All Good Content Needs a Spine

Image by Dim Hou from Pixabay

The days of the “hack vs. flack” wars are far behind us and the broader content industry is riper than ever. Companies and organizations are sharpening their editorial voices and looking to connect with consumers and other businesses on a more human level.

The market for global content marketing—from podcasts and social media to white papers and corporate blogging—was valued at $400 billion-plus in 2022 and is expected to reach $2 trillion by 2032. These kinds of projections will always vary, depending on your data sources, but the market is clearly growing.

The world’s best journalists follow strict codes. But what about the world’s best content marketing professionals?

It may be time to further refine our own playbook. Every industry has ethical rights and wrongs. Numbers and facts are more transparent than ever. People are grappling with misinformation and seeking clarity.

Content marketing and B2B professionals could benefit from more ground rules that are relevant to our times. Forbes and Fast Company are two well-known names when it comes to sponsored content and brand guidelines, for example. Yet there is still plenty of room for conversations about new editorial tools and techniques.

Is it ok to fabricate stats if you’re on the softer side of marketing, for instance Not if you don’t want to be fooled by the next person. Does it makes sense to fabricate stats in the age of transparency coupled with generative AI? Probably not.

Shaping B2B Boundaries Around the Right Info

All good content needs a spine and that goes far beyond narrative and subhead structures.

I am fortunate that I’ve learned what to avoid from my prior experience as a business journalist. Most of my meetings with clients focus on using the best numbers, trends, and facts to drive an organizational narrative. I anchor the content I write with relevant examples, data, and quotes from subject matter experts without needing to stretch the truth.

I have been given access to information for white papers, pitch decks, and RFPs that requires the same level of care as investigative journalism. I have spent hours on calls with important clients to ensure that every sentence in a report has been completely substantiated.

I have also seen and been involved in other projects in both media and marketing where the name of the game is speedy clickbait and the results are often regrettable.

The importance of being careful with words, numbers, and context is not industry exclusive. And good storytelling is universal.

To cite a 2014 Harvard Business Review piece on using narrative writing for business purposes: “Storytelling may seem like an old-fashioned tool, today—and it is. That’s exactly what makes it so powerful.”

Where Does Journalism End? Where Does Marketing Start?

My perspectives and incentives have changed since I left business journalism and started my own content marketing shop in 2021. In my 20s and 30s, I often viewed marketing and advertising as shallow work that could never deliver the same impact as journalism.

I no longer feel that way, obviously.

Journalism, of course, is essential to societies and democracies around the world—when it’s done right. You won’t find me using phrases like “brand journalism” to describe high-quality content marketing. The work that honest journalists do can never be substituted.

That said, we owe it to ourselves to remember who has a final say on top-level decisions in media—be it Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Bezos, or Jared Kushner during his publishing days at the New York Observer. It is no secret that most media outlets today are profit-driven enterprises with private stakeholders, corporate agendas, and bottom lines.

Independent content creators outside of traditional media can learn a lot from journalists. Journalists can learn a lot from independent content creators outside of traditional media.

Social media platforms—including LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok—are great forums for folks across fields to talk about their industries and how they work. For content professionals, these platforms provide a 24/7 opportunity to learn, create, and engage with others, so that we can build more sustainable futures for ourselves.

This, like all important things, requires a code of ethics.