How to create a high-quality executive editorial programme in one hour a month
We understand the challenge. Your Senior Execs haven’t got time to be crafting thought leadership articles or executive editorial . If you’re earning £500k+ a year, the benefit-cost ratio doesn’t add up any more than the lost opportunity cost does. It’s a bad use of time.
Assuming you understand how powerful thought leadership editorial can be at bringing in multi-million pound opportunities, it has to be worth finding a solution. Though only if it’s easy, simple, and effective for harried Execs and their clock-watching PAs.
Well, we have a super-slick and proven five-point process that ticks all those boxes. One that’ll help you create at least two high-quality pieces of executive editorial in just a one-hour call a month. All it takes is a little planning, but you’ll be pleased to hear, not by your Execs.
Here it is:
1: Executive editorial needs executive opinions
Decide whose thoughts and opinions in your organisation count. Who has the most influence already? Typically, it’s your Senior Execs, but it could be other influential people such as Heads of… or Senior Managers, or other super-niche specialists or experts.
Of course, people don’t want war and peace – or 15 sides of citations and references – but we’re all hungry to know what leading voices have to say on relevant business-related topics. Call it comforting, call it galvanising, call it enlightening, call it inspiring: people want to know what their industry and business leaders really think.
2: Make a plan, but keep it simple
Your executive editorial programme needs a clear content plan that supports your wider marketing strategy, and details where Execs can establish their credibility, build their reputation, and improve their share of voice.
Nothing complicated, just a one or two-page document identifying key themes, content opportunities, and potential angles. For inspiration, think counter-narrative opinions, personal stories or events that shaped their thinking and view of the world,. How about a look at industry trends and developments, or new or valuable insights based on proprietary data or research?This plan is your ‘North Star’ and will keep you focused.
3: Assemble your editorial team
Other than someone to run your executive content programme, you’ll need two other key people:
An expert interviewer – someone who has a nose for a story, can ask the right questions, challenge where necessary, and also keep the guardrails on the conversation. Ideally, someone from outside your organisation who can bring a valuable external perspective.
A writer – not the best writer in your office, not Joe the English major, but the most experienced, full-time B2B writer you can afford. They’ll build the bridge between Exec and audience and ensure the narrative makes sense, ideas are brought to life, and key messages are communicated with clarity, simplicity, brevity and personality.
Tip: one person can fill both interviewer and writer roles, but this really only works if they’re seasoned enough and the client’s familiar and feels comfortable with them.
4: None of the Ps, all of the Qs
The five Ps caution “proper preparation prevents poor performance”, but with our core briefing principles below, an Exec just needs to show up and talk about what’s important to them, their business, or their industry – and nothing else.
We’ve noticed many executives often use the briefing to clarify their own thinking on a subject, because until that point, they’ve rarely had the chance or head-space to explore a specific topic in any depth. The trick here is to help them crystallise their thinking into coherent points in real time..
Tip: it’s the interviewer’s job to make sure they get all the info they need. So come to the conversation with plenty of curiosity and questions to tease out the story, and fill in the details. It’s amazing what high-quality content you can get from a 30 or 60-minute conversation
5: Briefing principles
Our briefing process follows three core principles. Experienced marcomms people will be familiar with these, but it’s astonishing how much executive content fails to tick these three boxes:
Start at the end – what do you want readers to think after they’ve read an article? Simple emotive outcomes are good and will help everyone focus on the content’s key message. For example, “X is a smart cookie”, “That’s an interesting angle”, “Company Z’s challenges really strike a chord”, or “Wow, this will shake our industry up”. So much content these days has no clear conclusion – it’s not clear what takeaways we’re being asked to take away.
It’s a skirmish, not a blitzkrieg – bombarding readers with too much detail will make your content hard to digest. So make your point clearly and concisely, then move the conversation onto the next one to develop the narrative. And stick to 3-5 key messages, because the more you cram in, the fewer people remember.
“You talkin’ to me?” Travis Buckle’s most memorable line in Taxi Driver is a great reminder to always picture who you're trying to influence. Is it the Procurement Officer at company X? Is it the Marketing Director at company Y? Is it your own workforce, or CEOs, COOs, MDs or ‘Heads of…’? Wear their shoes and imagine talking with them one to one. What would you say and how would you say it?
Tip: with everyone’s permission, record the interview and use it to supplement your own notes and to capture as much of the Exec’s dialogue as you can. This will help their voice and tone come through in the content you create.
That’s it
That’s our process: identify your thought leaders, make a plan, assemble your team, prepare your Qs, and follow our three core briefing principles. It’s all you need to create at least two high-quality executive articles a month (sometimes three). All from a one-hour interview. And with next-to-no preparation for Execs.