I don't know where we're going, but I'll know when we're there

Now that some of the industry has begun to rally around the job title of “Content Strategist,” what does the actual job and career path look like? How can we approach some of the challenges we all face, especially working in technology today?

In this talk, Margo Stern considers the common challenges of a content strategist, the insecurities we battle, and how to sort out what to do when we’re faced with them. Drawing on her experience at Google, Twitter, and Facebook both as a manager and as an individual contributor, she’ll share her worst mistakes, her best wisdom, and maybe some well-intentioned speculation.

In this session, we’ll focus on:

Forging your own golden path: There’s no one way to be a content strategist. This is great and this is also terrible. We’ll consider being a manager vs. being an individual contributor and what happens if you find yourself doing both), how to assess when it’s time to change teams/jobs/roles, and how to suss out what’s right for you.
Doing the work: This isn’t about how to set up documentation or the perfect formula for a CTA. Instead, we’ll talk about how to get unstuck, geeking out (i.e., finding your strengths), and the fact that it’s OK if the work is easy. Really. Work doesn’t have to be toil.
Getting through the tough stuff: Being a content strategist means being an advocate for the people who aren’t in the room (and getting in the room in the first place). This part of the job can be exhausting, disheartening, and straight-up hard. Here, we’ll talk about your noble role as a CS (and why it’s important you keep doing it), battling compassion fatigue, and how to advocate for yourself in order to advocate for others.
Who should attend: While this session will approach really tough topics that are universal to the discipline, Margo will likely pull from experiences of working at large tech companies doing work at scale. To that end, this might apply best to other people working at large companies, with any level of experience.

That said, sole practitioners also come up against ethical questions and career uncertainty and will hopefully find value in the talk.

Transcript

1. I don’t know where we’re going, but I’ll know when we’re there. Margo Stern 2019
2. Content what now?
3. Go define yourself
4. Define yourself first so you can: • Calibrate your own success (and failures, both real and perceived) • Set expectations with your cross-functional team • Help other people help you • Know how to assess a misalignment of strengths and take the right action
5. Plotting a path through uncharted territory
6. “I want to be a Content Strategist when I grow up” -Margo Stern, age 7
7. Small ad agency (LA, CA) Big ad agency #2 (Portland) Medium agency #3 (SF, CA) Freelance! Fulltime Cheese?! Fulltime Fulltime Fulltime bye Margo’s advertising career path
8. How to make a five-year plan as a Content Strategist in 28 simple steps:
9. Advertising Journalism Library Science Academia Psychology Publishing Writing, research, user journeys, empathy, brand awareness, voice and tone shifts, Writing, research, user journeys, empathy, human condition, emotional states Writing, research, translation, marketing, editing, market segmentation Writing, research, editing, style guides, empathy, audience segmentation Writing, research, editing, taxonomy, terms, audits, content management Writing, research, crying Where content strategists come from (incomplete list)
10. What we (can) do Write words Advocate for people problems Testing methodology Inform research plans ID people problems Be empathy-first Create metrics Product thinking Wireframing Designing with information Information architecture Design crits Designing clear, thoughtful experiences Product thinking Herding cats Improve workflows Makin’ spreadsheets Design Research PM CONTENT STRATEGY
11. The double-edged sword of the visible deliverable Write words CONTENT STRATEGY
12. Know thyself I’m not just a copywriter anymore...
13. FINDING YOUR* AWESOME *not a typo
14. It’s ok if it’s easy
15. You don’t have to do all the things.
16. Identifying your Content Strategy Strengths Advocating for people Writing and content management Working cross-functionally Strategy and design thinking Taxonomy Audits Terms Style Guides Research Design Wire Frames Product thinking Documentation Run design sprints Public speaking Teaching Writing actual books Using the word “governance” Posting in Medium Writing standards Improving workflows
17. Identifying your not-strengths The same feedback I always get
18. Be patient with your growth
19. Growth doesn’t (have to) mean management
20. Manager vs. Individual Contributor
21. SAY IT LOUD
22. Your Strengths + Your Manager
23. Your Strengths + Your Team
24. For real tools
27. Your Strengths + Your Team Operating Instructions Come to me when...
28. Come to me when...
29. Come to me when... • You’ve got a huge logic problem to solve • You want to geek out about word choices • You need coaching on how to have a tough conversation • You just don’t know where to start • You need a gut check • You need recommendations for where to eat in SF • You want to look at cat pictures
30. Operating instructions OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
31. Operating instructions for Margo I use humor to connect I'm more approachable than I look I'm down with feedback I have a finite amount of energy I'm an introvert/extrovert
32. How to use the two: Operating instructions: • Cross-functional team • New team • Team that needs reforming/reboot • When introducing yourself (and then encouraging everyone else to follow on) Come to me when... • More for peers • Good to show humanity • Less good for working style
33. Your Strengths + Your Peers
34. Your Strengths + Your Future
35. WORD SEARCHES FOR FUN AND PROFIT
37. Making a match
38. Get your interview questions ready I do my best work when I’m ______________ or _____________, how much of my time would I spend doing that here? I get really excited when I’m doing (this kind of content strategy task) , is that a core part of the work I’d be doing?
39. Charting your path: what works when it isn’t working
40. Image: gumby STAY LEAVE ADAPT
41. STAY
42. STAY/CHANGE NOTHING
43. STAY: DISENGAGE
44. STAY: WAIT IT OUT “If you’re constantly putting out fires, you might have an arsonist on your team.” -my friend Mike
45. TAY: SET A THRESHOLD
46. Image: gumby ADAPT
47. YOU CANNOT CHANGE WHAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE
48. ADAPT: Crucial Conversations
49. ADAPT: Crucial Conversations
50. ADAPT: FLEX DIFFERENTLY
51. LEAVE
52. LEAVE (why you shouldn’t be quick to)
53. LEAVE: DON’T GO IT ALONE
54. LEAVE: YOU WILL TAKE IT WITH YOU
56. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN NET
58. I don’t know where we’re going, but I’ll know when we’re there.