Print is the last uninterrupted space on planet Earth – Philippa Morgan

Philippa Morgan, Senior Creative Consultant and multiplatform lifestyle writer, Alice Morey take to the Vogue Education Presents stage for a special in-conversation to talk all things writing, content, and audiences. 

About Alice Morey

Alice graduated from the Condé Nast College’s BA (Hons) in Fashion Media in 2020. Since then, she has gone on to hold positions at Condé Nast and Gay Times as a staff writer. Alice initially started her studies in politics before realising she wanted to pursue a more lifestyle-based career. As a writer, Alice has a knack for thought-provoking, topical articles, as well as interviewing celebrities. 

About Philippa Morgan

Philippa Morgan is a Senior Creative Consultant. She was formerly the Global Director of Content Planning & Editorial Director, Licensing at Condé Nast, and Head of Planning at Vogue International. Philippa worked at Condé Nast for over 14 years and was the Chief Digital Editor at Vogue Arabia, the debut digital-first launch of a Vogue title, and the Editorial lead for the Vogue Philippines launch.

Philippa Morgan & Alice More talk it out

During their conversation, Condé Nast College alumna, Alice Morey gave students a fantastic insight into writing for different platforms, getting yourself out there, and being adaptable, whilst discussing the metamorphosis of journalism in a phygital landscape. 

Philippa talked about the change in how audiences receive content and how prior to digital journalism you wouldn’t always know how your audience felt about your article. She also noted that with the emergence of digital, being a digital writer was often looked down upon, and how things have certainly shifted since she started in media. Both Alice and Philippa placed importance on how writing is still very much needed but that the platforms are likely to shift and change time and time again, rather than being discarded altogether. Philippa noted the rising takeup of Substack as a media source for those wanting bespoke content, and Alice underlined the importance of utilising TikTok to showcase your storytelling skills. 

An important facet of the changing mediascape Philippa noted was that, while it seems there aren’t as many magazine jobs as there once were, the location of those storytelling jobs has changed. With brands wanting to tell their own stories, writers now have the opportunity to work directly with brands to craft their narratives. 

Tone of Voice & Being Versatile as a Writer

Alice and Philippa talked about the importance of honing your craft as a writer and developing your tone of voice. They emphasised the importance of being able to bring your own unique voice to journalism, but also, needing to be versatile and take on house style when working with brands and different magazines. Philippa spoke about how she would often have to write for GQ, Glamour, Vogue, and Brides all in a day, but that she would have a post-it with the key audience profile on her desk to remember who she was writing for. Whereas Alice spoke about how she would have to shift from writing about hard news on a topic such as gay marriage rights to switching to celebrity interviews.  What can be deduced from a day in the life of a busy writer, is that adaptability is key, but also knowing your unique style and what you as a writer bring to the table. 

Philippa Morgan’s Top Journalism Tips

Off the back of discussing what has changed with journalism and the best contemporary practices for creating content, Morgan refers to her core practice, which she has coined as the ‘Big Why’. She mentions the importance of really interrogating the purpose of what you are wanting to write about before you start and putting the audience front and centre. 

Noting the key questions to ask yourself are: 

• Why are you writing that story?
• Who is it? 
• What do you want them to feel? What emotions do you want to elicit? 
• Has it been written before? 
• If it hasn’t and you’ve got a strong point if it has been written?

And once you’ve asked yourself those questions, looking at where your article has landed. Comb through the analytics and see how the article has performed, fully utilising what digital has done for us. Morgan talks about the print and digital symbiosis stating, “Digital needs to do what print cannot do.”

Philippa’s predictions for the future of content 

“I think there’s going to be much, much more emphasis and interest in storytelling that has global relevance people more curious about different cultures than ever before, and that’s a really beautiful thing.”

Interested in learning more about journalism, try our 5 days of Fashion Journalism course, or even our MA in Fashion Journalism & Editorial Direction