Outside of the media industry, journalists get a bad rap. We’re unduly nosy. We’re contrary. We’re know-it-alls. We have unfathomably messy desks. Speaking as an insider, I can attest that all of these things are true.

But you might not know that some of the traits found in successful journalists are uncannily useful in the business world — particularly in marketing and advertising.

Here’s why you should always hire a journalist to do a marketer’s job:

• We speak plain English, not marketing-ese.
• We thoroughly research our subjects before writing about them.
• We ask good questions.
• Writing fantastic headlines is all in a day’s work.
• We abhor typos and bloated language.
• We type really, really fast.
• We thrive on deadlines.
• We’re always grateful for work.
• We have a nose for what makes a subject unique — we can always find an angle.

The best journalists are adept not only at gathering information but weaving it into a story that captures their readers’ interest. Most reporters know that every story should answer the basic questions — Who? What? When? Where? — but the great ones also answer a fifth: “Why should this matter to me?”

Guess what? That’s marketing: discovering and exploiting what makes a brand unique and why the customer should care. Great marketers anticipate questions and convey the facts clearly. They know that to serve their clients they must first serve the customer. They’re not so different from great journalists.

Every business has a compelling story. We’ll help you tell yours. Email us today.