I was a little surprised by some of the key findings from the latest edition of the Content Marketing Institute’s 2025 Content Marketing Career and Salary Outlook.

I expected these stats:

• 33% company laid off marketing employees in the last 12 months (that happened with three of my clients last year)
• 11% personally experienced a layoff in the last 12 months (this happened to more than a dozen of my content marketing colleagues and friends)
• 68% believe that finding a job in marketing today is more challenging than it was five years ago.

But I was more than a little surprised to see this stat:

• 3 months: How long it took to find a new marketing role

So, I started to ask around and see what was going on.

And it’s a few things.

1. More people are accepting contract, part-time, and fractional roles. I chatted with one person who considers themselves a freelance content marketer but whose LinkedIn says they are a VP of marketing in-house.
2. Those who do land a full-time job are keeping the freelance clients they picked up while they are job hunting. In some cases, it’s because the new job was a step down in terms of the fit between their experience and capabilities and the work needing to be done. In others, it’s because they aren’t committed to the new job or confident that the company won’t turn around and lay them off again.
3. Their new job is in marketing. But not necessarily content marketing. See also the rise of product marketing jobs with a whole lot of content marketing requirements built in. And content jobs reporting into product marketing(?!?!) But I’m saving that conversation for the soon-to-be-launching Content Academy for Operations & Strategy (CAOS) podcast.
4. Some midlife, senior-level content professionals who’ve been searching for work for a year or more have somewhat unplugged from the content marketing world and are exploring whether they can sell their houses and move to a less expensive metro and retire early or start a new career.
5. A few content pros have decided that their new job is...wait for it...working for themselves.

That’s a lot to unpack!

But the new research definitely is worth your time. Dig into it, and have some conversations with your content colleagues. Share the good, the bad, and the ugly about your job search activities and the salaries and benefits you’re seeing.

Together, we can help each other find roles that are a great fit and allow us to make the most of our talents.

Coming Up on #ContentChat

Content Chat is my weekly LinkedIn Live video chat focused on sharing expertise and ideas amongst the content marketing community. Join the conversation on Mondays at noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. RSVP for our upcoming conversations by clicking the chat date below to get a reminder and to access the chat.

• ​TODAY, on #ContentChat, Ruther Carter will join me in exploring the top legal considerations for content marketers using AI. Ruth is my go-to legal expert, and they will explore the primary privacy considerations and other concerns you should be aware of, including an explanation of the Corporate Transparency Act. They’ll also share plenty of general guidance to (hopefully!) keep you out of legal hot water.
• There is NO #ContentChat next Monday (Oct. 14) in observance of the U.S. Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday.

Get Involved with #ContentChat

• Do you have questions you’d like us to answer during #ContentChat?
  ​Reply to this email or join us on Mondays to ask them live!
• #ContentChat is now on Meetup!
  ​Join our community Meetup page to connect, learn, and share best practices in content strategy, management, and marketing with fellow #ContentChat members.
• ​Want #ContentChat on your calendar?
  ​Use this link to follow our calendar so you never miss a chat.
• We're booking guests for Q1 2025—send us your pitch!
  ​Are you a content marketing practitioner, author, or consultant interested in being a guest for an upcoming edition of #ContentChat? We’d love to hear your topic pitch via our Content Chat guest submission form​

Content Marketing + Related Jobs

​Principal Content Marketing Consultant, Discover Financial Services.
​The Discover financial institution team is hiring a principal content marketing consultant to help expand its digital footprint, lead SEO, and empower its sales team. The role includes developing and managing the editorial calendar and collaborating with design, writing, and vendor teams to produce content. This role is remote eligible or can be based in Riverwoods, IL.

​Content Marketing Manager, Altana.
​Altana is a value chain management system that enables customers to control their extended supplier and distribution networks, from sourcing raw materials to selling finished products. Its team seeks a B2B content marketing manager who will scale and amplify the brand’s identity across multiple channels. The individual will tell the story of Altana in simple, easy-to-understand ways, including customer case studies, whitepapers, sales enablement materials, and perspectives on the global supply chain. This in-person role can be based in Brooklyn, San Francisco, Boston, or Washington, D.C.

​Content Marketing Manager, Events & Editorial, Stripe.
​Stripe is a financial infrastructure platform millions of companies use to accept payments and grow their revenue. The Stripe team seeks a content marketing manager to develop and execute a content strategy for Sessions, its annual user conference, and work with customers, partners, and the Stripe community to develop third-party content across formats and channels. This in-person role can be based in San Francisco, New York City, or Seattle.

​Senior Content Marketing Specialist, OpenGov.
​OpenGov provides purpose-built cloud software for the government to address budgeting and planning, permitting and licensing, procurement, and more. The organization is hiring a senior content marketing specialist to develop content spanning blog posts, articles, case studies, whitepapers, infographics, and social media posts. The individual will collaborate closely with product and growth marketers to build content throughout the buyer journey and create organic and paid social media posts. This hybrid role is based in Chicago.

​Content Marketing Manager, Regal.io.
​Regal.io is a leading outbound cloud contact center software that helps organizations turn untapped customer data into real-time outbound campaigns. The Regal team seeks a content marketing manager who will work closely with its VP of Marketing to shape the content strategy. Responsibilities include content creation, multi-format writing, content performance measurement, and editorial calendar management. This hybrid role is based in New York City.

Send Us Your Content Jobs!

If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelancer opportunity, reply to this email and let us know. We are always happy to share jobs with the community at no cost.

ICYMI

​2024 Blogging Statistics (Orbit Media Insights).
​How long does it take to write a blog post? How long is the typical post? And how is blog traffic changing? Orbit Media’s latest blogger survey results are in, offering you a wealth of insights (and impressive charts and graphs!) to help you understand how to make the most of your blogging efforts.

​Content Marketing World 2024 Tips & Must-Attend Sessions from the #ContentChat Community.
​CMworld is a few short weeks away! Will we see you in San Diego? As you build your schedule, Alek and I recommend you consider these sessions from friends of the #ContentChat community. We’ve also included a few tips to make the most of your trip, which is especially helpful if this is your first year. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, use code HEALD100 for $100 off.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Epic Content Marketing in Higher Education.
​I invited Brian Piper, author and director of content strategy at the University of Rochester, to be our guest to learn all about his new book, Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education! Check out the chat recap to get some key takeaways and learn how content marketers in education can develop innovative content marketing strategies that will achieve their organizational goals.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Striking a Balance Between Content Marketing & Public Relations on Social Media.
​Mariah Tang, a longtime community member and content leader, joined me to explore how teams can balance public relations and content marketing on social media. This recap explains why social media is an essential brand investment that can accomplish a range of brand goals, including tips for finding the right content mix for your organization and ways to align your teams for success.

​How to Safeguard Brand Reputation in an Increasingly Risky Digital Landscape.
​Brands that continue to stay on the channel formerly known as Twitter risk their reputation, given increasingly chaotic content and advertising standards on the site. This MarketingProfs article dissects the issue and explains how brands can weigh their risks and create a strategy to safeguard their reputation on X and any other channel.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Planning for Creative B2B Content Reuse.
​I was joined by Dane Frederiksen to chat about how content marketers can overcome some of their biggest challenges—including creating high-value, relevant content consistently. Check out the recap to learn about the importance of planning for creative B2B content reuse from the start and how video content, in particular, can help move your content strategy forward.

Until next time, stay safe and be well!

Cheers,

Erika

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​Erika Heald, Founder & Chief Content Officer​
​Erika Heald Marketing Consulting​
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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikaheald​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misserikasf/
​Threads: @MisserikaSF​​
​YouTube: @ErikaHeald​