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Introducing the Unbounce Content Marketing Fellowship

Image via the Moz blog.

Image via the Moz blog.

Content is more than just a buzzword at Unbounce. We started publishing on our conversion marketing blog before our landing page builder was launched and, along with our webinars, ebooks and social channels, it’s still the core of our customer acquisition strategy. This devotion to content is what attracted me to Unbounce as someone who was educated in, and deeply identifies with, the journalism world. I was asked recently to write about my experience as a journalist-turned-marketer in a post on the Moz blog. Here an excerpt:

Thousands of people have graduated from journalism school in the years since the financial crisis and the collapse of the “old media” model. Many of us have found our way to the content marketing world, and some of us have struggled with trading the noble ideals of informing the public and holding power to account for “key performance indicators” like building brand awareness and driving new trial starts. But while I still consider myself a (lapsed) member of the ink-stained tribe, plying my trade in the content marketing space has been both fulfilling and humbling. That’s because journalists aren’t just bringing tons of value to the businesses now cutting our checks – we have a lot to learn from them as well.

In the post, I share three lessons that content marketers need to learn from journalists if they want to create value and three lessons journalists should learn from marketers if they want to stay relevant. For those of you short on time, here’s the TL;DR version:

What content marketers need to learn from journalists

  1. Proper attribution. Linking is not enough. Bloggers, learn how to credit your sources.
  2. Reporting. Marketers need to stop recycling the same old quotes and case studies. Fire off some emails or jump on a Skype call. Talk to people, even if they’re your own customers.
  3. Pitching. Don’t expect editors to spoon-feed you topics. Do some research and find an angle before you reach out and offer to guest post.

 What journalists need to learn from marketers

  1. Transparency. This blog is a great example of the growing trend in SaaS circles to share internal metrics and tactics with the world. If only journalists were as open and generous with their peers and publics.
  2. Coding. Many journalists, even those who work online, remain precious about getting their hands dirty with basic HTML. Marketers know they need to be jack-and-jills of all trades and do whatever it takes to ship.
  3. Know your audience. Smart content marketing is all about serving qualified audiences with relevant content that inspires them to take action. Sometimes journalists get so caught up in their own “editorial mission” that they forget about the people they’re creating content for.

Help us make content marketing better

Inspired by the chorus of “amens” that greeted the post – I even got a virtual slow clap from one fellow blog editor – I’ve decided to stop ranting about this stuff and actually do something about it. So today we’re launching the first-ever Unbounce Content Marketing Fellowship, a program designed to foster smarter and more successful content marketers. Working alongside the Unbounce content team in our Montreal office, the Content Fellow will learn how to produce content that ultimately serves a company’s marketing goals while still being thoroughly original, credible, actionable and delightful.  More specifically, Content Fellows will:

  • Research industry trends and new studies in the fields of online marketing, design, cognitive psychology and conversion rate optimization
  • Interview Unbounce customers and other online marketers and industry thought leaders
  • Pitch and write stories for the Unbounce blog and third-party blogs on behalf of Unbounce
  • Write conversion-centered copy for Unbounce’s email marketing campaigns
  • Participate in our weekly marketing meetings and get involved in whatever campaigns we’re working on

This is a paid position that we hope will lead to a long-term role. At the moment we’re looking for one person who is available to work with us at least three days a week for 3-4 months, but we’re open to different arrangements depending on the candidate(s).

The fellowship is open to anyone with a degree or relevant work experience in journalism, marketing or communications who is looking to take their craft to the next level.

Sound like you? Apply now!

Oh, and why a “fellowship,” you ask? Because it’s so much more magical than an internship. lotr

 


Dan Levy

Content Strategist