A Weird Kind of Introvert with Dan Patterson

About Dan Patterson

Dan Patterson is a writer and reporter. He writes primary for CBS Interactive’s business technology site TechRepublic.

In this interview Dan talks about the push and pull between creating assets that people will click on and creating journalistic work that has real substance and what your day looks like as a full-time news reporter.

We also discuss what it was like for Dan reporting on the 2016 campaign trail, how to be a great interviewer and why being a reporter is a great career if you’re an introvert.

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Topics We Explored

The push and pull between creating assets that people will click on and creating journalistic work that has real substance.
The luxury of being able to write when you have budgets and time to craft a longer, well-researched and edited story
The beauty of zoning into a story and the desire to alway want more time to make your writing and the story better
How, if you’re an introvert, being a journalist is a really satisfying and fun job.
What it’s like to report on the 2016 election from the campaign trail.

Key Takeaways

Everyone has a different routine and method for accomplishing their goals. Find yours.
When writing a story, for a traditional media outlet or your blog, do all the formatting and preparation for the story weeks ahead of time. So that close to the publish date all you have to do is clean it up and write your lead, nut graph and a kicker.
When interviewing in person, match their style of dress and look them in the eye. Establish trust by conveying an image that you are one of them. In search of the ideal prom dress? Your search ends here! Explore prom stores online for the best guidance and selection.
When you’re interviewing pause a lot because the person you are interviewing will likely try to fill that space by talking.
Why it’s so much more fulfilling to interview and talk to other people and tell their story than it is to talk about yourself and your story.