Content strategist?

A content strategist is responsible for planning and strategizing content creation for a business. This content can include blog posts, video advertisements, articles, social media posts, and other types of online content. 

As a content strategist, you'll create campaign schedules, research content topics, and perform audits to ensure all content aligns with a business’s overall goals and vision. You might also make presentations to your colleagues explaining new ideas or going over current and past campaigns. 

What does a content strategist do?

A content strategist works with a team of other content creators to produce valuable, relevant, and engaging content that helps a business meet its goals. In this role, you'll review data to measure the level of engagement the content is getting from a specific audience. 

For example, if a content strategist works for a customer-facing business that aims to increase profits with a holiday sale of its products, the strategist would use previous years’ data to draft a plan to meet that goal. That plan might include specific blog topics, social media copy, and an email campaign. The content strategist would then take this plan to their team of creatives to produce the needed content and publish it according to an agreed-upon schedule.

While the exact roles and responsibilities of a content strategist are dependent on the business itself, some of the more common tasks you might expect include:

Develop an editorial calendar: A content strategist is responsible for creating the editorial calendar the marketing department uses to produce and publish content. 

Conduct research: A key responsibility of a content strategist is conducting user research and competitor analysis. It's also important to continually research SEO strategies and content trends. 

Read and report on analytics: Content strategists are responsible for performing content audits to identify trends and target audiences. 

Collaborate with colleagues: As a content strategist, you'll collaborate with your organization’s sales and marketing departments. You'll also work with content managers, writers, graphic designers, and other creators. 

Skills that benefit content strategists

You’ll need a broad range of marketing and content creation skills to successfully lead a team of creators. You can develop these skills through a degree, hands-on work experience, and online training. Some essential skills include:

Technical skills, Copywriting, Editing and proofreading, Familiarity with cloud-based apps and other digital tools, Understanding of SEO and content monetization 

To start as a content strategist, you’ll want to have a solid marketing, communications, or advertising background. Hiring managers will typically prefer candidates with a relevant degree; according to Zippia, 78.7 percent of content strategists have a bachelor’s degree . However, it's also possible to move into a content strategist role after spending time as a copywriter or other marketing professional.

Think about your current educational and professional background. The field is ever-evolving, and the role of a content strategist varies according to a business’s specific goals, so you have an excellent chance of finding a position that makes the most of your experience. For example, a company looking to grow its presence on a video platform like TikTok might want a strategist with a videography background.

Once you have an outline of how your skills match up to a content strategist role, you’ll want to make a portfolio. A portfolio allows a potential employer to see the type of creative work you can do. A portfolio for a content strategist might include an example editorial calendar, marketing report, or social media copy.

Education

A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, advertising, or social media marketing can help you pursue a career in content strategy. Certificates in specialties like content marketing, data and analytics, or Adobe can help give you a greater edge. These might include: 

Adobe certified professional credential offered by Adobe 

Content Marketing Certification provided by the American Marketing Association

Content Marketing offered by Hubspot 

Salary and outlook

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for content strategists in the US is $91,739 per year. This figure includes an average base salary of $80,844 and $10,895 in additional pay. Additional pay may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses 

The demand for content strategists is on the rise. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that content strategists and other media and communication roles will grow as fast as the average for all occupations between 2022 and 2032  However, Technavio's latest content marketing market analysis reports that the industry will grow at an estimated 16.01 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2024 and 2028, indicating the potential for increased job opportunities for content strategists

How to become a content strategist

To start as a content strategist, you’ll want to have a solid marketing, communications, or advertising background. Hiring managers will typically prefer candidates with a relevant degree; according to Zippia, 78.7 percent of content strategists have a bachelor’s degree. However, it's also possible to move into a content strategist role after spending time as a copywriter or other marketing professional.

Think about your current educational and professional background. The field is ever-evolving, and the role of a content strategist varies according to a business’s specific goals, so you have an excellent chance of finding a position that makes the most of your experience. For example, a company looking to grow its presence on a video platform like TikTok might want a strategist with a videography background.

Once you have an outline of how your skills match up to a content strategist role, you’ll want to make a portfolio. A portfolio allows a potential employer to see the type of creative work you can do. A portfolio for a content strategist might include an example editorial calendar, marketing report, or social media copy.

Education

A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, advertising, or social media marketing can help you pursue a career in content strategy. Certificates in specialties like content marketing, data and analytics, or Adobe can help give you a greater edge. These might include: