Communications strategy is often an afterthought.
This is true in many sectors across small- and large-scale businesses, as well as in the world of non-profits. As a former newspaper journalist, I can attest to being on the receiving end of countless ill-conceived pitches for every product and concept under the sun. I can’t tell you how many press kits ended up in the trash and how many pieces of branded swag landed in the freebie bin.
Now that 24/7 social media has turned traditional journalism on its head, the need for organizational storytelling is more crucial than ever. The idea that every organization can be a news organization is a concept that smart companies have embraced and has even shifted the paradigm in curriculum at established university communications programs. The University of Washington’s Communications Lead masters program comes to mind.
Here are 8 reasons why every startup should hire a journalist:
Smart companies and organizations are doing it: My journalism colleagues are now at Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Fred Hutch, REI, Zillow, Allen Institute for Brain Science, and beyond. We are everywhere and we’re telling important stories. With many media outlets downsizing or shutting down, journalists are on the hunt for the next opportunity. And given that most journalists are toiling away for sad salaries, terrible hours, and diminishing benefits, they are absolutely poachable. I make more working as the communications director at the non-profit Institute for Systems Biology than I ever would’ve made as a reporter – and, in fact, had I stayed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for another year, I would’ve been laid off like many of my former colleagues.
Journalists know how to become instant experts on any topic: How traffic lights are timed, what makes the best fiddle player in the country the best, and how the cooks aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier feed thousands of soldiers are all disparate topics that I have covered in my reporting career. Journalists are good at researching a topic, culling the most trenchant details and then quickly figuring out how to explain a subject using plain language for the masses. Since 2011, I have been working with scientists at Institute for Systems Biology on how best to convey research findings that are often esoteric and challenging to grasp. I have no science background, but I’m willing to advocate for the reader and ask the “dumb” questions that peel away the complexity and lead to understanding. For example, the web site for our newly launched Project Feed 1010 research initiative had too much heady information written in multiple voices, so we worked together to edit mercilessly and streamline the content to create a baseline on which to build anew.
Journalists work well on deadline: Journalists are deadline junkies. They thrive on the adrenaline needed to power through a tight turnaround. They think fast and write faster. If you miss deadline, you don’t get print or air time, or the best placement online. For the past month, I have been on a deadline to create and launch a crowdfunding campaign related to Project Feed 1010. It’s a first for our institute, which relies predominantly on government and foundation grants, to dip our toes into crowdfunding. No experience, no problem (see reason No. 2). In Eric Schmidt’s words, I got on the rocket ship first and then figured out how to make the crowdfunding happen.
Journalists can think in clickable headlines: When you begin to report a news story, you have to be able to give the “nut graph” or the summary of the most relevant, attention-grabbing details. You also have to provide suggestions for headlines that can jockey for eyeballs and clicks. What this means is that journalists know how to cut to the chase and win hearts and minds sooner.
Journalists are content-generating machines: We can’t help ourselves. Every experience or interaction is potential fodder. And now with journalists having to be “multimedia” storytellers, they can write, shoot images and make videos. All on their mobile devices.
Journalists can make you sound like you know what you’re doing even if you’re still figuring it out: Well-crafted messaging – spin – can buy you time until you do figure out what you’re doing. Journalists also are good at writing authoritatively yet conversationally, which helps to earn trust from your audience.
Journalists are natural influencers and connectors: If they can’t build relationships, they can’t develop good resources. A great reporter can connect with the right people who can channel crucial information. Journalists also know other journalists. Often the exact person at a media outlet who could tip mass buy-in for your product is a mere degree or two of separation away. Because of producer contacts I have at a local TV show, for example, I was able to secure a 6-minute segment to do some cross-promotion for a charity event that has a link to Project Feed 1010 and the aquaponics research we’re doing.
Journalists aren’t shy about being in front of an audience: Even if we’re introverts, we can turn on the extrovert at a moment’s notice. If you’re an engineer busy programming and can’t fathom speaking to the public, leave it to your staff journalist to be your spokesperson. Even on live TV (see previous paragraph).
Hiring a journalist to help tell your organization’s story is an investment on par with hiring the right managers and engineers. The return is greater than you can imagine.