Many content strategists I know got into the field because they’re fascinated by how people communicate and want to help them do it more effectively.
How I Became a Content Strategist
Most content strategists I know used to do something else. Librarian, copywriter, editor and pastry chef are just a few of the previous careers rattled off by some I’ve met. (OK, I made up the pastry chef, but it could happen.) The field is relatively new — the label “content strategy” was first documented sometime in the late ’90s — but the skills we use have been around forever. (Here’s a brief timeline for those interested.) We draw from a tool bag of editorial and writing, web design, business strategy and planning, and that mysterious alchemy known as “people skills.”
My own evolution to content strategist began as a copywriter. I’ve always loved to write, but sometimes found it frustrating to do nothing else professionally, especially since copywriters can get “siloed,” expected to perform their work alone without input from others. When someone in the field suggested I might find content strategy rewarding, I had a tough time understanding exactly what it was.
This line of work can be challenging to explain — my parents are still stumped as to exactly how I make my living — since it blends many disciplines and skills. Some of the time I’m doing research, assessing existing content in the form of a content audit or competitor evaluation. I’ve interviewed stakeholders to find out what they like about a current website and where they think it falls short. I’ve created editorial calendars to plan for maintenance over time, participated in content migration, site maps and planning governance. Since there’s no hard and fast definition for what content strategy is or isn’t, day to day work is often defined by the size of the entity you work for — in other words, who else they can afford to hire.
What I love about content strategy is the interaction with people in other roles. Unlike copywriting, which too often can be isolating, content strategists collaborate a lot with other team members. A great example is SEO. You don’t want to source and create all your content without thinking about how users will find it, but some organizations where I’ve worked leave SEO until content has been delivered, almost as an afterthought. Working from the beginning with folks who know how to make content findable cuts down on a lot of rework and ensures that content is relevant — a huge advantage.
Or consider stakeholder interviews. It can be extremely illuminating and revealing to hear from those most directly affected by whether or not the content is doing its job. I’ve heard content strategy described as the sweet spot between what the user is looking for and what the business wants to promote. But the stakeholders won’t just tell you what they want to see on the site. They should be able to tell you what they’re hearing from customers, what has and hasn’t worked in the past and why they want to do things the way they do. And everything you learn is useful as your content strategy develops and evolves.
Many content strategists I know got into the field because they’re fascinated by how people communicate and want to help them do it more effectively. So when I went about exploring content strategy, I found no shortage of blogs, books (with bibliographies listing other books and resources), meet-up groups and even international conferences devoted to diving into aspects of the field.
I also started asking content strategists to have coffee with me to learn how they’d made their way in and what they loved about their work. They tend to be a chatty, generous group, happy to explain how they got started, share resources and war stories. One year I was lucky enough to attend the big national conference in Minnesota, Confab Central, organized by Kristina Halvorson’s consultancy, Brain Traffic. (Halvorson was one of the first people to give our field a name in the early ’00s and wrote the book, literally: Content Strategy for the Web). People came from all over North America and a few other countries to hear talks on heuristics, personas, content modeling and to hobnob with others doing this work. And to eat a lot of cake. (For some reason, Confab Central is all about cake — I’m not saying that’s why it sells out every year, but from the number of excited #cake mentions I read and the crowds I saw in the conference center lobby when it appeared, Halvorson and Co. know what they’re doing.)
For me at least, becoming a content strategist felt like a natural progression from copywriting rather than going in a completely different direction (I’m talking to you, pastry chef school). Part of what I do will always entail writing. But rather than always being the worker bee who’s given a copy brief for a web page or an email and then has to follow directions while being creative, I love taking a few steps back and coming to an understanding of how our content can help someone connect with what they need, whether it’s a university curriculum, a health insurance plan, a luxury kitchen appliance or even a part for an engine powertrain. (And now I, too, have a content strategy blog.)
And when we get feedback or metrics that the app is so much easier to use now, or registration has gone up by 25%, or users can find what they need quickly and get on with their day, it feels pretty good.
In other words, piece of cake.
The views expressed in this post are that of the authors and may not reflect the views of the agency or company.
