Building a Newsroom Inside an Agency - Brian Dichiara

FROM TAGLINES TO PUBLISHING,
BUILDING A NEWSROOM INSIDE
AN AGENCY
#MakeChange
#InfoDevWorld
@POSSIBLE @swigsocial #MakeChange #InfoDevWorld

Mat
Szwajkos
Associate Director,
Content Production
@swigsocial
@POSSIBLE @206andrew @swigsocial #SIC2014 #MakeChange

35+
Zbar
Meetings
15 DATA
VENDORS
REVIEWED
13 Meetings with
Publishers
9
STAFF
INTERVIEWS
750
CUPS OF
COFFEE
5 SPEAKING
ENGAGEMENTS
8Displays
for Data
Monitoring
58,650
AIRLINE MILES

A SAMPLE OF THE CURRENT CLIENTS
WE ARE DOING THIS WORK FOR

STAFF INTERVIEWS
WHY A NEWSROOM INSIDE AN AGENCY?
WHAT CHALLENGES COME WITH THAT?
HOW DID WE GET STARTED?
WHERE ARE WE GOING NEXT?

STAFF
INTERVIEWS
To make sure we covered the
thoughts and opinions of our
staff, we interviewed nine
different team members on
content and the “Newsroom.”

WHY A NEWSROOM INSIDE AN AGENCY?
We must continue to tell great stories. Taglines and spots are not enough.

WE ALL CALL
IT SOMETHING
DIFFERENT
Content marketing, brand
journalism, real-time content.
We all have different
definitions and different
terms that we are using.

Talking about the same terms,
the same definitions and understanding
strategies is paramount to success.

WE NEED TO
CONTINUE TO
HELP BRANDS
TELL STORIES
We must build multiple content
streams that ladder up to the
strategy and publish on a
regular cadence to drive
consistent engagement.

Storytelling is hard. It can’t be a
one-way conversation. It needs to
be planned with a clear POV on
how it fits into the all-up strategy.

WE MUST BE
PREPARED TO
HAVE REAL-TIME
DATA INFORM
CONTENT
DEVELOPMENT
We are always looking at how
content is performing but we
need to add the layer of who is
viewing it, when they are
viewing it and on what channels.

The payoff of branded content is not always
immediate. We need to best understand all
of the metrics and then quantify and
monetize the value of content.

WE NEED TO
THINK LIKE
PUBLISHERS
AND APPLY A
“NEWSROOM”
MENTALITY
The demand for heavy content
production is pushing us to be
more agile and efficient. But
also focusing strategies on
what topics and conversations
brands should be publishing.

A Newsroom can support a more rapid content
development need. But a Newsroom approach
to content can change approaches, strategies
and the ultimate outcome for brands.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES?
Hiring, process change and client demands have all been factors.

COMPETITION IS
EVERYWHERE
Agencies aren’t just competing
against each other anymore,
they are also competing against
their clients and other brands.

Brands and agencies are competing with each
other in a world where content is being created
faster than the demand for consuming it.

MAKING THE
RIGHT HIRES
Hiring needs to not only
support the current work but
be able to quickly adapt to
new offerings and strategies.

The evolution to publishing and building a
Newsroom into an agency requires dedicated
resources with various skills and experiences.

CHANGING THE
PROCESS
WITHOUT TOO
MUCH PAIN
No one likes to change or
optimize the process if they
don’t have to. Talking to staff
and understanding those pain
points are critical.

The demand for increased content production
has challenged the traditional creative process
and forced us to look at it differently.

IT IS HARD FOR
BRANDS TO
KEEP UP WITH
THE INDUSTRY
DEMANDS AND
SPEED
It is our job to not only craft
the right story or strategy but
to also inform brands of the
challenging demands of
supporting and approving
rapid content production.

Knowing our challenges, we had to start
somewhere to talk about this Newsroom Approach.

WHERE DID WE START?
Start with a conversation, not a demand for change.

DISCUSS AND
EVANGELIZE
Start with meaningful
conversations with your
colleagues to build a rapport
within the office. Stand for
something and begin to build
that internally.

BRING PEOPLE
INTO THE FOLD
Bring people into the fold, as
early as possible, start to bring
people into the movement and
discuss their POV to evaluate
potential change.

EXPERIMENT
PROCESS
CHANGE
Don’t expect broad sweeping
changes. Find what you want
to fix and experiment that
change with different
members of your team.

IDENTIFY
THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
Find opportunities inside and
outside of the office to speak
about the movement and why
change can be a good thing for
everyone involved.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Continued improvement and change but build it together.

DEMONSTRATE
INTERNAL
SUCCESS
THROUGH
SMALL WINS
Change is hard. Be okay with
showcasing the small wins, both
internally with staff and the
clients you are working with.

PROMOTE
COLLABORATION
ACROSS TEAMS
No one person or team makes
great content on their own.
Making this shift must be
advocated for and lead by all
teams involved in the process.

CONTINUE TO
EVOLVE INTO A
PUBLISHER
MENTALITY
If we are to create content at a
rapid pace, we must continue to
adapt to think like publishers.

APPLY
“NEWSROOM”
APPROACH TO
OTHER
ACCOUNTS
Showcasing the success of
other accounts, start to
implement this new movement
with other accounts.

DON’T LOSE
YOUR
PERSONALITY
IN THE PROCESS
An offering can be added or
changed, but the culture and
personality of your organization
should stay the same.

Ashley Ball Sho Ito

Building a Newsroom Inside an Agency - Brian Dichiara

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