Free content strategist job description templates for small business, SEO, digital, and UX roles, with FLSA classification notes built in. Download DOCX.
6 templates for small business, SEO, digital, senior, and UX roles, with the FLSA classification notes no competitor includes. Download as DOCX.
The content strategist job description covers an umbrella title that means different things to different teams. For most companies it is a marketing role: the architect who plans how content connects to business goals. The same title can also mean an SEO specialist, a multi-channel digital planner, a senior leader who owns the whole program, or a UX content designer working inside the product.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the whole range, with two things no competitor offers: a downloadable DOCX and a clear note on FLSA classification, which for a creative role is a real judgment call. The six templates below cover small business, standard, SEO, digital, senior, and UX. Pick the one that fits, fill in the brackets, and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free templates: Small Business / No HR, Standard, SEO, Digital, Senior / Lead, and UX. A content strategist owns the plan behind a company's content. The role is usually exempt (creative or learned professional), but a mostly-production role may be non-exempt, and several states set thresholds above the federal one. With no dedicated code, federal data maps it to writers and authors (SOC 27-3043), median $72,270 (May 2024).
What Does a Content Strategist Do?
A content strategist owns the plan behind a company's content, making sure it supports business goals instead of being produced piece by piece. The work includes building the strategy, defining topic pillars and the calendar, running audits, leading SEO research, setting standards, tracking performance, and coordinating the writers who produce the work. The strategist is the architect; writers execute.
With no dedicated occupational code for the title, federal data maps it to writers and authors (SOC 27-3043) as the closest proxy, though the role sits a level above pure production. The emphasis shifts by subtype: a marketing or SEO strategist drives traffic, a digital strategist coordinates across channels, and a UX content strategist works inside the product. The templates split along those lines.
Content Strategist Duties and Responsibilities
A content strategist's duties cluster into strategy and governance, planning and coordination, search and optimization, and measurement. The mix shifts by subtype, but these areas hold across roles.
Strategy and governance
Build content strategy tied to business goals
Define topic pillars and standards
Govern brand voice and style
Planning and coordination
Own the editorial calendar
Coordinate writers, designers, and freelancers
Run content audits and gap analysis
Search and optimization
Lead SEO and keyword research
Optimize new and existing content
Map content to search intent
Measurement
Track content performance against KPIs
Report on what works and what does not
Iterate the strategy on the data
At a small business one person handles all four clusters and does production too; at a larger company they govern a team. For a structured way to scope any role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your subtype and seniority. The small-business version is written for a hands-on first hire; the SEO, digital, and UX versions match different disciplines; and the senior version matches a program-owning lead. Use this guide to choose.
Small Business / No HR
First hire, hands-on
The owned version no competitor offers: a hands-on strategist-and-producer for a small business without HR, with a classification note and onboarding planned in.
Standard
Most hirers
The universal base: own the content strategy, the calendar, and the standards, and coordinate the writers who produce the work. The starting point if no other version fits.
SEO Content Strategist
Organic search focus
For a business that wants content to drive organic traffic: keyword research, search intent, and a roadmap of content that ranks and converts.
Digital Content Strategist
Multi-channel
For content across web, blog, email, and social: a cross-channel calendar mapped to the buyer journey, tied to engagement and conversion.
Senior / Lead
Strategy and team
For owning the program end to end: sets direction, owns the metrics, governs standards, and may lead a content team. Clearly exempt.
UX Content Strategist
Product / content design
A separate product discipline: the words inside the product, interface copy, and content flows. The industry increasingly calls this content design.
Match the Template to Your Need
Hands-on first hire at a small business: Small Business / No HR. Organic search focus: SEO. Content across web, email, and social: Digital. Owning the program with a team: Senior / Lead. Words inside the product: UX. Anything else, or to start broad: Standard. Whichever you pick, classify by the actual duties and salary and check your state threshold.
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company summary, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, an FLSA classification note, an EEO statement, and pay. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
Small business, standard, SEO, digital, senior, and UX. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Small Business / No HR Content Strategist
The owned version no competitor offers: a hands-on strategist-and-producer for a small business without HR, with a classification note and onboarding planned in.
