Unless you’re in advertising, where the role of the copywriter has existed for decades, the availability of writing-only roles is few and far between — and it got me thinking.
You can apply to be a marketing exec and writer; a PA and writer, or an account exec and writer, I discovered after a cursory Google search. It’s true that in PR and marketing there are many roles where writing is a required skill. It’s always handy to have a few people on the team ready and able to draft a synopsis, press release or blog.
But the lack of dedicated content creation or copywriting roles is concerning. Of course, this is just my initial impression based on a 30-minute online exploration and doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the case across all organisations or marketing disciplines — it could just represent a snapshot in time. But it does raise questions around the importance attached to creating good content.
The thing about writing, especially in the B2B tech space, is that it requires a specialised skillset. You’re taking technical information and reshaping that into something that not only appeals to journalists (in the PR space) but to end audiences as well. You’re giving them something relevant, meaningful and beneficial. Yet, you also need to ensure that it encapsulates the right messaging and hits all the right notes to get readers to engage with the content, whether that’s a press release, thought leadership article, eBook or email.
Can you do this effectively when your focus is split? The answer is almost always no.
The challenge when you’re juggling other responsibilities and tasks, such as account management or media relations, is that writing requires single-minded focus (speaking from experience here!) and the ability to meet the needs of the audience as well as the client.
Now for the part where I tell you how Whiteoaks is different. It’s one thing to say we’re different, but our team structure is one of the ways we prove it. Each team member at the company has a specialised role, whether that’s content writing, media relations, social media or account management. That’s not to say we work in siloes — quite the opposite in fact. We have dedicated roles which all combine to complete the integrated PR and marketing picture.
Looking specifically at the writing team (affectionately known at the Writers’ Pen, take from that what you will!) we’re an eclectic bunch of individuals with different career histories (marketing, teaching, journalism, PR) and complementary skills that ensure we add value to our account teams and consistently meet our client briefs.
We are well versed in tackling subjects from hybrid cloud and the state of retail, to cyber security, fintech and customer engagement, and transforming these topics into compelling narratives that engage and inform, forming part of a wider campaign.
If you need convincing about the importance of great content and how we can help you create it, why not get in touch?
