Think like a reporter: why B2B tech writers need this skill
By Afton Brazzoni | Updated October 2023
Reporters make excellent content marketing writers. They’re trained to ask questions that elicit interesting stories, and to tell those stories in a human way that’s easy to understand and connect with. Reporters also tend to have top-notch research skills. This is why the next B2B tech writer you hire should be able to think like a reporter when they’re creating marketing content.
According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI)’s 2023 annual survey, 83% of B2B marketers who always or frequently differentiate their content do so by producing better quality content than their competitors. Savvy B2B marketers know that in the age of AI, competing on quality is the only way to rise to the top. Anyone can churn out content today, and a lot of it sounds exactly the same.
However, we’re not in high school where it pays to blend in. Different is good in B2B marketing — it should be your goal to stand out. And you can only create truly differentiated content by conducting thoughtful interviews and crafting original stories that sound like your tech company and convey a unique point of view.
Of course, the media doesn’t always do its job well, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge this point in today’s era of sensational news headlines. However, if you lead a team of B2B tech writers, you can learn some important lessons from the field of journalism when it comes to content creation.
In this article on B2B tech writers, we’ll discuss:
The link between journalism and B2B content marketing
Which content types journalism skills best support
The case for subject matter expert interviews in your B2B content writing
How writers can learn to think like a reporter to strengthen their storytelling skills
How to find your next B2B tech or SaaS content writer
It’s time to get your Lois Lane on.
What do journalism and B2B content marketing have in common?
Before you hire your next writer, understand this link that can give your content a major advantage.
Here’s the tea: cynics would say journalism is about truth, while marketing isn't. Even bigger cynics would say neither are about truth. But smart B2B marketers know that storytelling is the common thread between these two disciplines. Of course, the stories we tell in our marketing must be truthful to build customer trust. They also need to be compelling and relatable.
As a B2B tech marketer, whether you’re writing your own content or leading a team of writers (internal or external), get familiar with the seven news values: timeliness, impact, proximity, prominence, relevance, oddity and conflict. This will help your company create more engaging content. The B2B tech writers on your team can also use this information to adopt a reporter’s mindset when they conduct subject matter expert (SME) interviews, which we’ll get into next.
Which content types do journalism skills best support?
Journalism skills can support any type of B2B marketing content for one simple reason: story is the lifeblood of any piece of content. And reports know how to tell compelling stories. However, three main content types in particular can benefit greatly from a journalistic approach.
1. Heartfelt customer stories
A customer story or case study is only as strong as the questions asked during the interview. A case study writer must be able to strike the delicate balance of ensuring they get the information they need from their interview subject (no one-word answers) and keeping the interview on track (no tangents, either). They also need to make the process feel painless for your customer, who has generously offered their time for the interview.
This is why there’s no one better to interview your tech or SaaS company’s customers than a trained journalist. When a reporter steps into the role of case study writer, you can be confident that they’ll ask the right questions, get valuable answers and craft a story with heart. The kind of story that gives readers the information they need, while positioning your customer as the protagonist and steering clear of sales-pitch territory.
2. Research-rich ebooks and white papers
In-depth content marketing assets like ebooks and white papers are a heavy lift to produce, and marketers often look to an external content writing company that offers ebook writing services to help create these assets. If this is your situation, as part of your search for ebook writing services, always be sure to ask about the research skills of the SaaS content writer who will be crafting the piece.
A B2B tech writer with journalism training will be comfortable taking the reins when it comes to finding and communicating with SMEs for your ebook. This is especially useful if you don’t have SMEs in-house who can lend their expertise to the content. The last thing you want to do is hand-hold a writer who isn’t comfortable reaching out to external sources or who doesn’t know how to manage relationships with them.
3. Editorial-style blog posts
Whether you produce blog content in-house or work with a content writing company that offers blog writing services, the same guidelines apply. An editorial style is a must. Readers aren’t interested in marketing-speak. They want real stories and real value — and a trained journalist is an expert at delivering both.
Just like knowledge of search engine optimization is critical when evaluating blog writing services, so is the ability to think like a reporter. We’ll dive into exactly how to hone this mindset later in the blog post. But first, let’s talk about SMEs.
Creating original content with subject matter expert interviews
B2B writing skills go far beyond putting pretty words on a page. Regardless of which type of content you’re creating, a boring narrative is the kiss of death for B2B content writing. However, it can be tough to avoid when you’re dealing with highly technical topics. Conducting SME interviews instead of external online research is one way to add value to your content and offer readers a fresh angle.
When you lean on the experts within your company to become part of a collaborative effort with your B2B tech writer or SaaS content writer, you’ll get better content as a result. Your B2B stories will become more human, because they’ll be driven by an individual with a specific point of view.
“But our product team is too busy to participate in interviews!”
