Digital Journalism Portfolio

After a decade as a blogger, columnist and reporter, I moved on from a career in digital media. So why do I still feature journalism prominently in my portfolio?

Because in order to be successful in digital journalism, you must now be a marketer, too.

Gone are the days when people pick up a newspaper or go to a website and read every story that’s there. In today’s world, a journalist is responsible for uncovering or selecting an angle that will pique readers’ interests in the first place, even when it’s the most mundane of topics; researching and becoming an expert on most any topic in mere days or even hours time; writing a headline that generates engagement (without giving the story away!); crafting an article that keeps visitors on the website, clicking links and smashing subscribe; using best SEO practices and leveraging social media to maximize the conent’s reach; and analyzing traffic metrics to not only identify what’s working, but implement that data in future creative decisions.

The work is a product, and digital journalists are responsible for both creating it — then marketing it to make it stand out and break through the endless sea of content, just like any other piece of creative.