there. And when the client comes back and wonders why there was so little pick up on the story as they consider whether or not to renew your contract, you can point to a volume of effort that was made on their behalf.
Manage expectations
You have a particular insight into what’s newsworthy and what isn’t. Many clients have a tendency to believe their every bit of news is front-page material, but you know better. Any PR practitioner worth their outlandish fee should and they shouldn’t be afraid to say it. Otherwise, you are allowing the client to build up unrealistic expectations that will only come back and bite you later on. In any situation when you have to tell a client something they may not want to hear, be ready with a clear and logical defence for your position.
When pitching a story, never forget your roots
What does your audience want to hear? What is the best way to get their attention? You should know, this was your tribe. Maybe you’re part of a different tribe now, but that doesn’t erase all of your tacit knowledge from that previous life. Approach the conversation as if you are looking over the cubicle wall and talking shop with a colleague. Cut the crap, get the point. Be frank, direct and honest.
When writing copy, never forget your roots
Again, it comes back to understanding your audience. In a media release, you know journalists don’t want to be bombarded with fluffy marketing-speak, technical jargon or spokespeople who are just mouthpieces for a real decision maker. When it comes to content marketing, apply the same rules you would to writing a compelling news feature. I’ll write more on this subject next week.
I’ve just scratched the surface here but the moral of the story is this: a great writer, regardless of what they are writing, knows how to address a specific audience. Never forget that the audience you are writing for is not the client, it’s whoever the client is trying to, and needs to, impress. Perhaps the greatest challenge in making the transition from journalism to PR or marketing is learning how to manage personalities, build consensus and ensure you and your client are on the same page.
Image: Marketingconversation.com
