Years ago, when I was attending Keene State College in the lovely Monadnock region of New Hampshire, I decided I wanted to be a writer, and proverbial spoiler alert, I was lucky enough to actually become one. I’ve written for multiple magazines, newspapers, and websites, and I created a whole lot of marketing copy. I’ve written commercial video scripts and even optioned and sold movie scripts.
I started as a correspondent for the New Haven Register. I got paid by the column inch. You were expected to be in the office during the day, especially the morning, to answer questions about stories being edited and you were also expected to cover town meetings at night. So, lots of hours and less pay every time a word got snipped from an already concise article. It might not pay well, but writing for newspapers is a great skill builder. That said, it didn’t take long to learn a single freelance magazine article for the right magazine paid more than twice what I could make in a week at the newspaper. The newspaper had some exciting moments, and it was a great learning experience, but I readily and quickly made the move to magazines. Here I went from freelancer to full-time editor to executive editor and finally group editor-in-chief.
Along the way, I’ve worked as an editor on standardized tests and as a technical writer, via a contractor, for Pratt & Whitney. At these positions, I was lucky to work with great people, but I also learned a lot. Because attention to detail was critical for standardized tests, editing was often a team and sometimes even a large group effort. They also had a well-developed process they relied on with signoffs for each step in the process. It was never about blame. It was always about improving the system. In a similar fashion, the team of engineers I worked with at Pratt & Whitney drove every improvement via an absolute dedication to root cause analysis. It was never about blame. It was always about why. These two jobs changed me.
What’s interesting about a career in magazines, at least for writers, is the longer you do it, the less writing you do. At first, you typically just write. Then you write and edit. Stick around long enough and you’re just editing. And sooner or later, you get pulled into the business and marketing side as well. When I became an executive editor, I still wrote, but I wrote a lot less. Instead, I focused on leading and developing a team, branding, audience acquisition and retention, organization, systems, and more. I learned how much making magazines was marketing. I got to implement and further develop my dedication-to-audience approach. It’s all about the audience. I had the opportunity to truly mentor, which I thoroughly enjoy. I had a simple goal for the team. Make every issue better than the last. It was a great experience. Over the years, I have been an editor for four publishers and written for multiple magazines.
As a marketing professional, I use all the skills I developed working in media. It’s still all about the audience. It’s still about constant improvement. It’s still about building brand and product awareness and relevance. While a day doesn’t go by where a new marketing buzzword isn’t making the rounds, the fundamentals remain the same. There are still funnels. There are still journeys. There’s still the all-important audience. Marketing isn’t about the new secret or the hot trend. Marketing is about people. Know the people and you’ll sell the product or service.
Over the years, I have worked closely with product developers and engineers across multiple industries. I learned cross-team collaboration making magazines and knowing how to work as a team is incredibly beneficial in marketing. From concept through final launch, I’ve been the marketing voice in the room making sure products fit the brand and connect with the right audience. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing product developers and have loved this creative outlet. Some of my best work has come out of those cross-functional collaborations.
I have a highly brand-focused approach and have enjoyed taking the concept of a brand to practical display and execution. My background in media and content creation has influenced my love and appreciation for content marketing. There’s simply no debating the importance of content marketing.
As an early adopter of social media, I not only thrived on the direct and instant access to the audience, I also readily took advantage of analytics. That instinct for data started early, as I managed content and brand across digital properties and it has shaped how I approach every marketing decision since.
matt higgins 