Meet: Abby Beard, Content Strategist
Abby first joined Envoy in 2015. She’s worn a lot of different hats but most recently been focused on content strategy. We recently sat down to chat about life in the early days of Envoy, the many things she’s learned, and her infinite interest in people.
What do you want to state for the record about yourself?
I’ve learned one of the most formative lessons of my life at Envoy — and that’s the fact that I find people to be infinitely interesting. From directly supporting customers to riding the startup wave with coworkers, I’ve been so inspired by their creativity, heart, and ability to conquer problems.
Tell us in your own words what you do at Envoy
Mostly, I write. And I write a lot — everything from landing pages and emails to in-product copy and Help Center articles. But beyond just writing, I get to think about the big picture, too. For example, we’re working on a new website right now (shhh!). In addition to writing all the content, I helped develop the sitemap and determine the information architecture, too.
Have you always been a content strategist?
Oh, no. I have a B.S. in food science and worked in the food industry for years, mostly in marketing. When a friend told me that Envoy was looking for someone who was good with people and could “do words,” I thought I might have the right skills — and I guess I did! I was hired to do support and build out our first Help Center. I really loved both, but as the company grew, it was natural for me to move into a more creative role.
Tell us about your typical day.
I’d say it’s a split between meetings and creative time. I work closely with product, product marketing, demand gen, and design, so depending on the hottest project, so I may be meeting with any of those folks. Meetings typically tee up the next creative project, then I get busy trying to deliver.
How do you typically interface with the design team?
Having a content strategist on the design team just makes sense since we’re often working in tandem. I try to write from a design mindset, considering little things like consistent line lengths that help set my team up for success. I also try not to view the design handoff as a one way street — we’re always tweaking copy in layout to create the best final product possible.
You were here in the early days! What was that like and how Envoy has evolved since?
We were such a tiny team in the beginning. And we were all trying to do our best. For me, this often meant following my gut. Mostly I remember trying to do right by our users, and I think that served us really well. Now, it’s exciting to watch Envoy use data and analytics to back up what we thought all along — that we’d be nowhere without our customers.
Rumor has it that you have a career change on the horizon. Can you tell us a bit about what’s next for you?
It’s true! I am in school to become a Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have to leave my position at Envoy to finish my training. I have such mixed emotions about it! I’m beyond excited for this new path, but I’m also sad to be moving on after over three years here.
If you had to pick a favorite memory from your time at Envoy, is there one that stands out?
I’ve been fortunate to be part of countless memories and milestones at Envoy, but I think that crafting our core values is one of my proudest achievements. To do so, I had many on-on-one conversations about what makes our team so special — and those are some of the memories I hold most dear. Now when I hear people refer to the core values, see the artwork created from them, and watch them being lived out everyday, it’s no exaggeration to say that I’m honored and humbled to have been part of such an impactful project.
Any final thoughts?
If my previous responses weren’t corny enough, I’ll leave you with this. Envoy was a place that empowered me to say “I don’t know” and look for answers in both my career and personal life. I know now that there are jobs out there that are more than jobs — places where you can experience ownership and autonomy if you show up, work hard, and be kind.
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