Hi everyone 👋🏾, I'm setting direction for my career and would like some insight from content leaders here. 1. Do you need a content marketing background to become a content strategist? 2. Do companies typically hire for Junior level strategist roles or do you need to have built, say, a 5-year career as a strategist to get one? 3. What skills would you advice someone interested in a strategy role to build at the early stages? Can you recommend any programs? Thanks for your time!

1. Nope - but diff companies will want different backgrounds. My first content strategy role came after a decade in higher ed. 2. From my experience, not so much (or the pay is very low). If you build a good portfolio of content you've written, ranked + companies you've worked with/for - the # of years really doesn't matter. 3. The advice I got was to hone in on my strengths. You could specialize in a type of content (case studies, interviews, long-form, etc.), the technical side (data analysis, technical SEO), or distribution (partnerships, social media campaigns, link building). Also, diving into a single industry will help you climb the respective ladder faster. If you already have a background in education or retail for example, aim to land in those types of companies and leverage your existing network.

Whew. Thanks so much for sharing @lemon-airport-97306. I appreciate!

@mysterious-gigabyte-24781 Of course, happy to help!

3. Learn basic SEO and keyword research. Learn how to use tools like semrush and/or ahrefs