Passing the ‘So What?’ test – why a bit of journalistic rigour is vital in B2B tech PR
In this blog, Hugh Cadman, Senior Content Writer, discusses:
- How his journalism background prepared him for life as a B2B tech writer
- The importance of answering journalists’ “So What?” questions
- The unlikely connection between all this and a punk record seized by the police
From reporting on TV licence-dodgers to writing about enterprise database management via the odd health furore. There is a common thread that connects my two decades as a journalist with my current role at Whiteoaks and a profane punk record seized by the police.
It’s the “So What?” test. This is the basic threshold that any idea for a piece of content must cross if it is to get into a publication worth reading. Reporters tend to be among the most sceptical people on earth – and if you can’t answer their “So What?” questions, your hopes of coverage are doomed.
It’s a mindset I still share – accepting little at face value and being prepared to unpick the details and ask a few questions. So often that’s all it takes to either destroy a story idea or stand it up.
Journalists want dramatic front-page exclusives, but they may also be eager to fulfil their story quota and keep the website numbers up. Whichever it is, they will apply the “So What?” test to everything – because they know if they don’t, their newsdesk will.
And this is the part that sales and marketing executives sometimes find difficult – it’s not enough to be fired up, making bold claims about being game-changing or disruptive. Journalists have low boredom thresholds and can spot spin a mile off. You have to give them reasons to treat your press release as news, and any article must tell a good story, be accurate and make a convincing case. Journalistic weariness is why research has to generate eye-catching headlines.
Get your ducks in a row
In B2B tech PR, as in news journalism, however, you must always get your ducks in a row before you unleash any kind of content. For me, it is the simple but mildly impertinent questions that get to the point with clients when we initially find we don’t have what the content requires. “Why should a potential customer choose your solution over XYZ when on the surface they seem quite similar?”
It’s where a little journalistic technique comes in handy. Some people need coaxing; others have to forget the hype and plant their feet back on the ground before they can answer.
The three horsemen – jargon, waffle and repetition
Convincing journalists, though, is only part of the job in B2B tech PR. The real audience out there is also asking its own “So What?” questions. Persuading them takes more than a deluge of clichés about “empowering” and “disrupting”, whether in a press release or a 1,500-word article.
In articles especially, language and structure are important. My journalism training and my experience going through other reporters’ articles when I was a news editor made me allergic to jargon, waffle and repetition. I can also spot where there may a copyright infringement or a potential libel, or where a claim could lead to a letter from a rival’s legal department. The obsession with accuracy leads me to double-check the spellings of just about everything, and to be clear about any terminology I use. You have to know the limits of your own knowledge.
What did this technology do for us?
As a reporter, I learned to extract the news nuggets from two-inch-thick NHS or local government policy documents for a broad audience that was only interested in what it would all mean for them and their community. This is not so different from writing for many tech titles, where it is essentially the business outcomes that matter.
Understanding the audience is critical. I’m no longer writing for people of all ages who are skimming between the front page and the property section. My audience usually comprises senior executives who may also have substantial technical knowledge. Anything I write must address what matters to the right segment of this audience and convince them we know what we’re talking about.
Accuracy is essential but so is momentum – the ability to carry forward a story in a way that makes it immediately relevant. Whether on a news website or in a B2B tech title, audiences must want to carry on reading right the way down to a captivating conclusion.
The Anti-Nowhere League
As always, it’s the “So What?” question that we must constantly answer. This is where I defer to the Anti-Nowhere League – a very profane cartoon punk outfit I saw at a gig long ago. They produced a 7” single called So What? that was seized by the police under the Obscene Publications Act. This foul-mouthed ditty was allegedly inspired by two men in a pub trying to outdo one another with their stories. The point is that if B2B tech companies want to avoid going nowhere with their PR they must answer the “So What?” questions that journalists and their audiences ask – and they need to use the right language. Otherwise, they may as well be two sweary men in a pub.
Want help answering the “So What?” questions? Get in touch.
