What Is B2B Journalism? An Introduction

Journalism has always been an essential part of the content marketing landscape. Focused on educating, entertaining, and informing an audience, journalism requires extensive research on behalf of the writer. 

To succeed in journalism, creative professionals need to be able to assess information, gather data from complementary sources, and present information as effectively as possible. 

What separates journalism from creative writing is a focus on objectively presenting the facts. Journalists convey truthful information from reliable sources. However, how the facts are presented can sometimes influence the reader’s thoughts. 

In the B2B landscape, journalism is a valuable way of spreading brand awareness, increasing a company’s reach, and improving an organisation’s credibility.

Defining B2B Journalism: What Does B2B Journalism Cover? 

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, the content created by a B2B can come in a range of different formats and styles. For instance, a person reporting on a news story through a YouTube video is a form journalist. 

The people who publish announcements and press releases about companies, their latest products, achievements, or transformations are also engaged in B2B journalism. New media outlets for B2B journalism are emerging all the time. News teams on social media can share industry news snippets on Twitter and Facebook or post videos on Instagram. 

There are podcasts dedicated to reporting industry and business updates, similar to a radio show, focusing on a specific sector or brand. There are also online news publications committed to sharing the latest information about an industry with a particular audience. For instance, UC Today is a B2B journalism website that shares information about Unified Communications. 

Outside the digital world, there are also a host of more traditional forms of journalism, like television news reports, radio announcements, magazines, newspaper articles, and more. 

The Common Types of B2B Journalism

All forms of journalism create educational, informative pieces of content. However, like B2C journalism, there are also different styles of B2B journalism, which focus on presenting information in a specific way. The most common examples include:

• News journalism: The most common form of B2B journalism involves providing business buyers with news about another company. For instance, a news report or press release about a new contact centre technology would be a form of B2B journalism. News journalism aims to provide accurate, concise, and objective information, often with tiny opinions or insight from the writer. 
• Investigative journalism: Investigative journalism addresses a specific question for the B2B landscape. For instance, an investigative journalist might look to answer questions about the latest trends in the XR landscape. To deliver this information, they would have interviews with industry leaders, read reports, and collect data from their chosen industry. The idea is to dive deeper into any available data that might provide valuable insights. 
• Review journalism: Review journalism is exactly what it sounds like. The B2B landscape usually involves a B2B company sending a product to a writer or news reporter, who objectively reviews the item from a B2B perspective. For instance, you might read a review about the performance of a new webcam for business meetings. 
• Column journalism: Column journalism in the B2B landscape is a little more personalised than most forms of journalism. While the goal is still to inform readers, there’s usually a focus on a specific area, including various interviews, deep-dive investigations, news reports, and other forms of content. For instance, a site might have a “column” of B2B content dedicated to reviewing new updates in the VR marketplace.
• Broadcast journalism: Similar to news journalism, broadcast journalism involves sharing information about recent updates as quickly as possible to the widest audience. Broadcast journalism can often involve live videos and interviews. In the digital world, broadcasts can take place on social media channels like LinkedIn.

How is B2B Journalism Different to B2C Journalism?

All forms of journalism, whether they’re directed towards a consumer audience or a business crowd, are tools for education and information. Journalistic reports are backed by facts and research rather than purely on opinion or imagination. However, you might notice some major differences when interacting with B2B journalism.

First, in B2B journalism, it’s common to see a different tone of voice and the use of unique, industry-specific language. B2B journalists know their audiences are already familiar with a particular set of terms. For instance, a B2B journalist wouldn’t necessarily have to explain what “UCaaS” meant every time they wrote a report for a UC publication. The tone in B2B journalism is often more professional, systematic, and formal. However, some publications break free from this mould. 

B2B journalists also know they’re speaking to people with a very different decision-making process. When writing investigative pieces to help a customer choose the right meeting tools, for instance, a journalist knows they need to consider everything from ROI for a business buyer to potential risk factors. The content is usually more logical, straightforward, and backed up with significant evidence, statistics, and facts. 

B2B customers are less interested in the emotional side of journalism for the most part. They also require writers to understand the industry they’re writing for deeply. This helps to create a sense of trust. 

Exploring B2B Journalism

With the right B2B journalism strategy, companies can build credibility with their target audience by placing news reports and transparent information on well-known publications. Journalism can also help B2B companies provide business buyers with more information and guidance when making crucial purchasing decisions. 

While B2B journalism is just one form of content writing embraced by modern brands, it’s often a valuable tool for demonstrating a company’s professional and reputable nature.