25 Journalists in Content Marketing: Part 1

Paul Conley

Owner, Paul Conley Consulting
Twitter: @paulconley

His journalism chops: "More than three decades in the game, with experience in print, television, radio, wire services, and the web. I’ve held senior positions at Knight-Ridder, the Economist Group, CNN, Primedia, and Bloomberg."

His gig: "My consulting company is a one-man operation, so I do everything there is to do. When working with clients, my role varies. Sometimes they need someone to do the strategic thinking. Sometimes they’ve done that already but want some help with the tactics: finding writers, creating workflow procedures, etc. Sometimes they need someone to execute: create a white paper, run a social-media campaign, write an article. Sometimes they want to understand how well (or not) they’re creating content now. In those situations I use the Conley Index, which is a method of building consensus in a content team on how to measure (and improve) the quality of content."

His info diet: "I consult on B2B content, so I have a few must-read bloggers who understand that world, particularly Rex Hammock and John Bethune. I like usable, insightful, practical content. So, I’m a big fan of the tactical advice I find in eMedia Vitals’ newsletters and at Social Media Examiner. In addition, I try to read everything that comes out of the Content Marketing Institute. And I’m a bit of a Twitter addict."

His pride: "I remain inordinately proud of my blog. I have a big ego, so it pleases me to look back to those early posts eight years ago and see how much I got right about how media was changing. As for the stuff I got wrong, I just ignore those! [joking] But my favorite piece of content that I created for a client is a recent white paper I wrote called 'Eight Wonders of the Collaboration World.' It’s exactly the sort of thing I try, but often fail, to write; it’s entertaining and informative, designed to evoke an emotional response, and related to something I care about—human potential."

His fave tech tools: Professionally, "HootSuite, because without it I would be incapable of participating in the myriad conversations that interest me in the social-media world." Personally, "Songza. It’s a free music player that offers song lists. It’s wonderful. I boot up the app, make a decision about the sort of music I want to hear, and it starts finding and playing songs."

His creative inspiration: "I stick with the systems and patterns that have worked for me for years. I start my days with prayer and meditation, followed by a workout. That’s usually enough to get my creative juices flowing. I take lots of breaks throughout the day, whether to read a poem or take a walk, to keep in touch with the creative impulse. All of those steps are done in solitude, and they are about preparing for creativity and being ready to execute. But when I actually need a new idea, I’m useless by myself. I need to talk with someone. I need to brainstorm, small talk, joke around. In fact, I’ve found that talking to anyone about anything is enough to generate new ideas. I don’t need to talk about work, and I don’t need to talk with people from work. It’s the act of conversation that seems to be the key. If I talk long enough, an idea will present itself."

His content marketing advice: "Don’t kid yourself. Content marketing is journalism. And if you don’t have the stomach for journalism, you shouldn’t try to create content. Because sooner or later something you created will become news. You’ll do some silly Meet-the-CEO interview that you think is going to be innocuous crap, but the boss makes an off-the-cuff remark about your industry that freaks out analysts and moves share prices. Or—and this is an example from a client of mine—you’ll publish a video interview with a thought leader who, as an aside, makes a disparaging remark about a political figure. Then the biggest newspaper in your country writes an article about the insult. The political figure demands an apology. The thought leader demands that you pull down the video. The newspaper wants a comment. And everyone threatens to sue everyone else.

"Most marketers don’t handle things like that well. They don’t have what journalists call 'news judgement,' so they get blindsided when they create content that becomes news. News happens. And it makes people angry. You have to accept that. This is the key reason I prefer that content marketing efforts be run by an independent executive (a chief content officer, for example) or by the public relations team. Those folks understand news. Your marketing team may say, 'We only do feel-good pieces or helpful how-to videos,' and that you have nothing to worry about. They are wrong."

Rob Yoegel

Content marketing director, Monetate
Twitter handle: @RobYoegel

His journalism chops: B.A. in Journalism/Media Studies from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Former community newspaper editor, marketing trade magazine editor, and editor of a regional technology journal. Served as vice president of eMedia for a B2B publisher for more than a decade.

His gig: "I oversee all content marketing initiatives across multiple platforms and formats to drive sales, engagement, retention, leads, and positive customer behavior." 

His info diet: "I rely a great deal on the quality of the people I follow on Twitter. I have no problem sacrificing a larger Twitter following in exchange for counting on the 60 or so people I follow to keep me informed of some of the great ideas and thought leadership around content marketing."

His pride: "Our Pinterest infographic, which won a Killer Content Award from the DemandGen Report. It was picked up by Mashable as an exclusive and ended up with more than 15,000 social shares. It drove tons of traffic to our website. We also recently published our first-ever Ecommerce Quarterly (EQ) trend report, which includes a tremendous amount of data, commentary, and how-tos that I believe really position us as a valuable source of what the latest trends are in e-commerce." 

His fave tech tools: "I love using Podio. It's an online work platform for collaboration and project management that recently was acquired by Citrix. It serves a lot of purposes for us, including our editorial calendar.

"Call me old-fashioned, but I still love scrolling through Twitter posts from the folks I follow. TweetDeck is on my desktop, but I find myself always going back to the Twitter app on my iPhone. I think Raven is a great product, too, for analytic dashboards." 

