I recently stumbled across criticism of submitting articles to local papers as a form of content marketing and it got me thinking — why do people view newspapers as ineffective mediums for marketing, and why is content marketing generally only correlated with “salesy” content and blogging?

Sure, there are instances when advertising or writing articles for your local newspaper may be ineffective. And sure, there are instances when focusing on “salesy” content and a comprehensive blogging strategy makes sense. But that’s the beauty of content marketing and why it’s so fun to brainstorm and plan out — it isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach and should be specific to the client.

Sometimes, it’s logical to pull from my journalism roots and strive for an educational approach when writing for clients and determining their content strategy. This is especially true when it comes to healthcare clients, and here at Jet, we work with many rural healthcare facilities that are usually the main source of care in their respective communities.

As a former reporter of a relatively small-town newspaper, I understand the true value of storytelling and breaking down the facts about specific topics, especially in communities where everyone knows each other and there is a widespread distrust toward national media.

Reinforced during the pandemic, Jet learned that our healthcare clients’ communities were turning to them for recent updates and important local news, so it was more important than ever to develop informative and distinct content strategies. Here are some journalistic practices to keep in mind for when you’re forming your organization’s strategy.

Meet your audience where they’re at

One of the first things I learned in journalism is that getting your story in front of eyeballs is equally as important as writing the story itself. What’s the point of putting in the time and effort if your reach is minimal? This is true for content marketing as well.

Research where your audience prefers to receive their news, and don’t be surprised if the answer is everywhere. Social media, email newsletters, Youtube videos, traditional news outlets, directly on your website — the mediums vary depending on demographics and location. In the best-case scenario, you take your content and put it everywhere, transforming and repurposing it for several needs. If one medium is working better than others, invest more time in that specific avenue.

At Jet, we know rural audiences require different needs than those in larger cities. These communities still value reading their local newspaper, and they typically enjoy receiving direct-mailing newsletters with familiar faces on the cover. As someone who has always lived in larger cities, I know how easy it can be to toss a local mailing in the recycling bin when I have no idea who’s on the cover or if the topic isn’t interesting to me. For smaller towns, that’s different, so I know to step outside of my personal preferences and implement what I know will work well for the client.

Ensure the content is timely — whether it’s evergreen or is making present-day headlines

The worst thing you can do is write content just to write content, not thinking about the why and hoping keyword plugs will be enough to get you to the finish line. As a journalist, the number one pillar that makes a story newsworthy is its timeliness.

When you’re creating content for your organization or business, put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What are they interested in at this exact moment in time? What should they know about right now?

Example: For our healthcare clients in July, present-day updates could be about the pandemic and evolving variants. Evergreen content could include summer safety tips and ways communities can stay healthy during the warmer, sunnier months.

My old editor used to tell me, “Well, if you’re thinking about it now, I’m sure other people are thinking about it, too.” Take that piece of wisdom and let it guide you.

Never pass up a good human interest story

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to engage an audience, and I will die on that hill. Humans love reading stories about other humans, especially if they know the person or people in the story. Even just a familiar name is enough to pull a reader in to learn more, as opposed to when the name is just letters on a page.

Human interest stories don’t date as quickly and rely on captivating the reader’s emotions. At Jet, they also pull a lot of engagement.

Think about it — we all love learning about people we know and how we can personally relate to them. We love learning about how they contribute to our communities and how their experiences shaped their character. We are also naturally inquisitive and enjoy reading about people who have different lifestyles and careers than us, or whose experiences are different than our own.

There’s just something within us that appreciates the emotional connection that’s triggered when reading a good human interest story.

So, as a business or organization, tell the stories of your patients or customers — and ask the hard questions. Tell the stories of your employees who are working hard every day. Tell your personal story and how you got to where you are or why you do what you do.

Put on your journalist hat, and tell the stories you think will resonate with your audience. You might be surprised at the trust you build with your customers (or patients) and the engagement you receive.

Kati Velazquez, Content Manager

Kati started her career in journalism and has a soft spot in her heart for what she learned — and the people she met — during her time as a reporter. She uses her journalism degree and past job experiences as fuel when developing creative and effective content strategies for Jet clients.