5 reasons I may be a good fit
Hi, I’m Blake Snow. I want to sell you great stories.
In short, I help Fortune 500 and other organizations in one of two ways: 1) Write great stories on their behalf to boost their online audience by as much as 200%, not unlike the hundreds of stories I’ve written for half of the top 20 U.S. media as a popular journalist, and/or 2) Write great stories on their behalf for internal publication to influence stakeholders, amplify the company line, and galvanize communication and culture efforts.
To that end, I also guide respected consumer and enterprise brands as a retained consultant to help them chart, deploy, analyze, adapt, and maintain successful editorial and content marketing campaigns. I typically work to deliver audience engagement and/or growth through objective (read: believable) reporting, astute observations, and great storytelling.
Whether you’re looking to add a growth-generating, engaging, and distinctive voice to your existing editorial team, an experienced editor to help unify and lead disparate content creators, or unsatisfied with your current content identity, strategy, or performance, here are five reasons I may be a good fit:
The market has already vetted me.
Being a good writer and reaching millions of people are two very different things. Your company needs both. I’ve done both. More specifically, I’ve been published in NBC, CNN, Fox, Wired Magazine, WSJ, Business Week, Gawker, Conde Naste and many others hundreds of times since 2005 (thousands more if you count short blog posts). But more than just the quality of outlets I have contributed to, my stories have the propensity to connect with massive amounts of readers. I reached 15 million people with three separate stories in a single day, thanks to social media. I was the second most read tech writer for NBC for more than a year, according to Omniture. With one exception, all of my work for CNN has held the top tech story position for 24 hours or more, and many of my other pieces elsewhere trend abnormally high. As a custom news producer for technology, enterprise, electronics, and consumer companies, I’ve helped dozens of Fortune 500 brands grow their online audience by 15% in saturated markets, and more than 10X in unsaturated markets. That puts me in the unique position of understanding what kinds of stories (and headlines) connect with readers most. It also shows that I know how to identify, angle, and weave great stories for a variety of audiences and clientele. (For example, here are some pieces I’ve written that demonstrate the sophisticated, playful, and accessible voice I advise my clients to have: CNN, NBC, Wired, FOX.)
I follow data as much as my heart.
Not only do I use analytics to dictate my next story, I mine them from a strategic standpoint to profile prospective audiences and ensure the best possible user experience when interacting with content. Two years ago, a well-known manufacturer retained me as a content expert to help them overhaul their digital communications (website, mobile, newsletter) budgeted at $5 million dollars. They were perplexed when I asked for analytics access (“What’s a content guy need with analytics?”), but were thrilled several months later by the analysis and interpretation I provided that dictated the best way their content could be produced, distributed, and used. Since then, no longer do they view me as a just really good content guy, but an insights and interpreter of relevant data guy that results in a more effective message.
I only work on accounts I’m passionate about.
Thanks to a lot of hard work at the onset, I’m fortunate enough to be picky with the accounts I work on. That means I only partner with brands and products I already believe in, use, are intrigued by, and/or are rooting for. In return, this ensures my clients get passionate stories. Assigned stories are some of the least read in all media. The trick is finding someone who can not only tell the story, but believes in it.
95% of my accounts re-up with me within a year
That includes my commercial clientele and many media outlets that continue to use me as a contributing writer. In short, my service works more often than not. And most continue to retain me for several years, the added bonus being they don’t lose money on vendor turnover. Of the accounts that do “break up” with me, it’s usually for one of two reasons: We’re simply not a good fit for each and disagree about what messaging strategy and stories work best for them. Or to be perfectly blunt, they (like a lot of other budget-minded media properties) risk their writing and stories to unproven (i.e. entry-level) writers and hope for the best. Sometimes that works. Usually it doesn’t. I’ve even had a client return to me after their traffic dropped when outsourcing the writing to more affordable writers. The take-away: Great storytelling has a price. (see also: success stories)
I write editorial, not advertorials
If you want to supply a set message to market, whether the market demands it or not, hire an ad or social media agency, or anyone that staffs a “content department.” If you want a story that actual people are interested in reading and sharing, hire me. My background is in editorial, the lifeblood of effective content marketing campaigns. I’ve reached millions, not hundreds or thousands. I don’t do copywriting or public relations and then sell content to my clients as an aside. I sell content and great stories first and foremost. I grow traffic, increase engagement, click throughs, and open rates. I influence target audiences with the written word.
Still have your attention? Let’s talk. I’m not one to drag an elevator pitch, so it would only take a minute to see if I’m worth more due diligence.
Thanks for considering me.
See also