The Craft: Recent Episodes
Shorthand
The Craft is a Shorthand podcast for professional content creators to learn more about the people, process, and strategy behind the best content on the web. Join us as we talk with writers, designers, and editors about how to build better digital content. If you're looking for tips, tricks, and inspiration for your content strategy, then The Craft is for you.
In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Rachel Westbury, Senior Editor at Shorthand, welcomes Jonathan Crossfield, a content writer and editor who specialises in 'un-boring' content marketing.
In between client projects, Jonathan writes a regular column on content writing and creativity for CCO magazine, published by the Content Marketing Institute.
Jonathan shares some insights into his work as a B2B content writer, and provides some actionable advice on how to make your B2B content engaging not only to the algorithm, but your audience, too.
He explains “Don't just stop at the initial idea. If you’re willing to develop the content idea a little bit more before you brief it out, if you can come up with that second idea to add to it — to add an analogy or create an unique angle to tell this story that you know your competitors aren't using — that will give the writer more creative latitude to play with, and create a piece of content that will stand out from all the other pieces of content on the same topic.”
Listen as Rachel and Jonathan discuss his creative approach to content ideation, tips and tricks to up-levelling your content briefs, and how to use the three-act structure to your content-writing advantage.
Guest at a glance:
- Name: Jonathan Crossfield
- What he does: Jonathan calls himself a storyteller because writer, blogger, editor, content marketer, journalist, copywriter and speaker wouldn’t fit neatly on a business card.
- Company: Jonathan Crossfield
- Noteworthy: Jonathan writes a regular column on content writing and creativity for CCO Magazine, published by the Content Marketing Institute.
- Where to find Jonathan: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Rachel Westbury, Senior Editor at Shorthand, welcomes Dr Caroline Graham, Lecturer in Digital Journalism at The University of Queensland.
Caroline is the co-author of bestselling Australian novel, Larrimah. She’s also the co-author and co-producer of the Walkley Award-winning investigative true crime podcast series Lost in Larrimah.
Caroline shares some insights into her work as an investigative journalist, and talks about the importance of close observation, collaboration, and empathy in journalism.
She explains “We live in really divisive times, and I believe that stories are important. They’re a way to slip inside, for a little while, the lives of people who are different to you. I hope that the process of doing that makes us kind and more empathic.”
Listen as Rachel and Caroline discuss the emergence of slow journalism, the democratisation of storytelling, and how to overcome the challenges of longform story production.
Guest at a glance:
- Name: Dr Caroline Graham
- What she does: Caroline is a Lecturer in Digital Journalism at The University of Queensland.
- Company: The University of Queensland
- Noteworthy: Caroline is the co-author of the Australian bestseller Larrimah (Allen & Unwin, 2021), which was shortlisted for an Indie Book Award and has been optioned by NBC Universal and Matchbox Pictures for potential development into a scripted TV series. She’s also the co-author and co-producer of the investigative true crime podcast series Lost in Larrimah (The Australian, 2018), which won a Walkley Award, an NT Media Award and was a finalist in the Quills Awards and the Australian Podcasting Awards.
- Where to find Caroline: Research Profile | Twitter | LinkedIn
Links from this episode:
- Larrimah novel
- Lost in Larrimah podcast
- The Last Sound, Invisibilia — podcast by NPR
- Shorthand Awards
- Dr Caroline Graham Research Profile
- Dr Caroline Graham Twitter
- Rachel Westbury on LinkedIn
- Shorthan
In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Dawn Murden, VP of Customer Success at Shorthand, welcomes Ronan Hughes, Output Editor at Sky News.
Ronan speaks about the importance of news verification and fact checking, particularly in this era of smartphone journalism, social media, and a rapidly evolving news cycle.
As he explains, “It's much better to be cautious than foolhardy. Even if you are 90% sure that something is right, don't publish it. Only publish it if you're a hundred percent sure — that's really important.”
