What distinguishes content marketing from brand journalism?

However, success in the uppermost reaches of the funnel requires organizations to put the corporate agenda in the back seat, adopting instead a more journalistic approach to crafting and publishing their stories.

Enter brand journalism.

Not to be confused with content marketing, brand journalism is an upper-funnel tactic that delivers more than mere brand awareness. Telling the brand’s stories in a compelling, audience-focused way can create affinity, earn media coverage, build brand credibility and (when coupled with search and social strategies) deliver long-lasting online visibility.

The differences between brand journalism and content marketing

There are important differences between brand journalism and content marketing, and they’re best expressed not in terms of content output but in terms of intended outcomes. Content marketing and brand journalism deliver information that is both useful and interesting to audiences. So let’s look at the intended goals of brand journalism and content marketing, respectively. I’ll take a stab, and I welcome anyone else’s additions.

Brand journalism goal: Finding and telling brand stories in order to convey a comprehensive image of the brand and build brand awareness and affinity.