How to build trust in your brand newsroom

As any editor working in a brand newsroom will tell you, brand journalism and content marketing are not mutually exclusive. That doesn’t mean your brand journalism stories should read like advertisements, either.

It’s on communicators and branded content editors to tell brand stories that provide value to audiences on par with a straight news story. But in a time when real-time global conflicts place added pressure on brands to tell stories rooted in the moment, populating your brand newsroom with timely stories can feel overwhelming.

Ahead of her session at Ragan’s Brand Storytelling Conference on April 13, we caught up with Ally Hirschlag, branded content editor at The Weather Channel, to learn how she launched her first major brand campaign for Weather.com in a rush and what it taught her.

Ragan: What do you consider the most crucial elements of an effective brand story?

Hirschlag: A truly successful brand story doesn’t feel branded. The more you can make it fit in with the editorial content that you might find on your site or elsewhere, the more likely it is to attract attention, and, in turn, promote the brand.