Top 10 Content Strategists to Run Your Marketing in 2024
Build a content strategy that educates, nurtures, and helps your audience, so you can convert them into buyers.
Updated March 1, 2024.
Feeling like your content marketing efforts are stuck in neutral? Let's face it, even the most passionate audience tunes out when they're bombarded with bland, generic messages.
Interestingly, Content Marketing Institute found that 63% of marketers struggle to produce engaging content consistently. In turn, this leads them to outsource content marketing.
Our point? The right content strategist can help you sidestep all of this. We've curated a list of the best content strategists, each with a proven track record in various industries. Whether you're a budding startup or an established brand, these experts have the know-how to craft content that resonates deeply with your target audience.
Our top picks for the best content strategists
1. Sherisse W. - Best overall
2. Diana V. - Best for website content strategies
3. Howard S. - Best for paid ads content strategies
4. Daniel J. - Best for startups
5. Audrey M. - Best for B2C companies
6. Katia G. - Best for B2B companies
7. Kathryn L. - Best for PR content strategies
8. Yaki V. - Best for established businesses
9. Nicolas G. - Best for multi-lingual content strategies
10. Pawel K. - Best for tech companies
What is a content strategist?
A content strategist plans, designs, creates, edits, publishes, and distributes content that's in line with a business's goals, unique selling proposition, and target audience. Content strategists build comprehensive strategies that:
- Educate and inform potential buyers
- Build trust with buyers
- Encourage customers to return
- Develop relationships with influencers and partners
- Increase brand awareness and reach
Content strategists create content that's high quality, engaging, relevant, and optimized for search engines. Ultimately, they ensure the organization produces content that engages and resonates with its target audience.
1
Sherisse W.
Holistic content strategist
Experience
9+ years
Country
US
Industry focus
Art & entertainment, technology, food & drink, health & wellness
Brief overview
Sherisse is a brand and digital marketer with over nine years of experience in social media, editorial, digital marketing, SEO, content creation, and content management.
Specialties
- Content
- Branding
- Marketing strategy
- Social media management
- Email marketing
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
Why we chose Sherisse
Sherisse has seen it all when it comes to the digital marketing space. With extensive experience developing content strategies, she can get you sorted with developing, writing and optimizing engaging content, including blogs, email campaigns, social media content, and printed material.
2
Diana V.
Digital marketing expert
Experience
17+ years
Country
CA
Industry focus
Automotive, finance, travel, education, electronics
Brief overview
Diana is a digital Marketing expert with over 17 years of experience in digital performance marketing, web analytics, A/B testing, digital media, CRM and website content strategy.
Specialties
- Content
- Website content and analytics
- Tracking implementation
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
Why we chose Diana
Diana can help take your website content strategy from 0 to 100. From analyzing your current website copy and using A/B testing to determine what works best for you, Diana can help you create engaging website copy that immediately ensnares customers.
3
Howard S.
Online marketing expert
Experience
15+ years
Country
GB
Industry focus
Sports, outdoors & fitness, pets, health & wellness, beauty
Brief overview
Howard has been involved with online marketing since 2008 and has been a full-time media buyer and marketing consultant for 6 years. His main experience is working with eCommerce brands, helping them acquire new customers at profit using paid advertising channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Bing, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Specialties
- Content
- Marketing
- Tracking implementation
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
- Instagram Ads
- Pinterest Ads
- YouTube Ads
Why we chose Howard
Howard is a paid advertising guru who can help you boost your paid ads content strategy efforts. With experience on multiple ad platforms, Howard ensures your brand is at the right place at the right time to engage your customers.
4
Daniel J.
Growth content strategist
Experience
10+ years
Country
GB
Industry focus
Gaming, social & community, finance, education, art & entertainment, technology,
Brief overview
Daniel helps startups achieve ambitious goals using growth marketing through a data-driven, first-principles approach.
Specialties
- Content
- Marketing strategy
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
- Bing Ads
- YouTube Ads
- Instagram Ads
Why we chose Daniel
Daniel is a serial growth hacker obsessed with scaling startups. He understands that you're just starting out and is dedicated to helping you carve your place in your industry. By finding overlooked opportunities and crafting innovative growth content strategies, Daniel provides real results that deliver 20%, 50% or even 100%+ increases in key metrics like revenue, users, and engagement.
