Ben Stroup

I really enjoyed reading Seven Reasons Your  Content Marketing Needs A Brand Journalist. It reminded me that many people outside the content marketing business aren’t necessarily familiar with the speciality of brand journalism. I want to take the opportunity to explore five basic questions in an effort to uncover a “secret weapon” some brands are employing to break through the noise, overcome objections in the buying process, and create deeper conversations and engagement with a brand’s target audience.

1. What is brand journalism? Brand Journalism is an emerging term that describes the blend between marketing and journalism. The line between these two disciplines has never been more blurred than it is today.
2. Who is a brand journalist? A brand journalist is someone who is not a full-time employee of the brand but is hired by the brand to tell an objective story.
3. How does brand journalism work? People want to hear from the brands they believe in, but they don’t want to feel like they are being pitched to for the purpose of making a sale. A brand journalist works with the brand and its clients to tell a story about what happened and what was experienced. This is a delicate process because you want to tell a story with facts, not bend reality to fit what the brand says about itself.
4. What can businesses expect to gain from brand journalism? The goal of brand journalism is to create a voice which helps brands communicate effectively while serving as an advocate and protector of the public trust. Done well, brand journalism leverages the reach of traditional and electronic media to build influence, improve SEO search results, and spreads ideas using objective mediums.
5. Does my brand/company need a brand journalist? Yes. People care more about what your clients say about your brand than what a particular brand says about itself. Too, an outside perspective sometimes recognizes stories overlooked by those in the trenches of day to day work.

What role does brand journalism play in your content strategy?

Ben Stroup is a content activist in a post-paragraph world. He is chief broker of opportunity at Ben Stroup Enterprises. Connect with Ben via email, Twitter, and Google+. Subscribe via email to learn how to use content to move people to action.