Content Strategist Job Description (Small Business / No HR)
CONTENT STRATEGIST JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL BUSINESS / NO HR)
FLSA status: [Likely exempt -- confirm by duties and salary, see note]
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] is a [#]-person [brand / startup / agency] in [City,
State]. We do not have a dedicated HR department, and we are hiring our
first content strategist to own the plan behind our content, not just
the writing.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a Content Strategist to own how our content connects to
our business goals. This is a hands-on role at a small company: you will
set the strategy and the editorial calendar, and you will also do real
production, working directly with the founder or marketing lead.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build and own the content strategy tied to business goals
•Plan and run the editorial calendar
•Do hands-on writing and editing as needed
•Run SEO and keyword research to guide topics
•Audit existing content and find gaps
•Track content performance and report on what works
•Maintain a simple style guide and brand voice
•Coordinate any freelancers or agency partners
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•3+ years in content, marketing, or communications
•Both strategic planning and hands-on writing ability
•Working knowledge of SEO and a CMS (such as WordPress)
•Comfortable with analytics and reporting
•Self-directed and comfortable wearing several hats
•[Bachelor's in marketing, communications, or English preferred]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
A content strategist is usually exempt under the creative or learned
professional exemption, if the role meets the salary and duties tests.
But a role that is mostly routine production may not pass the duties
test and could be non-exempt. Classify by the actual duties and salary,
not the title, and apply the higher of the federal or your state salary
threshold. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __.
Template 2: Standard Content Strategist
The universal base: own the content strategy, the calendar, and the standards, and coordinate the writers who produce the work. The starting point if no other version fits.
Content Strategist Job Description (Standard)
CONTENT STRATEGIST JOB DESCRIPTION (STANDARD)
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Marketing Manager / Head of Content]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: [Likely exempt -- confirm by duties and salary]
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Content Strategist to plan and govern our
content so it supports our business goals. The strategist owns the
editorial direction, the calendar, and the standards, and coordinates
the writers and creators who produce the work.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Develop and own the content strategy
•Define topic pillars and the editorial calendar
•Run content audits and gap analysis
•Lead SEO and keyword research
•Set and maintain style guides and standards
•Track content performance against KPIs
•Coordinate writers, designers, and freelancers
•Align content with marketing and business goals
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•3 to 5 years in content strategy or marketing
•Strong editorial judgment and planning skills
•Working knowledge of SEO, CMS, and analytics
•Clear communication and project management
•[Bachelor's in marketing, communications, or journalism preferred]
FLSA NOTE
A content strategist is typically exempt under the creative or learned
professional exemption when the role meets the salary and duties tests.
Confirm classification by the actual duties and salary, not the title.
This is not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
FLSA: Is a Content Strategist Exempt or Non-Exempt?
This is the question no competing template answers, and for a creative role it takes real analysis. The Department of Labor is clear that the title does not decide exempt status; the actual duties and salary do.
A content strategist is usually exempt under the creative-professional exemption, for work requiring invention, imagination, originality, or talent, or the learned-professional exemption. The role must meet both a salary test and a duties test. The duties test is where it can break down: a role that is mostly routine production, executing someone else's plan without real independent judgment, may not qualify and could be non-exempt.
Check Your State Salary Threshold
If you classify a content strategist as exempt, the role must clear a salary threshold, and the federal figure is only the floor. Several states set higher thresholds, so the same role at the same salary can be exempt in one state and non-exempt in another. Apply whichever law gives the employee greater protection where you operate. The guides to exempt versus non-exempt and the Fair Labor Standards Act explain how the tests work. This is general information, not legal advice.
The practical rule: classify by the real duties and pay, document your reasoning, and lean toward non-exempt when the role is mostly hands-on production rather than strategy.
Content Strategist vs Manager vs Writer
These titles overlap and blur at small companies, but they sit at different levels. Match the title to where your real gap is.
Role
Owns
Best when
Content strategist
Why, what, how: the plan and governance
You need a content program architected and aligned to goals
Content manager
When, where, who: execution and publishing
You need the calendar run and content shipped
Content marketing manager
Campaigns, distribution, lead-gen, ROI
Your gap is demand and pipeline from content
Content writer / editor
Creating and editing the content itself
You need production capacity
If your gap is planning and governance, hire a strategist; if it is execution, a manager; if it is production, a content writer. The marketing coordinator template covers an adjacent generalist role.
