The role of a brand newsroom editor

Not long ago, a brand newsroom editor pushed positive but often bland, corporate-toned pieces to the brand’s newsroom.

But that’s no longer the case in today’s online-driven, hyper media-consuming world.

And while each company may have a different purpose or strategy for the newsroom, the ultimate goal remains the same — to communicate on behalf of the brand to its external audiences.

New era, new responsibilities

The new corporate newsroom managing editor has a different set of responsibilities today that didn’t exist 15 years ago.

With a 24-hour news cycle, citizen reporters breaking news on a regular basis, and “fake news” headlines capturing more attention than the truth, brands are fighting not just within their industry or region for the attention of their audiences but across categories.

Brand Journalism

Hence, the introduction of brand journalism. Brands have to find a way to communicate who they are, what they do and what they believe in that goes beyond an earnings report or product launch announcement.

Make no mistake – brand journalism entails different tasks for different brands and different communicators.

It’s not exactly marketing and it’s not entirely journalism, but it’s not solely blogging either. It’s a combination of all three skills (and then some). And it's more important than ever in the Public Relations professional's toolset.

Brand journalism promotes compelling, upbeat stories about a company to more than one audience, often in more than one format.

The rise of brand journalism has fundamentally changed the role of the newsroom managing editor.

They no longer assign or write the same old press releases to send to the same media outlets.

Instead, each piece of content is geared towards a particular type of customer (persona) or to the media outlets who provide fodder for the type of customer the company wants to reach.

Hi-res images, creative and standard executive headshots, logo or product shots, linked high-profile media mentions, contact information and a sleek digital media kit are a few other pieces of the newsroom puzzle a managing editor keeps updated and organized.

But this time, each item is targeted for a distinctive buyer’s persona or audience.

The right fit

A company newsroom manager ensures varied types of content are available for the people who want it when they want it.

Whatever the content, this type of editor still shares articles or other media to show off the company in the best possible light.

The corporate newsroom editor also understands what the newsroom needs to achieve for the best results.

Whether they are keeping the site updated with relevant, positive company news or revealing a favorable mention in a high-profile publication, the editor invests time in learning how to reach the target market best.

Producing content for a social media influencer would require a different type of material and tone than working with a traditional print publication or providing updates to consumers.

A one-size-fits-all, batch and blast approach no longer works.

No matter what the company’s latest news — whether it is a new executive hire, the launch of a fresh product or a keynote speech at a big-name conference — the newsroom managing editor will get the word out to the media outlets who care about the information and prominently share the news on the company newsroom for all audiences to consume.

A Newsroom Editor's role in reputation management

An effective company managing editor emphasizes the best parts of the company for the world to see.

The new company managing editor won’t blast press releases everywhere and hope something sticks.

Instead, they send content where it fits best before highlighting it within the newsroom to snag social shares and benefit the brand’s reputation.

And, should the worst-case scenario become a reality, the newsroom managing editor provides quick updates to relay accurate information and smooth over any crisis, whether it’s actual or perceived, becoming the trusted source of updates for all impacted audience members.

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