5
Audrey M.
Professional digital marketer
Experience
10+ years
Country
US
Industry focus
Education, style & fashion
Brief overview
Audrey is a professional digital marketer with over 10 years of experience in the retail and higher education verticals.
Specialties
- Content
- Google Ads
- Google shopping
- YouTube ads
Why we chose Audrey
Audrey is passionate about customer acquisition, engagement and retention—everything you want your content strategy to achieve. With extensive eCommerce, fashion, and branding experience, Audrey is the perfect match for B2C companies.
6
Katia G.
Content marketing specialist
Experience
10+ years
Country
ES
Industry focus
Education, professional services, technology
Brief overview
Katia is a PPC, SEO and content marketing specialist for B2B and SaaS. She's a former CMO leading marketing and growth strategies for subscription-based businesses.
Specialties
- Content
- Marketing strategy
- Tracking implementation
- SEO
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
- Instagram Ads
- LinkedIn Ads
- Bing Ads
Why we chose Katia
B2B is a tricky game—but luckily one that Katia knows how to play well. Her customer-centric mindset, coupled with auditing, strategy, and SEO experience, will elevate your B2B content strategy.
7
Kathryn L.
Freelance marketing expert
Experience
10+ years
Country
US
Industry focus
Professional services, NGO & government
Brief overview
For more than a decade, Kathryn has developed data-driven strategic consulting and marketing solutions for political campaigns, nonprofits, and corporations throughout the United States.
Specialties
- Content
- Public relations
- Marketing strategy
- Email marketing
- Google Ads
Why we chose Kathryn
Kathryn's proven content strategies and PR wins across diverse projects, from polling to digital campaigns, show her ability to captivate audiences. Her talent for weaving data-driven insights into compelling narratives makes her a standout content strategist delivering impactful PR results.
8
Yaki V.
Freelance content strategist
Experience
8+ years
Country
IL
Industry experience
Food & drink
Brief overview
With over eight years under their belt, Yaki is a data-driven funnel architect and engagement champion. His expertise lies in analyzing data, crafting solutions, and driving performance for established businesses. Focused on monetized models, Yaki identifies and develops content strategies that deliver maximum ROI.
Specialties
- Content
- Social media management
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
- Instagram Ads
- YouTube Ads
Why we chose Yaki
Yaki excels at crafting content strategies for established businesses, driving KPIs through savvy digital marketing tactics. His knack for resonating with target audiences ensures exponential growth, making him a digital expert propelling businesses to success.
9
Nicolas G.
Freelance content strategist
Experience
7+ years
Country
JP
Industry focus
Professional services, technology
Brief overview
Nicolas specializes in digital marketing, automation, team & project management, front-end development (TypeScript, React), and written communication. Fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish, his certified translator skills allow him to thrive in multicultural environments and seamlessly connect with clients and colleagues globally.
Specialties
- Content
- Translation
- Copywriting
- Design
- Marketing strategy
- Social media management
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
Why we chose Nicolas
Nicolas's multilingual content expertise and diverse background (customer success, web dev, digital marketing) drive success across industries. From Vercel's Enterprise clients to ZenGroup's global expansion, he navigates cultural landscapes with ease, crafting impactful content strategies for outstanding outcomes.
10
Pawel K.
Digital marketing professional
Experience
20+ years
Country
PL
Industry focus
Electronics, technology
Brief overview
Pawel is a digital marketer and a technical execution project manager. Fuelled by a passion for technology, space, and science, he leverages a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic marketing savvy, creative thinking, and project management skills.
Specialties
- Content
- Marketing strategy
- Tracking implementation
- SEO
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
- Quora Ads
- VK Ads
Why we chose Pawel
Pawel's passion for tech fuels his expertise in crafting impactful content for tech companies. His blend of technical knowledge, marketing savvy, and project management skills spans paid advertising, social media, and website development. Adept at SEO and content updates, he adapts seamlessly to the dynamic needs of tech-focused enterprises.
What does a content strategist do?
A content strategist's job description can cover a wide range of tasks. Here are some of the main aspects of the job.