Requirements and Qualifications
This is a judgment-and-portfolio role. Editorial sense, planning ability, and the right tool experience matter most; the degree is preferred, not required.
Requirement
What to know
Education
Bachelor's in marketing, comms, English, or journalism preferred
Experience
3 to 5 years mid-level; 5+ for senior or lead
Core skills
Strategy, editorial judgment, project management
Tools
SEO research, CMS (e.g. WordPress), and analytics
By subtype
SEO depth, multi-channel, or in-product content per version
Portfolio
Strategy work and measurable results often beats a degree
Name the must-have qualifications precisely, separate them from the nice-to-haves, and tailor them to the subtype and seniority you are hiring. The guide to writing a job description covers how to structure the rest.
Pay and Hiring Outlook
Content strategist pay spans a wide band by subtype and seniority, and the closest federal occupation is growing about as fast as average.
Closest BLS Benchmark (Writers and Authors, May 2024)
With no dedicated wage code for content strategist, the closest proxy is writers and authors (SOC 27-3043), median $72,270 a year as of May 2024 (lowest 10% under $41,080, highest 10% over $133,680). Employment is projected to grow 4% from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 13,400 openings a year. Market pay by the actual title typically runs above this proxy (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Anchor your range to the subtype, seniority, and market rather than to the proxy median, since strategists by title typically earn more than the writers-and-authors figure. Mid-level roles sit in the mid-to-upper five figures, and senior or lead strategists who own the program reach well into six figures, with tech and major-market roles higher.
Hiring a Content Strategist for a Small Business
The honest picture for a small business: a strategist is usually a later hire, the subtype you need decides everything, and the FLSA call is a real judgment. Here are the three realities to get right.
Most small businesses do not hire a content strategist first, and no template says so
A content strategist is usually not an early hire. The role coordinates a content program, so it tends to make sense once a business already has a few writers or creators and needs someone to architect and govern the system rather than just produce. Smaller companies often start by hiring a content writer or a marketer, or by using a freelancer, agency, or fractional strategist, and only bring a strategist in-house as content operations scale. The generic templates online assume a company already large enough to dedicate one person to strategy. The small-business template on this page is written for the realistic version: a hands-on hire who both sets the strategy and does production, working directly with the founder, when a small business is ready to commit. If you are not there yet, a freelancer or fractional strategist is often the smarter first step.
Content strategist is an umbrella title, and the version you need decides everything
Content strategist is a young, fuzzy title with no single occupational code, and it splits into distinct disciplines that share almost nothing beyond the word. A marketing or SEO content strategist plans content to grow an audience and drive traffic and leads. A digital content strategist coordinates content across web, email, and social. A UX content strategist, increasingly called a content designer, works inside the product on interface copy and content flows, a fundamentally different job that reports into design or product rather than marketing. Hiring the wrong subtype wastes everyone's time, because a marketing strategist and a product content designer are not interchangeable. The templates on this page are split by subtype precisely so you hire for the discipline you actually need, and the disambiguation section below helps you tell the strategist role apart from a content manager, a content marketing manager, and a writer.
Nobody states the FLSA classification, and for a creative role it is a real judgment call
Not one top template tells you whether a content strategist is exempt or non-exempt, and for this role the answer takes actual analysis. A content strategist is usually exempt under the creative-professional exemption, for work requiring invention, imagination, originality, or talent, or the learned-professional exemption, if the role meets both a salary test and a duties test. The catch is the duties test: a role that is mostly routine production, executing someone else's plan without real independent judgment, may not qualify, which would make it non-exempt and overtime-eligible. The salary side has its own wrinkle, since several states set salary thresholds higher than the federal floor, and you must apply whichever law gives the employee greater protection where you operate. For a small business, getting this right matters, especially when the strategist role blends strategy with hands-on writing. Classify based on the real duties and pay, document it, and when in doubt, confirm with counsel. This is general information, not legal advice.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Content Strategist
Onboarding a content strategist is more than paperwork, because a content role creates work the business needs to own. Send the offer stating the pay and classification, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then handle the steps specific to a content role, which are the core of a clean start.
Offer and paperwork
Send the offer stating the pay and the FLSA classification, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and the W-4 and any state tax forms in the first days.
