No modern company wants a website that looks the same day after day, or social media feeds that never get updated.

But keeping all these channels packed with interesting content is far from easy. That’s why brands and agencies often hire Content Strategists to make sure that search engines, social media accounts and emails have plenty of info that keeps customers clicking.

The Creative Ladder’s Career Spotlight, presented by Smartsheet, features one of the many creative industry roles that today’s rising talents might want to consider as a rewarding career path. 

For those with a natural talent for both writing and planning, Content Strategist is a highly sought-after role with tremendous potential for growth.

What this role does:

A content strategist is responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating a content plan that aligns with the business and communication objectives to reach audiences across different channels.

Day to day, that means planning content that will be posted in the days, weeks and months ahead in all the places a company stays in touch with its customers: email, social media, websites, apps and more.

Salary range:

$61,000–$104,000 (average $80,000), per Glassdoor; $43,500–$118,000 (average $71,830), per Indeed..

Personality traits that thrive in this career: 

• Natural communication and storytelling ability

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for discovery

• Keen attention to detail

• Organizational and planning skills

• Creativity and ability to start conversations

• Empathy

• A willingness to learn and adapt

What they love about their role:

“The best part of my job is sharing the end result with our audience and seeing so much brand love from all over the world.” —Alexandra Fillion, content strategist

What recruiters look for in hiring this role:

• Strong writing and editing abilities

• Familiarity with spreadsheets and project management tools

• Experience with collaborative software (like Slack or Microsoft Teams)

• A good understanding of social media platforms

• The ability to work with writers and manage a freelance budget

• An understanding of the metrics and measurements that help improve content engagement over time

A sample career path for this role:

• Content Writer

• Content Specialist

• Content Strategist

• Senior Content Strategist

• Director of Content Strategy

• Chief Content Officer