Listen as Dawn and Ronan discuss the pressures of covering complex world news, the importance of accuracy and truth-telling to maintain audience trust, and how to harness creativity and technology to produce innovative content.
Guest at a glance:
- Name: Ronan Hughes
- What he does: Ronan is the Output Editor at Sky News.
- Company: Sky News
- Noteworthy: Ronan is responsible for everything published on the Sky News website and app. In his 17 years at Sky News, Ronan has covered every major news story — from the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, to the Russia-Ukraine war, and everything in between. Outside of work, Ronan is a father of two, and an avid supporter of the Manchester United football team.
- Where to find Ronan: LinkedIn | Twitter
Links from this episode:
- Who's Who — coverage of guest arrivals at the Royal Wedding using AI technology by Sky News
- Brexit by Numbers by Sky News
- Who owns Antarcticaby Sky News
- The Plastic Nileby Sky News
- Case study: How Sky News uses Shorthand
- Ronan Hughes on LinkedIn
- Ronan Hughes on Twitter
- Dawn Murden on LinkedIn
- Shorthand on LinkedIn
A brand story is the unique narrative that tells the world who you are, what you do, and why you do it. It's the emotional core of your brand — it humanises your business, and draws your audience in. But when it comes to marketing your brand story, where do you begin?
In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Rachel Westbury welcomes Kyra Denlinger and Zach Bell, Co-Founders of Bell Media Group, an agency that specialises in helping brands find and market their unique stories.
As Zach explains, “The information that we receive from our client’s storytelling session is so rich that it allows us to craft what we're looking for in the end product.”
Kyra adds, “Your story is valuable and worth telling. We really want the people we work with to know that their story is important — it matters, it means something, in and of itself, beyond its marketing value, beyond its sales value, or anything else.”
Listen as Zach and Kyra discuss how they launched and grew their marketing agency, share insights into how they went viral on TikTok, and delve into their brand storytelling philosophy.
Digital magazines offer a unique opportunity for editorial teams to reach a wider audience than ever before. But finding success with a digital magazine requires careful planning and thoughtful execution. So how can editorial teams find digital success?
In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Rachel Westbury welcomes Matt McGregor, Director of Content at Shorthand, and Thomasin Sleigh, Senior Editor at Shorthand.
They discuss the differences between print and digital content, how to build a content strategy that takes both formats into account, and the importance of putting your audience first — from content design, to user experience, and everything in between.
They also dive into the challenges and opportunities that editorial teams face, and share their advice on managing all aspects of a digital magazine.
Guests-at-a-Glance
- Name: Matt McGregor & Thomasin Sleigh
- What they do: Matt is the Director of Content at Shorthand, and Thomasin is a Senior Editor at Shorthand.
- Company: Shorthand
- Noteworthy: Matt used to manage a small nonprofit that worked in copyright, and he dealt with different aspects of the publishing industry. Thomasin's background is in arts, and she has worked in galleries and communication roles.
- Where to find them: Matt's LinkedIn | Thomasin’s website
In this episode of The Craft, our host Rachel Westbury welcomes Ryan Law, VP of Content at Animalz — a content marketing agency for SaaS companies, to discuss how AI is changing content marketing.
Ryan shares his winning content marketing strategy, and explains the importance of knowing your audience.
As Ryan says, “I almost never write for keywords. I never care about traffic. I write for a very small, very precise audience. And when they find us, they talk about us, they care about us, and they are quite interested in working with us as well.”
Listen as Rachel and Ryan discuss keyword-free content marketing, embracing emerging technologies, and bringing your passions into your profession.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Guest name: Ryan Law
- What he does: He's the VP of Content at Animalz.
- Company: Animalz
- Noteworthy: Ryan is a content marketer that’s worked with companies including Google, GoDaddy, Clearbit, Wistia and Algolia. He’s also the author of two novels, the host of the Ash Tales podcast, and the guitarist for The Schrödinger Effect.
- Where to find Ryan: Website | LinkedIn
In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Rachel Westbury welcomes Nahum Hendricks, Creative Director and Production Manager at Seven West MINT.
