I Didn’t Start Out Planning to Become a Content Strategist

Back in 2019, I was creating social media content for Web3 and cryptocurrency projects.

At some point, one project asked me to write a blog post. That assignment led to more writing, including guides for their website. I started paying closer attention to how website content worked, how people found articles through search, and what made some pieces more useful than others.

I saw an opportunity to build a career around it.

So I started learning. I took free online courses, researched SEO and content writing, practiced what I learned, and gradually built a portfolio.

Then came the job applications.

A lot of emails. A lot of applications and interviews. Plenty of attempts that went nowhere.

I kept learning and applying until someone reached out about a startup project involving Web3, AI, and affiliate marketing. The ideas were familiar enough that I felt confident I could contribute.

I joined as a social media manager.

That job would end up teaching me far more about content than I expected.

There Were Three of Us. And I Was Handling the Content.

The startup was a small operation: the owner, a project manager, and me.

The owner had ambitions for several projects involving Web3, AI, and affiliate marketing. There were plenty of ideas to work with, and the direction could change quickly.

My responsibilities soon expanded beyond social media.

I was researching topics, gathering information, planning content, writing blog posts and guides, and managing content in WordPress. I had to figure out what to publish, how to approach it, and how the different pieces fit together.

There was a lot of trial and error.

I was also fortunate to have a client who invested in my learning. He shared resources, gave me access to paid courses and webinars, and introduced me to ways AI could support content research and development.

I’m still grateful for that opportunity. It gave me room to practice skills I had previously learned on my own.

It also showed me some of the problems that could happen when content production moved faster than content planning.

One Thing I Learned Early: A Published Article Can Still Miss the Point

There were times when the plan was to find a competing article that appeared to be performing well, rewrite it with AI, add the target keywords, and publish.

On paper, the process seemed straightforward.

But I kept noticing the same problem. The article might contain all the requested keywords and cover the expected topic, yet have very little to say about the business publishing it.

The writing could feel forced. The ideas were familiar. The perspective that could have made the article worth reading was missing.

That experience stayed with me.

Today, when someone gives me a topic or keyword, I want to understand what the business can actually contribute to the conversation.

What has the team experienced? What questions do clients repeatedly ask? What does the business know that a competing article might overlook? What can we support with examples, research, or firsthand knowledge?

Those questions often lead to better content than the original brief alone.

Agency Work Changed How I See the Bigger Picture

Working with Carnes Agency expanded the kind of work I do and the people I collaborate with.

I’ve worked across website copy, editorial articles, newsletters, social media content, messaging frameworks, and presentation copy.

Each format asks something different of a writer. A website needs to help visitors understand a business. A presentation has to communicate the right information in a limited space. An executive article needs to preserve the person’s reasoning and perspective.

Agency work has also taught me how much happens before a piece of content reaches the public.

There are conversations, client feedback, changing priorities, multiple reviewers, and sometimes a small detail that changes the meaning of an entire paragraph.

I’ve learned to pay attention to those details.

One of the most satisfying parts of my job is submitting a draft that a client approves without revisions.

I know how much work can go into getting there. Understanding the brief, listening to the client, reviewing source material, checking details, and writing something that sounds like the person or business behind it.

When a draft comes back approved, I know that preparation helped.

I Like Working With What People Already Know

Some of the most useful material I’ve worked with never started as content.

It was sitting in meeting transcripts, interview notes, presentations, client feedback, or conversations between people who knew their businesses well.

Those materials can tell you how someone thinks, what they care about, what they’ve learned, and how they explain their decisions.

I enjoy finding the details that deserve a place in the finished piece.

That’s particularly important when writing for executives, consultants, and people with specialized expertise. Their knowledge comes with context, qualifications, and opinions developed through experience.

I want those details to survive the writing process.

SEO research still matters. So do content structure, search intent, and the way people look for information. I use them to help make valuable ideas easier to find and follow.

The finished content should still sound like it belongs to the person or business whose name appears on it.

A Little About Me Outside the Drafts

<em>Six cats. A preference for purple. And a very comfortable relationship with working from home.</em>

I’m an introvert, which probably explains why remote work suits me so well.

I enjoy having the space to read, research, and spend time figuring things out. At the same time, I genuinely enjoy collaborating with clients and creative teams, especially when we’re trying to solve a difficult content problem together.

Outside work, I’m a devoted cat person. I have six cats, so there is always something happening around the house, even when my workday is supposed to be quiet.

And if you’ve noticed a fondness for purple around this website, that comes from me, too.

What I’m Working Toward

As I continue developing my career, I want to do more work with people who have deep expertise and need help communicating it.

That includes executives with years of experience, agencies managing complex client accounts, consultants with specialized knowledge, and businesses whose best ideas haven’t made it onto their websites yet.

I want to be someone they can trust with the details.

Someone who can take a complicated conversation, find the useful ideas, organize the research, and turn it into writing they’re comfortable putting their name on.

That’s the kind of work I enjoy, and the kind I want to keep doing.

Have Something You’re Trying to Put Into Words?

If you’re working on your website, developing an editorial plan, or trying to turn your team’s expertise into content, I’d be interested in hearing about it.