How to Write Candid and Direct B2B Marketing Content (by Being a Fly on the Wall)

You may not know who D.A. Pennebaker is.

But you may know his films: Don’t Look Back, Monterey Pop Festival, Ziggy Stardust, and the Spiders from Mars, along with many others.

Before I turned to B2B copywriting, I spent 23 years producing and directing marketing films in the documentary format.

During that time, I had three filmmaking heroes:

1. Errol Morris

2. Albert Maysles

3. D.A. Pennebaker

In 1963, “Penny” pioneered the first synchronized, portable 16mm film camera and sound recording system, igniting the cinema verité (or “truthful cinema”) format.

The groundwork for future documentaries was now established

This new system enabled sound and camera people to move freely with—and about—their subjects, allowing them to be a “fly on the wall.”

The results were personal, candid, and direct.

Which is what our audiences want from our marketing, right?

Personal, candid, and direct communications.

But as a B2B consultant or business owner, how do you do that?

One of the best ways is to audio record your interviews.

Audio recording interviews allows you to become a “fly on the wall”

You let the recorder capture the content directly.

Transcribe the interview.

Edit.

Proofread.

Publish.

Being a fly on the wall is easy

Just use a microphone. 🙂