Looking from the world of journalism into the PR sphere, it can be difficult to appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes with OEMs’ communications teams and PR agencies in the automotive and e-mobility space.

Seeing this from the other side, you understand the amount of time needed to generate the creative ideas for a vehicle reveal, as well as the assets that support it – from press kits, to full image and video suites.

Conversely, coming from journalism enables you to bring the ‘inside line’ to the storytelling drawing board. It adds a critical dimension to a specialist communications strategy, offering a first-hand account of what keeps media outlets, and their readership, consistently engaged with your business’ story.

There are several facets of a journalistic skillset that allow us to bring new insight from this different perspective. First and foremost, is a direct understanding of what being a journalist truly involves, and what they are looking to obtain from the opportunities that PR teams facilitate. This knowledge also helps you guide spokespeople as to the importance of staying on-message and vigilant; indeed, there truly is no such thing as ‘off the record’ when speaking to a journalist.

The experience from the journalists’ side of the fence also enables us to bring a detailed, global understanding of what media need and want for their content, and when – and why. Equally as important is being able to articulate what they don’t want.

Offering an ‘outside-in’ point of view helps provide a reality check of what a company’s competitors are doing; it is very easy for organisations to be very inward-looking, not consider the broader industry picture, and dismiss businesses they don’t deem to be competitors. This is something that journalists will be quick to pick up on and criticise if misjudged.

As every journalist will attest to, the strong aptitude for asking questions goes a long way to obtaining the information needed to create a successful story. This applies just as much to PR teams curating a strategy with their clients – helping to efficiently drill down into what they’re looking to achieve, what they have to offer, and advising how they should communicate that offering.

Above all, coming from journalism into PR gives you a strong appreciation for an engaging, informative and easy-to-follow writing style. While establishing a tone of voice for your brand is important, convoluted and acronym-heavy content will prove difficult for journalists to engage with and use for their stories. When you’re trying to convince time-poor, professional writers to write an article that reinforces your messaging, making your point of view – and the benefits of your solutions – clear is essential to land your story effectively.

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