This is a common objection to involving SMEs in B2B content writing, but it’s worth challenging. Building a case for why SMEs’ perspectives are crucial to your content marketing efforts can help secure buy-in. In addition, making it as easy as possible for SMEs to contribute will determine the success of such an initiative. If they really can’t spare 15 minutes for an interview, you can set up a Google form to gather their insight.
For a deep dive, find out how to conduct better SME interviews for your content.
How to think like a reporter: 5 tips for your B2B tech writers
We’ve now established the link between journalism and content marketing, explored three content types that can benefit from a journalistic approach and discussed why it’s a good idea to involve your company’s SMEs in content creation. Now, let’s walk through five tips to help your B2B tech writers channel their inner journalist (or “journo” in media industry lingo).
1. Consider the hook
Journalism school professors everywhere regularly ask their students, “Why should I give a shit [about this story]?” — pardon our French. Your B2B tech writers need to ask the same question about every piece of content they create. Why should the reader care? What is the hook that makes the content interesting?
For example, if your cybersecurity company is releasing a new software product, don’t make the story about the fact that you have a new product. Look for recent news headlines about high profile data breaches to use the news values of timeliness, prominence, relevance and impact to strengthen your content about the product release.
2. Conduct extensive research
The approach to content marketing vs. editorial writing doesn’t have to be vastly different when it comes to the research phase. Your B2B tech writer should find out what people in your industry are saying about the topic they’re writing on. This is essential to knowing how to write a B2B blog post, case study or white paper.
What are customers saying? What are competitors saying? What questions have gone unanswered that your content can address? Conducting this kind of research, coupled with an SME interview, makes for powerful content marketing assets.
3. Master the interview
Your B2B tech writer should set your SME up for a successful interview. Send your interviewee the questions you’ll be asking in advance and ensure they understand the purpose of the piece of content they’re helping to create.
During the interview itself, ask open ended questions and pause frequently to give your interviewee time to elaborate on their initial answers. This is especially useful if the interviewee tends to respond with short answers.
4. Weave a strong narrative
Now that the upfront work is done, it’s time to get writing. The difference between blog and article writing isn’t all that vast. Blog, white paper and case study writers alike should adopt a reporter’s mindset to craft a story that is interesting, easy to understand and that inspires the reader to take action.
Using active language (both sentence structure and wording), varied sentence lengths and short paragraphs are all tools from the reporter’s storytelling playbook that also work well when writing B2B marketing content.
5. Fact check your work
Although we’re living in the era of fake news, don’t be fooled by this — true journalists always strive to get their facts straight. B2B tech writers should do the same. If you’re using statistics in a piece of content, make sure they’re recent and that you’ve credited the proper, original source for the information, rather than where the stat was republished.
Don’t forget to make sure your interviewee’s name and title are spelled correctly, too. If your interviewee is an external SME (for example, a customer you’ve interviewed for a case study), send them the finished content to get their approval on the draft before publishing.
How to find your next B2B tech writer
You know what to look for in a SaaS content writer, but how should you go about finding your team’s next star player? Here are a few suggestions from our experience hiring B2B content writers.
1. Clarify your objectives
Before diving into your search, make sure you have a clear understanding of your priorities. How do you plan to balance your budget and the need for quality? Going the expert route will ultimately save you time and money, sparing you from hand-holding during the process and numerous revision rounds.
2. Seek recommendations
Streamline your search for a B2B tech writer by tapping into word-of-mouth referrals. Reach out to fellow content marketers in your network and inquire about their experiences with internal and external writers. Gain insights into what they appreciated or disliked about their specific experiences.
3. Explore online resources
Leverage the internet to discover your ideal SaaS content writer. LinkedIn and Slack are great places to start. Look for writers who consistently contribute valuable insights to their respective communities. If you’re focusing on external writers, read reviews from their past clients, which will offer a glimpse into their capabilities.
4. Attend industry events
Showing up at industry conferences, networking events or even webinars can help you meet potential writers in person or virtually. Building a personal connection can give you a window into both their skills and personality, and whether they’d be a good fit for your tech company’s team.
Stick with us! This post is part of a series on developing a 10-step content creation workflow for exceptional results. Read the next post.
Get a team with journalism chops on your side
The ability to think like a reporter is one of the most important B2B writing skills for tech marketers and their teams. It’s critical to knowing how to write a B2B blog post, case study or white paper that engages readers and drives action.
Understanding the nuances between content marketing vs. editorial content and the difference between blog and article writing — plus the similarities — is knowledge all blog, white paper and case study writers should have.
If your in-house team needs content creation backup, Scribe National can help. With journalism backgrounds in our toolkit, we’ll deliver on compelling hooks, in-depth research and effective interviews. Oh, and the writing isn’t too shabby, either. Interested? Explore our B2B content writing services.
