What does a content producer do?

Creating all the things

As a content producer, you’ll be… producing content. 

Content comes in all shapes and sizes and no two pieces of work created are the same. You might find yourself producing:

- blog posts, think pieces and articles 
- web copy/micro copy/app copy
- tone of voice guidelines
- core values and editorial pillars
- email marketing copy
- leaflets
- whitepapers
- social media campaigns
- gifs/photography
- video content/storyboarding
- podcasts
- infographics
- motion graphics/motion graphics
- radio scripts/production

The list continues (and increases) as you get more confident in your role. It’s also important to understand that your day is unlikely to be linear. The task you start on first thing may have to be put on the backburner in place of something urgent that’s just come in. That’s why it’s important that you’re able to bounce between tasks effortlessly. Ultimately, all of this makes for a pretty interesting (and busy) day. 

However, one thing that doesn’t change is the amount of research you need to do before creating your content. Often, you’ll be writing about things you haven’t got first-hand experience of or things you haven’t even heard of before. That’s why research is key when you’re a content producer. 

For example, one of our clients is My Pension Expert – in order to create effective content we have to regularly read up on pension schemes and annuity rates while putting ourselves in the shoes of someone who’s close to retirement. 

An easy way to be a whiz with client content creation is to do your homework. At Crocstar we use personas. Personas help deliver the most relevant and useful content to your audience, but they’re also super useful when it comes to your clients.
Making client personas is a quick and easy way to see (at a glance) what they like, what they don’t like, the best way to communicate with them and any other details you think are relevant. 

If you’re struggling to answer a question or aren’t entirely sure about the person’s life, make an educated guess. And of course, the easiest way to get this information is to meet regularly with your clients, ask questions and find out more. 

Although it’s tricky at first, when you start doing this more often, for multiple clients, it gets easier and you’ll start to enjoy stepping into the shoes of multiple people.

Client management

We strive for a collaborative working relationship with our clients, that way projects are completed quickly, easily and in a transparent way.

As a content producer you’ll attend regular meetings with your client. It’s important you’re there as you’re the client’s main point of contact – you need to know what’s going on at all times.

This puts the client at peace as they know they’re in the same, capable hands throughout each project. And it’s worth getting across – your team is an extension of their team.

When it comes to looking after clients, a content producer needs to:
meet the clients’ needs – what are they trying to achieve with this piece of content?
do your research – what’s worked in the past, what hasn’t? 
handle comms – keep them updated with regular emails, phone calls or meetings
anticipate their needs – thought of something perfect for their brand? Tell them
seek out new opportunities with existing clients – what more can we offer?

All of this might seem obvious, but when you have more than one client to look after, there’s always the risk of prioritising one over another or forgetting simple things that will mean a lot to the client.

Being a brand ambassador

As well as being dedicated to your role and the company you work for, you need to be telling others how great it is too.

As a content producer it’s important when you’re in meetings, at networking events or catching up with new or existing clients, to tell them what your company is capable of and why you’re so good at it.

Although it’s not your responsibility to gain new clients, you can help by sharing articles, blogs or updates on social about your company. This means people are seeing (and hopefully reading) about what you’re doing, without breaking a sweat. Easy peasy. 

Team management

When you’ve settled into your role, you’ll find a portion of a content producer’s time is spent making sure the junior content producers are ok, have enough work, and are getting on with said work. 

All of this makes for a well-oiled machine of a team. And as you start to develop and grow in your career it’s important to realise when you’re no longer learning anything new from a task – could this be something you pass to a junior content producer? 

This way you’re able to share your knowledge and help another person learn the ropes. Plus it frees up your time to take on more challenging jobs.

How to become a content producer

If, after reading the above, you’re thinking: this is so me! it’s time to start looking. 

Of course, most companies want you to have experience. And the vicious circle of ‘can’t get experience without experience’ begins. 

But there are ways around it. If you’re at uni, sign up to relevant clubs or events that you’ll learn something from. And if possible try to do something that’s likely to help you in the content producer role you’re after – like writing for the uni newspaper or website, for example.

If you’re not at uni, volunteering is a great way to get experience. And you don’t have to dedicate all your spare time, just a couple of hours here and there is a start. 

And of course, we all know that sometimes it’s not what you know but who. Go to networking events, keep your LinkedIn profile up to date, talk to people who are doing something you’d like to be a part of. It might seem scary and totally out of your comfort zone at first, but it’s going to be worth it when you bag that job.

Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, it’s time to start the search. 

It’s always a good to start on a job site like Indeed, searching for roles such as content producer, content, and content marketing. 

The Dots is also a great, free jobsite for creative individuals that lets you create an online portfolio of projects you’ve worked on. And if LinkedIn is your thing, be sure to follow your favourite companies (and especially the ones you’d love to work for). By doing this you’ll see any updates they share, including - hopefully - any upcoming job roles. 

If you think you’re the perfect content producer (or have something great to offer) for Crocstar, get in touch.