Nahum shares how his agency embraced creative operations to produce high-quality campaigns in less time.
As Nahum says, “This concept of creative ops is a really exciting venture, for any industry. We're appreciating structure and its importance, but doing it in an intuitive way that doesn't stamp out creativity or make you seek to create uniformity per se — it seeks to create consistency and maximise creative potential.”
Listen as Nahum and Rachel talk about strategy as a creative act, the importance of leading upwards, and how to use creative operations to manage teams — without micromanaging them.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Nahum Hendricks
- What he does: He's the Creative Director and Production Manager at Seven West MINT.
- Company: Seven West MINT
- Noteworthy: Nahum leads the team responsible for the creative production of branded content for Seven West Media WA's commercial partners. He handles everything — from pitch to publication, and ideas to invoices.
- Where to find Nahum: LinkedIn
In this episode of The Craft, our host Rachel Westbury welcomes Ricky Robinson, CEO of Shorthand.
Ricky explores the democratisation of storytelling, and how digital tools are allowing for continuous innovation online.
As Ricky says, “It might feel like we've already pushed the web to its limits, but there are whole new dimensions of magic to be discovered in what's possible within a web browser and how that translates into brilliant new ways to conjure emotion, transmit knowledge, and move minds and hearts. I know, because like we're hard at work on this stuff.”
Listen as Rachel and Ricky discuss making hard decisions as an entrepreneur, embracing emerging technologies, and his vision for the future of storytelling and for Shorthand.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Ricky Robinson
- What they do: Ricky is the CEO of Shorthand
- Company: Shorthand
- Noteworthy: Ricky co-founded a couple of machine learning startups and spent eight-and-a-half years at Australia's premier technology R&D institute as a researcher and business developer.
- Where to find Ricky: LinkedIn
In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Rachel Westbury chats with Michael Jones, Publications Editor at The University of Queensland (UQ).
Michael shares how UQ’s alumni and community magazine Contact leveraged expert analysis to boost audience engagement.
As Michael says, “Our audiences are looking for trusted sources — so why shouldn't the community come to a university to get those expert analyses on the big topics facing society? Universities are the epitome of a trusted organisation with so many experts on hand.”
Listen as Michael and Rachel discuss the content strategy that saw Contact Magazine’s reader engagement soar, the shift from print to digital journalism, and the importance of following your career passions.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Michael Jones
- What they do: He’s the Publications Editor at The University of Queensland
- Company: Contact Magazineat The University of Queensland
- Noteworthy: He has over 17 years of experience as a journalist and an editor in daily newspapers and in the higher education industry. While working for newspapers, Michael specialised in newspaper page layouts and later focused on editorial design in magazines.
- Where to find Michael: LinkedIn | Design portfolio
In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Dawn Murden chats with Meredith Metsker, Content Marketing Manager at uConnect.
Meredith shares advice and practical tips on how to build a personal brand online. As Meredith says, “[...] Work on building your personal brand. Whether that's on LinkedIn or somewhere else — whatever your platform of choice — because in my mind, what better way to show how to market something and brand something than building your own personal brand?”
Listen as Meredith and Dawn discuss the importance of getting to know your community, crafting high-value content that inspires your customers, and managing work-life balance.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Meredith Metsker
- What they do: Meredith is the Content Marketing Manager at uConnect
- Company: uConnect
- Noteworthy: Before working in content marketing, Meredith was a newspaper journalist covering a variety of beats. Today, they use their journalism skills to create branded content that is inspired by real customers and their stories.
- Where to find Meredith: LinkedIn
In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Dawn Murden chats with Eva Domínguez, Director at Immersive Creatures.
Eva shares how to use technologies like augmented reality (AR) and 3D tools to create immersive stories. As Eva says, “You can go big depending on the resources you have, but you can start small [...] so you learn the language, what works, and what doesn't work.”
