When major Australian newspaper publisher Fairfax Media announced it was cutting 120 frontline reporter jobs last week, it sparked a mass walkout from the newsroom.
Fairfax is not alone. Around the world, newspapers are dying as they struggle to keep up with technology. The business model is broken.
As reporting jobs are cut, highly skilled writers are being released into the market. In this week’s Brand Newsroom, James, Sarah and Nic ask: could traditional media’s loss be marketing’s gain?
Here are some key take-outs:
- There are plenty of journalists out there wondering what they will do next. Employ them.
- Quit thinking about how to get your brand mentioned in the media and become the media instead.
“The power has shifted. I don’t think a lot of news publications — TV, print and radio — are thinking about it this way, but the brands now have all the power. There’s nobody left in these newsrooms. The editors are still gatekeepers but they’re going to be really motivated to open that gate a lot more often because there’s nobody to write the news for them.” — Sarah
- Build your own audience and people (including the media) will come to you.
- Poorly staffed newsrooms mean traditional media is hungry for publication-ready content. Create it.
“If you can tell your story well and present it in a way that the journo doesn’t have to do a lot of work at the other end, you’ve got some big, big opportunities there.” — Nic
- Set up your own publications. Pick one medium (maybe a print publication, a website or a podcast) and own that space. Be the subject matter experts.
- Get your framework right. Get some experts in to help you get started.
“Talk to people who do know how to put a framework in place. Get that up-and-running from the start before you try to do anything.” — James
Here are the links you might need
- Mumbrella’s article about ABC Radio’s podcasting call-to-action.
- The Ventura Group project Nic mentioned in this week’s Brand Newsroom is explored more thoroughly in Brand Newsroom Episode 47.
Have you heard the one about…
Recently James and Sarah took a close look at how to get more mileage out of your press release.
And here’s a discussion about the difference between “news” and “newsworthy”.
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