NDA and IP assignment
Content roles create work the business needs to own outright. Have the new hire sign a confidentiality agreement and an intellectual-property assignment so the content, drafts, and ideas they produce belong to the company.
Tools and access
Grant access to the CMS, analytics, SEO tools, and any design or project tools, with the right permissions, and walk through the style guide, calendar, and review process.
Strategy context
Share the business goals, audience, brand voice, and current content performance up front, so the strategist can build a plan on reality rather than guesswork.
Keep the signed onboarding documents, including the NDA and IP assignment, in one place. If this is among your first hires, the guide to hiring your first employee covers the broader steps.
FirstHR fits this hire directly: e-signature for the offer, the confidentiality agreement, and the intellectual-property assignment that a content role makes essential, document management to store those signed agreements securely, training modules to deliver and document brand-voice and standards training, task workflows to grant and track tool access, and a simple HRIS with an org chart showing where the role sits under marketing. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a small business pays one rate as it grows. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider or PEO. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A content strategist owns the plan behind a company's content, architecting why, what, and how it gets made.
Match the template to the subtype: small business, standard, SEO, digital, senior, or UX, which is a separate product discipline.
The role is usually exempt (creative or learned professional), but a mostly-production role may be non-exempt; duties and salary decide it.
A strategist is usually a later hire; small businesses often start with a freelancer or fractional strategist as content scales.
Have the hire sign an NDA and IP assignment on day one, since a content role creates work the business needs to own.
With no dedicated code, federal data maps the role to writers and authors (SOC 27-3043), median $72,270 (May 2024).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a content strategist do?
A content strategist owns the plan behind a company's content, making sure it supports business goals rather than just producing pieces in isolation. The core work includes developing the content strategy, defining topic pillars and the editorial calendar, running content audits and gap analysis, leading SEO and keyword research, setting style guides and standards, tracking content performance against KPIs, and coordinating the writers and designers who produce the work. The strategist is the architect: they decide why, what, and how content gets made, while writers and editors execute. The emphasis shifts by type: a marketing or SEO content strategist focuses on growing an audience and driving traffic, a digital content strategist coordinates content across web, email, and social, and a UX content strategist, increasingly called a content designer, works inside the product on interface copy. Because there is no dedicated occupational code for the title, federal data maps it to writers and authors (SOC 27-3043) as the closest proxy, though the strategist role sits a level above pure production. It is a judgment and planning role, which is why companies usually hire it once their content operation is large enough to need coordination.
Is a content strategist exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A content strategist is usually exempt, but it takes actual analysis rather than assuming it from the title. The most likely basis is the creative-professional exemption, which covers work requiring invention, imagination, originality, or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field, or the learned-professional exemption. Either way, the role must meet both a salary test and a duties test. The duties test is where it can break down: a strategist who genuinely sets direction and exercises independent judgment qualifies, but a role that is mostly routine production, executing someone else's plan without real discretion, may not, which would make it non-exempt and entitled to overtime. The salary side has a wrinkle too, since several states set salary thresholds higher than the federal floor, and you must apply whichever law gives the employee greater protection where you operate. The practical guidance is to classify based on the actual duties and salary, not the job title, to document your reasoning, and to lean toward non-exempt if the role is mostly hands-on production rather than strategy. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment professional.
What is the difference between a content strategist and a content manager?
The two roles are often confused and sometimes merged at small companies, but they sit at different levels. A content strategist owns the why, what, and how: the architect who builds the plan, defines topic pillars, sets governance and standards, and aligns content with business goals. A content manager owns the when, where, and who: the executor who runs the calendar, manages production, coordinates writers, and gets content published on schedule. In a clean org, the strategist sits above the manager, with strategy flowing down into execution. There is also a content marketing manager, who is closer to campaigns, distribution, lead generation, and ROI, reporting into marketing leadership. At a small business these lines blur, and one person frequently does all of it, which is part of why the role is hard to define. When you hire, the practical question is whether your gap is planning and governance, which points to a strategist, or execution and publishing, which points to a manager. Hiring a strategist when you really need a manager, or the reverse, is a common and expensive mismatch.
How much does a content strategist make?
