5 things to do as a first Content Designer
A few years ago, I turned down a job at a place I loved to take on the challenge of being the first content designer (also known as content strategist or UX writer) at a growing company.
During the interview process, I focused on whether I could do the job and how much the people interviewing me seemed to value the role. There was so much I didn’t know to ask. I accomplished an astonishing amount in 2.5 years, but it was hard, frustrating, and a little lonely at times. It seemed like I learned everything the hard way.
When I went to Meetups and met people doing the same thing, our experiences were different but our learnings were eerily similar. I thought at the time that I would write a book about how to do it, when I was done, but “done” eluded me.
Creating space for a new function, building a team from scratch, and making it a valued part of a company is a journey that never really ends.
That said, you only have one opportunity to begin. This article is about how I would do it, if I were beginning it again.
👋 Figure out who your friends are
Who are your allies and sponsors, the people who believe what you do is important? You need people at the leadership level who believe that words matter and are worth paying for.
If there’s only one person at the company who believes in your role, it’s going to be rough going. If that person leaves the company shortly after you get there, who will champion you?
In the interview process, ask who supports the role and who’s going to help you ensure success. Whose idea was it and why? It’s important that you also make sure they understand what the role does and haven’t built their support on a false sense of what you bring.
Set up one-on-ones with your allies and sponsors. Ask why the role is important to them and collect stories of when words mattered in their lives. Ask them who the influencers are, the most important people for you to win over, and see if they’ll make an introduction.
Plan to:
- Meet with your sponsors on a regular basis, and ask for help
- Get ideas from your allies on where you should focus your work
- Bounce ideas off your friends so they can offer advice and support
🚌 Put together a roadshow
Make a presentation* that explains your role, why it’s important, and how you work. Present it to as many influencers as you can. I like to find out what experience people have with content design. It’s a great opener; you’ll find out immediately whether they’re already fans or are starting from scratch.
Include examples; it’s the best way to communicate what you do. Before and afters are really effective.
Show how writers impact information architecture, usability, and tone. Show specifically what content designers did and how their work made an impact.
It doesn’t actually have to be your work though it does help to establish your credibility, especially if you did the work at a reputable company. Otherwise, make sure you mention other companies you’ve worked for. Let people know that you’re experienced and worthy of trust.
Then ask what opportunities there might be on their team to improve their metrics with words.
Plan to:
- Explain in one sentence what you do and why it’s important
- Modify your presentation to answer any questions you get
- Add quick wins to your presentation as soon as you can
*Special thanks to Andy Welfle for helping me get a presentation started.
💸 Show the value of the role
In those early months, you can’t do everything and if you try, you’ll burn out. You’ll also set a precedent that you’re superhuman and it’s hard to pull back from that. During your roadshow, find an existing problem that’s been measured—something that can be improved with copy. It doesn’t need to be big, but it needs to be doable without too much design or engineering effort.
It could be rewriting a screen to increase conversion. Or adding a line of copy to decrease customer service calls. Or rewriting messaging to help people complete a task. Get the baseline performance, before your intervention, and then after. Make sure you’re testing a metric that’s important to the company. Ask a product manager or data scientist on that team if you aren’t sure.
Brand new products and features are fun to work on—and most definitely benefit from writing—but without measurable improvement, you’ll be hard pressed to prove your contribution.
You’ll win your peers over by being a collaborator but you’ll win the company over by getting results.Start small and take on bigger projects as you go. The key is to collect wins and case studies.
Plan to:
- Do some major convincing to get your updates tested
- Take screen captures of everything you work on before and after
- Find a key project, one where there is already company energy, excitement, and opportunity
🎤 Talk about your progress
As soon as possible, your roadshow needs to start incorporating your progress. Show people that you’re there to make an impact, and that you’re ready to scale and lead a team.
Early on, ask what the requirements are for growing the team. Find out what your success metrics are. Are they achievable? Are they reasonable? Who’s as invested in you are in your success?
When you have success metrics you can all agree on, clearly articulate what you should receive as you achieve them: Time to work on foundational projects, credit for the work you’re doing, and a bigger team. Or maybe you want access to a certain team or project. Ask to work on it, come up with ideas, and lead the discussion.
Look for opportunities to present your progress and wins at team meetings or all-hands. Help people see what’s possible with a team.
Plan to:
- Identify the places where content design can make an impact, and build on small wins
- Outline exactly what your new hires would work on and why it’s important
- Talk about big trends in the industry and how your team can help make the company more competitive
🌱 Grow the team
A company needs to start somewhere but one person does not make a team. Without help, you’ll soon be drowning in requests.
You want to make sure your company is thinking beyond the start. Is there a commitment? Is there momentum? When will they hire more writers, and how many? Will they report to you or will you all report to a design manager? One of you needs to be the head of that team or you’ll have no power.
Get it in your contract: 1–2 hires within 6–12 months. That gives you enough time to create guidelines, set expectations, and build a foundation. Hire contractors if you can get the budget. Establish as quickly as possible that this function requires a team. You can’t work in a vacuum for long — you’ll need other writers to bounce ideas off of, collaborate with, and prioritize with.
Plan to:
- Hire contractors on your own or coach the recruiters on what to look for
- Create process, documentation, and guidelines
- Write a mission statement to help people understand where content design can take the company
In the year and a half since this experience, I’ve been contacted a half a dozen times to start a team somewhere else, and I’ve been much more wary. It takes a lot of confidence, passion, and fortitude to start a team. Don’t assume that whoever is hiring you has a plan beyond that, or that they know what they’re asking for. This is a journey you’ll own, so make sure you do what you can to set yourself up for success.
