Your Content Strategist Career Guide for 2024

Content strategists create strategies and plans that help a business meet its goals through various types of digital content. They work with a larger team of content creators, such as writers and editors, to produce valuable content for the audience and encourage engagement with the business’s various platforms. 

Learn about content strategists, the education and experience you'll typically need to take on this position, how to grow in the industry, and the skills you may need to succeed.

Read more: What Is Content Strategy? + How to Create Yours

What is a 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 

Workplace skills

• Communication

• Multitasking

• Analytical skills 

• Leadership

• Attention to detail

• Organization 

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 [1].

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 [2]. 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 [3]. 

Read more: What Is a Good Salary?

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 [4]. 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 

Experience

Because content strategists are responsible for high-level strategy creation, many businesses look for candidates with relevant experience that the strategist will oversee. To qualify for this role, your first step will be getting an entry-level content creator or marketer role. Experience in one of these roles shows a business that you’re familiar with the specifics of content creation. If you aren’t already in the field, an internship is a solid first step into a content strategist career.

Possible content strategist career path

To become a content strategist, you’ll first need to get a position within the marketing field. Here are some roles and their base salary ranges to consider applying for:

• Copywriter (US): $55,000 and $92,000 per year [5]

• Digital marketing professional (US): $56,000 and $104,000 [6]

From there, you could develop your skills and build experience, giving you opportunities to either earn a promotion into a content strategist or senior role or seek a position with a different company.

Where do content strategists work?

Content strategists work in a wide variety of industries. In this role, you might work at a marketing firm that manages multiple clients or in-house for corporations or organizations that cater their products or services to the public.

Getting started with Coursera

As a content strategist, you might help create content. Still, you'll also take on tasks like analyzing data, creating an editorial calendar, and collaborating with other members of the marketing team to focus on a specific project. 

Continue learning about the field and prepare for a career as a content strategist with courses designed for every skill level. On Coursera, you can learn about the specifics of a content strategist career with Northwestern University’s course, Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization, where you can learn about the skills necessary to start as a content specialist. You may also want to explore The Art of Visual Storytelling by The University of Colorado Boulder or Northwestern University’s Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization, both available on Coursera.