Develop and implement a content strategy
A content strategy is not a content calendar but a plan that focuses on creating, managing, and optimizing content to meet the company’s goals. This strategy outlines the target audience, what types of content will be created, their goal, and how they will be distributed to ensure maximum reach.
Build an editorial calendar
An editorial calendar provides a visual representation of the content tactics and assets you plan to create and helps ensure that all content is created, distributed, and optimized on time. A content strategist can help you make such an editorial calendar that ties all the bits and pieces together, helping you stay consistent with your content marketing efforts.
Conduct research
A content strategist will also have to run research on multiple verticals:
- User research to understand the target audience
- Competitor research to understand the competitive landscape
- Industry research to stay on top of trends
- SEO research to spot content gaps and re-optimize content when needed
- Topic research to create briefs and produce content that's valuable
Additionally, content strategists will have to get a deep understanding of the product they're promoting and stay on top of the latest trends in content marketing.
Define content goals
Solid, successful content strategies follow clear, specific objectives. Content marketing strategists need to define the following:
- The type of digital content (e.g., video, blog posts, webinars, podcasts)
- Content recurrence and cadence (how often to post)
- The topics and goals of the content
- Where to distribute the content (and how to do it efficiently)
- Which audience engagement metrics to follow
- How to attribute content to conversions
Measure content efficiency
A content manager or strategist must measure content efficiency. This can be done in several different ways, depending on the specific attribution model you choose and the specific goals you've set.
All in all, metrics content strategists may want to follow include the following:
- Engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments, clicks)
- Lead generation and conversion metrics
- Referral traffic
- Email list growth
- Customer feedback
- SEO metrics (traffic, clicks, impressions, links, bounce rate)
- Time on page / blog post
Content strategists should be able to interpret data and apply the insights they get to optimize their content strategy.
Develop content guidelines
A good content strategist will develop guidelines that ensure consistent brand messaging and high-quality output. These should include:
- The type of language to use in different contexts
- How to use specific terms
- How to structure content
- Editorial standards (MLA, APA, etc.)
- The tone and voice of the brand
- Relevant content curated from other sources
Manage content creation
A content strategist will usually manage content creation as well. Depending on the project, this may mean they'll work with external partners or internal teams. They may also be responsible for:
- Writing briefs
- Hiring and onboarding content people
- Editing content
- Ensuring information flows smoothly between the content team and other teams
- Coordinating with the design team to create assets
- Working with paid advertising agencies to promote content
Optimize content for SEO
Experienced content strategists need to be able to optimize content for SEO. This includes:
- Conducting keyword research
- Creating SEO-friendly titles and meta descriptions
- Including relevant keywords in the content
- Ensuring different pieces of content are linked internally
- Running link building campaigns
Collaborate with other teams
Content strategists will usually have to collaborate with other teams, social media professionals, product managers, web developers, and copywriters. This helps them create content that's engaging, accurate, and in line with the business strategy.
Refine and improve the strategy
A content strategist's job is never done. Once a content marketing strategy is in place, they will have to continuously refine and improve on it to maximize the impact on business goals.
How to hire a content strategist
So, you're ready to hire for a content strategist role? Here's how to make sure you hire the best one:
Decide on what you need
Before hiring someone, specifically decide on what you need:
- Do you need a full-time content strategist?
- ...Or maybe just a freelance content strategist?
- Do you need a consultant?
- Or are you looking for a content marketing generalist?
- Do they need specific experience (in creating a particular type of content or in an industry?)
Choose your platform
There are many ways you can hire the right expert. You can post your job on job boards and go about it the traditional way. You can also source marketers on Upwork, Fiverr, and other similar freelance websites (especially if you don't need a full-time hire.)
If you want to save time and energy, use a service like Mayple. We can match you with a talented content strategist in a few days. All the marketers Mayple works with are vetted for specific skill sets and have successful track records, so you can be sure we'll provide you with the best options for your business.
