Ragan Communications: Advanced Writing and Brand Journalism

If you’re in the field of communication or marketing Ragan Communications is a household name. If you’re not familiar with the company, they publish and work with other organizations all within the areas of corporate communications, public relations, and leadership development.

They also host frequent workshops and conferences across the globe to aid communication specialists excel in their roles within companies.

I attended their Advanced Writing and Brand Journalism workshop to gain knowledge and refine my writing skills. The primary speaker was Mark Ragan, son and CEO to Ragan Communications founder, Lawrence Ragan.

I’ll try and be as succinct as possible but if you get the opportunity to attend one of their conferences, do it. It’s a wealth of information.

Myth-busting

Brand journalism does not abandon public relations and marketing.

So, what is it?

You work for a company. Your role as a communicator is to be the media as well as create it. Do you follow? Tell your story the way you want people to talk about your company/product. You don’t pitch a story, you write it yourself and pitch that to the media. In all the promotional material you create (web, video, photography, stories) don’t forget about your audience. Consider the value for them to engage. What’s the emotional response you want? What’s in it for them? What’s the call to action?

What would happen if you didn’t tell that story?

Example:

Go to the Coca-Cola Journey website. What do you see?

Now go to the American Express website. What do you see?

Here’s where it gets interesting. Both companies are talking about themselves. But what’s different?

Coca-Cola, although it’s boasting itself, has something for everyone. They are casting that net as wide as they can while still staying true to their brand. American Express on the other hand doesn’t actually talk about their cards. Anywhere. Instead, they’re building loyalty through pushing their expertise rather than their product.

How do you know you’ve engaged your audience?

They buy your product. Oh and metrics.

Who is your audience?

Everyone. Think of a funnel – at the big opening at the top is everyone, down at the spout are the people who engage with your company/product the most. How do you get them from one to the other? This is why you cast a wide net of marketing material. Let’s use a hospital as an organization in this example.

As a communicator you produce stories about the hospital in order to boost its reputation; You might share stories about the surgeons on staff and their education or why they chose the field of medicine. You talk about expansion projects and how that will better serve patients and their families.

Here’s how you funnel down your broader audience.

You put health concerns on their radar and how your hospital is keeping the public top of mind. You write about research and how technology and health advancements are being used in your hospital. How do you tell that story? From the horse’s mouth. Find a person who has experienced what’s happening in your story.

—

More to come on how to start this process, writing, and your company website.