Established journalist discusses content marketing from a writer's perspective.

1. The New Journalism? A
Writer’s View on the Future of
Content Marketing
Lauren Razavi

2. My background
● Started my career as a freelance journalist while still a student
● Headhunted by Google to work on a global writing and editing project
● Pursued journalism alongside and reported from 30 countries
● Wrote for titles such as The Guardian, Wired, The Atlantic and NPR
● Became heavily involved with the online freelance community
● Won young freelancer of the year prize at the 2016 IPSE Awards

3. My work today
● Managing editor for Contently, a New York startup with a SaaS
business model, since last October
● Launch and run publications for companies such as Google, Philips and
Singapore Economic Development Board
● Provide streamlined digital infrastructure to ensure that content
marketing operations run smoothly and efficiently
● Connect agencies and companies with freelance writing and editing
talent that was once reserved for big media titles

4. The media industry isn’t innovating
● Business models of traditional magazines and newspapers just aren’t
working as well as they used to
● Fundamentally failed to take advantage of digital platforms and the
opportunities of new technology
● Led to brands looking elsewhere for the same connection and publicity
the media industry once offered

5. The rise of content marketing
● Technology has been a game changer for publishing: it enables any
organisation to publish content directly to their audience online
● Building a community and loyalty around brands has become crucial
for success -- and this trend will continue
● Companies and agencies are still figuring out how to take advantage
● Creative freelancers are an important tool in this new landscape

6. Media vs brand for freelancers
● Content marketing offers freelancers the opportunity to deliver more
value for business clients (and get paid more!)
● Writing for brand publications is fast becoming as prestigious as work
for titles like The New York Times or National Geographic
● Sometimes less creative freedom, but as companies and agencies
become more familiar with freelancers, they’re beginning to take more
risks on innovative ideas

7. The business value of freelancers
● Agencies and companies can build dedicated teams to concept and
produce regular brand content without setting up new departments
● Little or no upfront investment in recruitment or training and ultimate
flexibility in terms of scaling according to needs
● Work with premium writing and editing talent including freelancers
who contribute to the world’s leading media titles
● Keep a finger on the pulse in your sector with writers pitching ideas
based on their industry knowledge and upcoming trends

8. Some final thoughts
● All the research says that more and more people are working in new
ways (main focus on flexibility and location-independence)
● If you don’t engage with freelancers, you could soon find your agency,
clients or company left behind -- so start exploring!
● Feel free to grab me this evening or connect with me on social media if
you’d like to chat more about anything I’ve mentioned

9. Stay in touch
● Visit my website: www.laurenrazavi.com | Medium (Blog)
● Connect with me: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter
● Join my new Facebook group What Journalists Want (intended to
connect PRs/marketers with writers/editors)
● Take a look at www.contently.com and reach out if you’d like an intro
to discuss using the platform for your content