Prepare a clear job description
A well-written job description can help you sift through the applications and candidate options, so create one that stands out and clearly stipulates your expectations. Here are some items to include in a content strategist job description:
- A short company/ mission blurb
- Any job-specific content strategy skills you need your content marketing strategist to have
- The soft skills you need them to have
- Who is your target market
- If you need them to know how to edit video and graphics
- How many years of industry experience you need them to have (if any)
- Your marketing vision, marketing goals, and content standards
- Your three, six, and nine-month plan for the new hire
- Who the content strategist will respond to
- Whether there's anyone else on the content strategy team
- Your expectations regarding content management and production
- What you can offer (include base salary range too, if possible)
Create a test assignment
You can't ask content experts to build content strategies during recruitment. They won't have all the details or access to internal expertise, and it's not fair to ask for something like this for free.
However, you can prepare a quick test assignment for them, which could include:
- Their process for developing different types of online content
- Discussing effective content strategies they've noticed
- Developing a content plan for a month, based on specific details
- Discussing how they connect business goals to content marketing efforts
- Describing what they do on a daily basis in their role
- Running a partial content audit on the content you've published over the last three months
- Coming up with a unique way to improve organic traffic on the website
Example content strategist interview questions
Asking the right questions will help you determine which content strategy candidate is best suited for your business objectives. Here are some examples of interview questions you could ask:
Content strategy
- What is your content marketing philosophy?
- How do you approach developing a content strategy?
- What tools and techniques do you use to research target audiences, market trends, and your content's efficiency?
- Have you ever run a content audit?
- Which content types do you have the most experience in?
- What is your take on AI-generated content?
- Have you ever built content workflows, and if so, what do you think is the most efficient approach?
- How do you set content goals and how do you measure content performance?
- Can you describe a situation when your content strategy did not meet its goals? How did you approach it?
- How do you make sure your content aligns with the brand voice and style guidelines?
- Have you ever built a style guide?
Content distribution and promotion
- What is your experience creating content for various social media platforms?
- In your opinion, which social media platforms are best for distributing content for our business?
- How do you make sure your content helps build inbound traffic?
Campaign management
- How do you build a content marketing campaign from scratch?
- How do you make sure your team creates compelling content?
- How do you ensure your content helps build a flawless customer experience?
General and additional skills
- Do you have digital marketing experience in other channels (such as pay-per-click or email marketing)?
- Do you have experience in project management?
- What is your experience with guest posts?
- Where do you see yourself in five years? What's your dream career path?
Finding your content co-pilot
Choosing a content strategist isn't about handing over the reins and hoping for the best. It's about finding a partner who understands your brand's story and walks alongside you in its evolution. Consider where you are in your content journey: Do you want a seasoned guide to navigate complex terrain, or someone to blaze new trails? Do you crave insightful analysis or captivating storytelling?
This list offers a diverse spectrum of expertise, each strategist bringing their unique strengths and perspectives to the table. Don't settle for the next-best thing—invest in the expert or content marketing agency that ticks all your boxes.
FAQs
What is the rate for a freelance content strategist?
A freelance content strategist makes, on average, $71,000 every year. Their hourly rate will depend on a variety of factors, like experience, the specific tasks they're running for you, the success of content strategies they've created, and the industry they specialize in.
Is a content strategist a copywriter?
A content strategist may have copywriting skills, but they shouldn't be considered a copywriter. The content strategist's job is to build content strategies, plan editorial calendars, and follow up on content production, more than actually producing it.
How much does it cost to hire a content creator?
Hiring a content creator can cost anything between $20/hour to several hundred dollars an hour, depending on their expertise, the quality of their work, and what their services cover.
If you are looking to work with a content creator that has their own following, the price you will pay for their services will be directly related to how many followers they have.
If you want to hire a full-time employee, the average salary is $55,359 per year in the US.
What are the 4 steps of content strategy?
The four steps of content strategy are strategy, creation, distribution, and measurement. Planning involves setting goals, developing a target audience profile, researching industry trends, and formulating an overall strategy.
Creation includes producing the content itself (writing, design, etc.). Distribution involves getting the content out to its intended audience (through social media platforms, SEO, email marketing, etc.). In the measurement stage, you assess the content's performance and whether it achieved the desired outcome.
What are the 3 components of content strategy?
An efficient content strategy must have:
- Brand focus
- User experience optimization
- Distribution
What is the difference between marketing and content strategist?
The main difference between marketing and content strategy is that the latter is one type of marketing. Content strategy works with other types of marketing and channels (such as social media, email marketing, and even paid media) to increase brand awareness and drive more conversions.