His creative inspiration: "First and foremost, I look to my colleagues both on our marketing team and others at Monetate. We have some of the smartest, most talented people I have ever worked with here. They truly are inspirational. I think the Content Marketing Institute and Joe Pulizzi produce great stuff. Michael Brenner from SAP is a smart guy, and I love what Amanda Maksymiw does at OpenView Labs. I'm a huge fan of Jay Baer and Mitch Joel, as well. If I missed others, I apologize."

His content marketing advice: "Don't think that just hiring an unemployed journalist to create content is a content marketing program. There are so many other variables, including buy-in throughout the company and a sound knowledge of search, social, analytics, and the specific market/industry you are trying to serve."

Brianne Carlon

Content marketing manager, Kuno Creative
Twitter: @BrianneCarlon

Her journalism chops: B.S. in Journalism from Kent State University; contributor to various national and regional publications; former managing editor of Dance Spirit Magazine.

Her gig: "As content marketing manager, I am responsible for writing posts for Kuno Creative's Brand & Capture blog, as well as managing and editing other writers' posts. I also help create our advanced content, including e-books and cheat sheets. Because Kuno Creative is an agency, I am also in charge of blogs and advanced content production for many clients."

Her info diet: "The Content Marketing Institute blog has a wealth of information for content marketers, as does the organization's print magazine, Chief Content Officer, which is edited by Clare McDermott, who I follow on Twitter and have a great deal of respect for. I also follow the #contentmarketing hashtag to see what is new in the industry."

Her pride: "I am proud of a few of the pieces I have developed for clients, but since it wouldn't be right to talk about those, I would say I am proud of developing my own voice on the Kuno Creative blog, Brand & Capture. I am most proud of the post 'Is Clever Better? Witty Versus Search-Engine-Optimized Headlines.' It was an interesting topic to me and a chance to introduce myself to the audience. I got a great response from it, including several comments and shares."

Her creative inspiration: "I have found that the best source for content ideas is the people you work with every day. Many of the blog posts I have written have been a result of a problem and/or solution I came across working with my blog team or a client. When it comes to content for clients, the absolute best thing to do is interview everyone from the business who will take time to talk to you. For a recent client, I set up interviews with five team members and got a wealth of information and ideas for content. You can even get ideas from speaking informally. Just keep your mind open!"

Her content marketing advice: "Don't skimp on the content; it needs to be the backbone of your online marketing efforts. Otherwise, what would you share on your blog, social media accounts, and any other channel? By developing quality content, you are attracting potential customers to you and gaining their trust. That is priceless! So use your best assets: Get a great writer and designer. Copyedit. Promote your content. You will be glad you did."

Kevin Hunt

Corporate social media manager, General Mills
Twitter: @kevin_hunt

His journalism chops: Executive producer and newscast producer at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul; newscast producer at WFRV-TV in Green Bay; newscast producer at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

His gig: "Part of my daily responsibilities in corporate social media include the editorial oversight of our company blog, A Taste of General Mills, launched in 2011. I write for the blog, produce multimedia, and manage our G Bloggers, the growing list of General Mills employees who contribute to the blog. We showcase stories from within General Mills in several areas, like our many brands, our company history, culture, and commitment to innovation, to name a few. I also create and distribute content for our corporate channels on the popular social platforms. And I have visibility to the social-media-content planning of our many brands and corporate partners, and provide guidance when appropriate."

His info diet: "I have a long commute, so I’m a podcast junkie. I never miss 'For Immediate Release' from Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. They do a fantastic job of providing relevant information for anyone working in communications today. I also soak up the smart talk from 'Six Pixels of Separation,' Jay Baer’s 'Social Pros Podcast,' and 'Marketing Smarts' from MarketingProfs. For blogs, my Google Reader is full! But I most often make sure to see the latest posts from Brian Solis, Mitch Joel, Lee Odden, Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, Jason Falls, Jay Baer, and David Meerman Scott."

His pride: "Because of my background, I enjoy producing video stories. Last June, I went to Joplin, Missouri, about three weeks after the city’s devastating tornado, to talk with several General Mills employees there who lost their homes. As we stood in the middle of the heartbreaking aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters I will ever see with my own eyes, they talked about where they were when the twister hit as though it had just happened the day before. They wanted people watching the videos to know they were grateful for the help pouring into Joplin but also that people all over Joplin needed help—and still do. I posted several videos from that trip on our blog. One of them remains our most viewed video to this day."

His fave tech tools: "Professionally, Dropbox is perfect for my daily work. I’m constantly dealing with large files or the need to send links to files to our blog contributors. I also appreciate the ability to work with my Dropbox files on my iPad. Personally, I am a big fan of Flipboard on my iPad. I use it every day to catch up on the various networks and feeds I follow." 

His creative inspiration: "Consumers, bloggers, and journalists provide the inspiration and ideas for much of what we end up working on. A single tweet or question from a fan of a brand can identify an area where we can be helpful, because someone else out there probably has that question too. Also, the topics that the bloggers and journalists I pay attention to are writing about also figure into our editorial planning. Additionally, I look to the company blogs and channels managed by my competitors, as well as colleagues in other industries. I also regularly look at how the blogs and websites for a variety of mainstream media or other organizations are showcasing their content. Ideas can be borrowed from anywhere!"

His content marketing advice: "If you’re still holding out, it’s time to embrace the 'Every Company Is a Media Company' mantra. Nothing develops or deepens the relationship with your stakeholders better than great content. Create something—a podcast, tweetchat, e-book, photos, videos, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to start a blog, but if you do I believe it’s critical to have someone who brings journalistic judgment and storytelling to it."