Why Every Content Team Should Have a Journalist

As someone who made the leap from journalism to content marketing, I’ve had the opportunity to wear a lot of different hats. And if you're looking to build out your content team in 2025, here's my best piece of advice: Hire at least one journalist in a senior role.

From Journalism to Content Marketing

My journey into content marketing started with a solid foundation in journalism. I earned my NCTJ Journalism MA, which was an intense and rewarding training ground where I honed my storytelling skills, learned how to ask the right questions, and became familiar with the intricacies of research. From there, I transitioned into PR, where I crafted narratives for businesses and brands. It was a natural progression for me—taking the skills I developed as a journalist and using them to tell compelling stories for clients.

Soon after, I found myself in a marketing agency, telling the stories of brands while simultaneously flexing my muscles in areas like brand strategy, SEO, and a whole lot more. Through it all, I’ve grown into a true all-rounder. From strategy to execution, I’ve seen how journalism can seamlessly integrate with marketing to create content that not only informs but also connects with audiences.

Storytelling at Its Core

At its heart, content marketing is about storytelling. We all know that. But here’s the catch—not everyone is naturally gifted at it, and in my experience, many marketers struggle to fully grasp the art of storytelling.

Not everyone can identify a small fragment of something and recognise its potential as a compelling story. It’s like having an uncanny ability to smell an apple in another room, see a color that most people can’t, or hear a sound that’s beyond the average human’s range. That’s what “story detection” is — a kind of heightened acuity. And trust me, journalism is all about cultivating that acuity.

The Power of Asking the Right Questions

You can’t uncover a story unless you know how to ask the right questions. The big ones, the small ones, the ones that seem tangential or off-topic, and those that cut straight to the heart of the matter. Journalists are fearless when it comes to asking these questions, often without concern for looking like the “dumb” person in the room. Why? Because to be a good journalist, you have to embrace your ignorance. And in some ways, that’s your superpower.

Good journalists thrive on their ignorance. We dive into completely unfamiliar topics and become fluent in their complexities faster than you can blink. There’s a kind of satisfaction in mastering the unknown—an itch that’s never fully scratched but is always exciting to pursue.

Curiosity Is the Secret Ingredient

To put it simply: Journalists and great content marketers share an insatiable curiosity. We’re driven by the need to understand how things work and what makes people tick. That curiosity is embedded in our DNA. We can’t help but ask questions, and we take real pride in asking the right ones.

Now, in the age of big data and complex martech stacks, journalists bring a unique value to content teams. Sure, they might not be analytics gurus (and let’s be honest, you shouldn’t expect them to be), but their natural curiosity means they will ask all the right questions about your data, your platforms, and your marketing strategy. They’ll dig deep, challenging assumptions, and pushing the team to think critically about what’s working and what’s not.

Why You Need a Journalist on Your Team

If you’re serious about creating content that resonates, engages, and performs, bringing a journalist onto your team is one of the best investments you can make. They’re the storytellers who can uncover the hidden gems in the data, ask the tough questions, and ultimately guide your team toward better, more impactful content.

In 2025, make sure your content team includes a journalist who’s ready to bring their storytelling acuity and insatiable curiosity to your content strategy. Your brand will thank you for it.