Select the optimal platform for your audience.
You developed a brilliant insight along the lines of the journalistic five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Now you face the delightful dilemma of choosing between three platforms to deliver it to the public.
Each has a distinct audience and purpose, and often is time-sensitive, according to my colleague Wayne Pollock:
- LinkedIn post
- Blog
- Article in an industry publication
To which I add a fourth: company newsletter.
Two of Pollock’s three questions are relevant here.
First: What’s the shelf life of the topic or angle to be covered?
- What is the change in the industry that companies or individuals need to address to be current?
- What is the trend in your or your client’s industry that colleagues, executives or business owners should capitalize on?
Rephrasing: HOW soon does your audience need to be updated, so they may respond to this development?
When your answer is IMMEDIATELY, a LinkedIn post, blog post or company newsletter may be the fastest way to introduce your idea to your contacts and readers.
On the other hand, consider this slightly different take: HOW long will your analysis be relevant?
When your idea will be valuable for months ahead, or the reader may need more time to implement your recommendation, an article in an industry publication may prove more informative and impactful.
A second question from Pollock is: How deep is the dive into the topic or angle?
More practically, HOW many words will it take you to fully develop the discussion of this issue?
- Will a short summary of three sentences suffice in a LinkedIn post or a blog post?
- Does the situation merit a more detailed exploration to set the context, address the consequences and arrive at a recommendation?
Note that your responses to these two HOW questions are not mutually exclusive. Often, an initial short post or blog may be developed into a longer and more substantial consideration of the issue in an article or newsletter.
Likewise, that published piece may be summarized in a shorter format and promoted on social media, directing readers with a link to the longer review of the topic.
The Five SIX W’s
As for the reporter’s paradigm of the five W’s cited above, here’s a reminder of the sixth W I created in my March 2025 newsletter:
- WHO is the audience you address
- WHAT do they care about
- WHEN, is this time sensitive
- WHERE are they looking for information
- WHY should they care
- WHAT do you want them to do next.
This Month’s Tip
What’s your BIG idea that people need to hear about? For example, technology overlays nearly every aspect in business and consumers’ lives. Consider:
- How are companies in a specific sector addressing privacy and security?
- What is the current — and projected — usage of AI in a certain industry?
For more questions prompting topical ideas, you may download the e-book How YOU Can Be the One Reporters Call here.
Contact
Let’s survey the landscape in your or your clients’ industry for your next LinkedIn post, blog post, industry magazine article or newsletter. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, book an appointment here or call me at 347.256.9141. Together, we’ll put on our reporter’s hat and incorporate the two HOW’s and the sixth W as you tackle that hot issue in your next writing project.
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