Editorial is content written to inform and engage audiences without the primary goal of promoting a product or service. When strategically used, this type of content can help brands build credibility, improve the customer journey and drive leads. It is essential to differentiate between editorial and commercial (or advertorial) content when creating a content strategy, as each has distinct advantages for your organization.
While it may be difficult to write an editorial that has a wide audience appeal, it is still possible for businesses to create compelling editorial content. A strong editorial will assert a point of view that is supported by facts and objective analysis. It will also be able to address counter-arguments from the other side and show how it reconciles these differing views.
The most popular type of editorial is a criticism piece, which seeks to persuade readers to think about an issue in a different way. Other editorial types include opinion pieces that disagree with the status quo on a topic and articles that explain how news events are connected.
To develop editorials that resonate with audiences, start by identifying the topics your target audience cares about most. Next, decide whether your business will develop these pieces in-house or license content from leading publications with a proven editorial track record. If you choose to develop your own content, be sure to hire writers with experience writing editorials and that have a solid grasp of journalistic principles.