Brand journalism: Creating content that people want to read

5 ways to write and share content that focuses on your audience’s needs

Consumers’ attention spans are shorter than ever. Instead of pushing information onto the customers, you should focus on gaining their interest. Typical news releases are full of empty rhetoric; if you want to capture your audience’s attention, demonstrate your company’s excellence with compelling, true stories. Stop begging the media to publish your content and become the media.

Brand Journalism is a revolution in public relations and internal communications. Do not stand on the sidelines and watch your company’s content be ignored.

How to create content people actually want to read and share:

1. Be audience-centric.

Brand journalists write stories that interest the audience. Journalistic principles of storytelling are used to broadcast your company information to the media and the public. Change the way you pitch to the media: pitch actual stories, instead of story pitches.

2. Turn boring corporate text into stories that people will read.

Apply journalistic techniques to your content, and your audience will want to read it. Use techniques such as visuals and a strong first sentence to shift your content away from dull and boring. The media needs you to do it right so they can publish your story promptly with no obstacles like searching for supporting facts or photos.

3. Recognize your audience.

Know your buyer persona. It is important to understand what your customers (and potential customers) want and need. This way you can tailor your content and create the best story for your audience. Sharing content on social media channels or through an email list will target your custom content to a direct audience. A great PR firm knows how to use social media's features to segment your audience and deliver the best message. Use these tools as much as possible to aim your content towards the most narrow and detailed audience.

4. Find stories in the strangest places.

Get out from your desk and talk to people in your company, the industry and the community. Interview and observe – then write about it. Think about the content broadly and have an open mind to any stories that may appear. When a topic is overhyped, find a fresh take on it. Encourage your marketing, PR, sales and support teams to communicate. Run the office like a newsroom and give everyone equal opportunities to bring story ideas forward.

5. Breathe new air into press release graveyards.

Tons of valuable information never sees the light of day when it’s archived. Take all of this boring information and create a “news site.” Write stories around the facts and data found in the press releases. The media sees press releases all day, everyday. An actual story will catch their attention in a new way. Dig into your company’s research reports and create stories, then pair them with visuals and strong headlines to create great content.

You must constantly create content that grabs the audience’s attention. And at the same time, sneak in education and information about your corporation for your audience to absorb. Remember, attention spans are shorter than ever. By publishing stories and engaging the audience, brand journalism will turn your company into a news source. Soon, the media will be coming to your company for stories to broadcast.

Axia Public Relations can assist your company in creating outstanding content and managing your media relations. Download their e-book Learn media relations from the media now to see exactly what journalists need to give your company earned media coverage.