RESOURCES FOR GETTING STARTED IN CONTENT
Over the past few years, I’ve talked with many recent graduates and career pivoters who want to know more about paths in content strategy and related fields. My most frequent suggestion is to build a website or blog to showcase their content abilities. It’s fairly easy to stand up a site on Squarespace (that’s what I’m using) or WordPress. Having a portfolio website shows prospective clients and employers that you are digitally savvy and already “walking the walk.”
As I talked with more and more people about content careers, I began keeping a running list of links and resources to help them along. Now I’d like to share that list of resources here for anyone looking to learn more about what content strategists do.
Content Marketing vs. Content Strategy
Many job titles and descriptions will conflate content strategy and marketing. It is critical to understand the working definitions of “Content Marketing” and “Content Strategy,” how the disciplines differ and where they might overlap. You may find some crossover between strategy and execution depending on the role and organization in question, but it’s helpful to understand the nuances at play here.
When I think of “Content Strategy,” I picture someone who thinks structurally about content and collaborates with researchers, designers, product managers, project managers, and technologists to deliver human-centered solutions.
Once you get into the territory of marketing, copywriting, SEO optimization, editorial calendars, and content execution, then I think you’ve entered more of “Content Marketing” realm. Titling has shifted in recent years and now you may see more and more “Content Design” and “UX Writing” roles and you may see roles with a focus on Taxonomy or Information Architecture, Content Operations, or even Content Engineering as well. For a comprehensive overview and understanding of roles, I recommend starting with these posts:
Core Content Strategy Resources
Brain Traffic’s Content Strategist Reading List
Kristina Halvorson, founder of Brain Traffic, is one of the most influential leaders in content strategy. Check out Brain Traffic’s blogs, books, podcasts, and start with this comprehensive reading list. Along with Melissa Rach, Halvorson also co-authored a must-read book “Content Strategy for The Web.”
Think Company’s Career Tips & Resources for Aspiring Content Strategists
My colleagues pulled together a super robust list of resources and guidance for aspiring content strategists. I love that it features the voices of recruiters, design leaders, and content practitioners at Think Company about careers in content. There’s a great section on Tools of the Trade, which details the software we commonly use. I’ve been using both Airtable and Figma heavily on my teams. There’s a great post about Figma for UX Writing that I recommend checking out.
Working in Content
If you’re looking for open roles, then this job board is a must. Be sure to subscribe to the Working in Content newsletter, which shares in-depth interviews, educational events, and more. They’ve got great profiles with some very talented folks talking about their career pathways including Sarah Winters, Andy Welfle, and Michael Metts.
Content + UX
Check out Content + UX for its super thorough resource list and Slack group (you must request to join). The focus here is more on the intersection of content and user experience. The Slack group is very active and a good place to listen, ask questions, and make connections.
A Book Apart
A Book Apart is a top publisher for all things digital and design. The titles are really accessible and entertaining to read, but packed with tons of actionable information for beginners and even mid-to-senior level folks. The Elements of Content Strategy is a classic. I also recommend Everyday Information Architecture or the Content Strategy starter pack bundle.
GatherContent Blog
GatherContent is a software solution for content operations and has a ton of educational resources on its blog and frequent webinars too.
Contently Blog
Contently is a platform or marketplace that connects brands with freelance content marketers. It is more focused on the writing and marketing execution than strategy. If you have online clips, it’s easy to set up a Contently profile that links out to your posts and the blog is a good resource for learning about the industry.
Content Training & Conferences
Confab
Run by Brain Traffic, Confab is one of the most respected content strategy conferences out there. I like that Confab offers need-based scholarships to make the conference more widely accessible. Confab was also one of the first big events to go virtual during the pandemic and got a mention in Wired Magazine for its innovative approach! Sadly, the organizers are sunsetting this event and 2023 will be Confab’s final run.
Button
Also produced by the Brain Traffic team, Button is a content design conference with a focus on UX writing and content for products. I attended in 2022 and it was a very inspiring event. Wonderful for community-building and networking and soaking up thought leadership insights from some of the best minds in the space.
Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
CMI hosts Content Marketing World, which is one of the largest content events in the U.S. CMI also offers paid and free resources on its website.
Tip: Even if you don’t attend a conference, follow the conference hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. Follow the accounts of speakers and engaged attendees. It’s a great way to find out what people in the industry are talking about.
Hubspot Academy
HubSpot is a widely-used marketing automation platform. You will find a ton of resources around marketing and content on its blog and a free “Academy.” HubsSpot is most useful for getting up to speed on marketing concepts like the sales funnel and buyer’s journey, and learning how content can help generate leads and sales.
Google Courses
Both content strategists and marketers need to understand measurement. If you are just getting started in the field, the free Beginner's course for Google Analytics is a wonderful resource. Earning a Beginner Google Analytics Certification, will show recruiters and prospective clients that you understand the importance of data and measurement. Google also offers free training for Google Data Studio, a widely-used reporting dashboard that works in tandem with Google Analytics, and a course about promoting a business with content. I do not have direct experience with Google’s UX Certificate course, but it seems like a viable option for getting started and signaling your interest and immersion in the discipline on your resume and LinkedIn.
Tip: When viewing educational resources and training materials, be aware that software providers like HubSpot or GatherContent, and big platforms like Google, may have a little bit of bias in course materials. These companies will promote strategies and tactics that align with their software and business models.
Content-Adjacent Career Pathways
If you start your career in a content-focused role, other paths may open up along the way and interest you. It helps to take a hybrid approach to professional development and learn a little about complementary disciplines like paid media, digital marketing, email, user experience (UX) design, and search engine optimization (SEO). I have a few more resources below for SEO, email, and UX design in particular:
SEO Resources
SEO best practices can help you understand how people search for and discover content. I recommend checking out the blogs from these top SEO software providers: Ahrefs, DeepCrawl, and Moz. On the Ahref blog, start here with the basics. Moz also offers free and paid educational resources to learn SEO.
Email Marketing Resources
You will find roles focused exclusively on email marketing and some content marketing roles that include a little bit of email. Two of my favorite email marketing blogs are run by Litmus and Email on Acid. The Email Geeks Slack group is a very active and welcoming community of email marketers.
UX Design Resources
There are a ton of pathways in UX design including visual design, UI design, research, content strategy, copywriting, or a hybrid of several of these disciplines. In the content strategy world, job titles are quickly evolving (Content Designer, UX Writer, UX Content Strategist, Product Content Strategist) to better capture all of the skills and responsibilities that come into play as content folks are co-creating digital solutions.
To start learning more about UX, I’d suggest diving into some Nielsen Norman Group articles. InVision, a popular prototyping software also has an excellent design blog. If you’d like to better understand the field, then this helpful guide to career pathing shares the skills needed for different roles in UX design. This recent panel discussion, “So You Want A Job in UX in 2021?” shares helpful tips for job seekers and features two of my colleagues from Think Company.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your content journey!