Listen as Eva and Dawn discuss the importance of trying new technologies to differentiate your brand, give value to your community, and tell stories in new ways.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Eva Domínguez
- What she does: Eva is the Director at Immersive Creatures
- Company: Immersive Creatures
- Noteworthy: Eva is a digital and immersive content expert, AR producer, and scriptwriter who has worked in the digital field for more than 20 years. She also holds a PhD in Immersive Journalism.
- Where to find Eva: LinkedIn | Personal website
With the rise of misinformation online, the role of science communication in the research sector has never been more important. But misinformation travels fast, leaving reputable sources to work twice as hard to fight its spread.
In this episode of The Craft podcast, join Shorthand’s Dawn Murden and Andrew Youngson, the News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London. They discuss how communication leadership has changed over the last decade, the importance of measuring user enjoyment on social media, and how to stop the propagation of false information online.
Guest-at-a-Glance
- Name: Andrew Youngson
- What he does: He's the News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London.
- Company: Imperial College London
- Noteworthy: Andrew is a published author. He wrote a Sci-Fi mystery novel called The Memory Project.
- Where to find Andrew: LinkedIn
Some inspiring content from Andrew:
- COVID-19: six months on the frontline
- Mission to the sun
- 9 things you can do about climate change
More links:
- Dawn Murden on LinkedIn
- Shorthand on LinkedIn
Episode Summary
Businesses have always been using different media formats to get to their customers. But, as the media evolved, it changed our perception of effective marketing. Today, marketers put a lot of effort into creating online content that will stand out in an already packed digital space.
However, that's easier said than done. Finally, we've come to the point where modern content creators should turn to traditional journalism and good old storytelling to emphasize the people behind the brand and not the brand itself.
In the first episode of The Craft, our hosts Dawn Murden and Jay Miller discuss the evolution of online content, the most common mistakes content creators make, and what marketers can take from traditional journalism to make their content appealing to the audience.
They also discuss the past and present of content marketing and journalism and share their visions of what the future holds for these two fields.
Key Insights
🎙️ Quality over quantity. Many believed that new media would destroy traditional media. But, that wasn't the case. Television, radio, and newspapers still have their loyal audience and companies who follow the proven formula of "be where your customers are" use both. However, traditional media has transitioned to the web, using the tools and technology available today. They have also adopted various approaches that companies use to improve their online appearance. That's why today's journalists and content creators can look up to each other because their goal is almost identical—to create high-quality content. ''A lot of similarities to content marketing. From clickbait and from quantity to quality and having a point of view, having a brand narrative, having a story that you want to tell, and focusing on adding value back to your audience,'' says Jay.
🎙️ We all consume content differently. The question bothering most content creators is how to create personalized content. Although the concept of an ideal customer profile is the foundation of every marketing strategy and sales process, companies must acknowledge that a one-size-fits-all approach in content marketing is not as effective as before. ''Recognizing that everyone in this world is different and that we all consume content in very different ways. There are many reasons we will consume things differently and learn differently. [...] I think journalism has a real place in educating and informing people in that way. And if there was more accessibility, gamification, personalization, and a recognition that people consume information differently, then, we could have a more informed and engaged world,'' explains Dawn.
🎙️ Storytelling is critical. No one wants to cooperate with faceless organizations—people like working with people, asking them for advice, suggestions, and help. Consumers want to know the people behind a brand. So what's the best way to introduce your team and bring your vision closer to potential customers or clients? ''Storytelling is what enables you to establish an emotional connection between your brand and your audience. And that's what you're after, as marketers. That's what you're trying to do: establish an emotional connection between your brand, story, company, and audience. It's only then that you're able to make your brand memorable, land customers aligned to the mission and vision of your company, and ultimately have your business be much more successful. That's why storytelling is so important,'' explains Jay.
Episode Highlights
The Evolution of Online Content: From Ads to Storytelling
''I've been in marketing for a little over 25 years and been leading marketing teams for the latter half of that. In the early part of my career, the content was about advertising your product, educating customers about your product in terms of case studies, features and benef