Content strategist pay varies widely by experience, subtype, and location, and the title typically pays above the federal proxy occupation. Because there is no dedicated wage code for content strategist, the closest federal benchmark is writers and authors (SOC 27-3043), with a median annual wage of $72,270 as of May 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where the lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,080 and the highest 10 percent more than $133,680. In practice, market data by the actual title runs higher: mid-level content strategists commonly land in the mid-to-upper five figures into six figures, and senior or lead strategists who own the program and lead a team reach well into six figures. Market data shows typical ranges from the low eighties to the mid one-forties depending on level and market, with top earners higher in major media and tech hubs. For your posting, anchor the range to the subtype, seniority, and location you are hiring for rather than to the federal proxy median, and remember that if the role is unusually production-heavy and classified as non-exempt, overtime applies.
Does a small business need a content strategist, or a freelancer?
Many small businesses are better served by a freelancer or fractional strategist first, and only hire a full-time strategist once content operations scale. A content strategist coordinates a content program, so the role typically pays off once you already have a few writers or creators and need someone to architect and govern the system, not just produce. Marketing guidance commonly frames it as a later hire: once more than a few people are working on content, you need a strategist to coordinate the effort. For an early-stage small business, the more cost-effective path is often a freelance writer or strategist, an agency, or a fractional content strategist who provides senior direction part-time, which costs far less than a full-time hire and avoids committing before the workload justifies it. The decision comes down to volume and maturity: if your content operation is big enough to keep a strategist busy and the strategic gap is real, hire in-house; if you mainly need someone to produce or to set direction occasionally, a freelancer or fractional arrangement is usually the smarter first step. The small-business template on this page is for the in-house case, written for a hands-on hire who both strategizes and produces.
What qualifications should a content strategist have?
A content strategist typically needs three to five years of experience in content, marketing, or communications, plus a mix of strategic and hands-on skills. The most important qualifications are strong editorial judgment, the ability to plan and govern a content program, working knowledge of SEO and a content management system such as WordPress, comfort with analytics to measure performance, and clear communication and project management to coordinate writers and stakeholders. A bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, English, or journalism is commonly preferred but not strictly required; a portfolio of strategy work and measurable results often matters more than the degree. Tailor the requirements to the subtype: an SEO content strategist needs deeper search and keyword expertise, a digital strategist needs multi-channel planning experience, and a UX content strategist or content designer needs a portfolio of in-product content work and familiarity with design collaboration. Set the experience level to match seniority, three to five years for a mid-level strategist and five or more for a senior or lead, and separate the must-have qualifications clearly from the nice-to-haves so candidates self-select accurately.
Why does a content strategist need an IP assignment agreement?
Content roles create work the business needs to own outright, which makes an intellectual-property assignment one of the most important onboarding steps for this hire. When an employee creates content within the scope of their job, much of it may qualify as work made for hire, but the safest practice is to have the employee sign a clear intellectual-property assignment agreement that confirms the company owns the content, drafts, ideas, and related materials they produce. This avoids disputes later over who owns a strategy, a body of articles, or creative concepts, especially if the person also freelances or leaves the company. A confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement usually accompanies it, protecting business information, customer data, and unpublished plans the strategist will have access to. For a small business without a dedicated HR or legal team, these documents are easy to overlook and expensive to be missing when a dispute arises. Building the NDA and IP assignment into onboarding from day one, signed before the strategist starts producing, is the clean way to handle it. This is general information, not legal advice; have your agreements reviewed by counsel.
What happens after I hire a content strategist?
Run a structured onboarding that covers standard employment paperwork plus the steps specific to a content role. Start with the basics: send the offer stating the pay and the FLSA classification, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather the W-4 and any state tax forms. Then handle the content-specific items, which are the heart of this hire. Have the strategist sign a confidentiality agreement and an intellectual-property assignment so the content and ideas they create belong to the company, a step that is easy to skip and costly to miss for a creative role. Grant access to your CMS, analytics, SEO tools, and any design or project tools with the right permissions, and walk through the style guide, calendar, and review process. Share the business goals, audience, brand voice, and current content performance up front so the strategist builds a plan on reality rather than guesswork. For a small business without HR, this sequence needs a system. FirstHR handles the onboarding layer: e-signature for the offer, the NDA, and the IP assignment, document management to store those signed agreements securely, training modules for brand voice and standards, task workflows to grant and track tool access, and a simple HRIS with an org chart. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
