Getting started as a first-time content manager (Content Lab, Ep. 49)

Starting out as a content manager at a company is super exciting. You get to roll up your sleeves and build a new role that (likely) no one before you has held before! You also are looked to as a one-in-a-million specialist, because (once again) no one like you has existed at the company before!

On the other hand...

Well, you're taking over a role that didn't exist before you, and no one has the same skill sets or focus areas as you do, because you're one-in-a-million.

See, that's the tricky thing about getting started as a content manager for the first time at a company. Especially if you're a first-time content manager being hired by a company that is hiring a content manager for the first time.

🔎 Related: 3 lessons from my first 90 days as a B2B content manager

The same things that make it exciting and fresh are the same things that can make it feel daunting and sometimes isolating. 

If this sounds like you, don't panic. John and I have both been in your shoes. We know exactly how you're feeling. We've felt the stresses. We've had to build our own processes, we've had to go out there and make our own way, while also having to prove our worth by producing and getting results. 

So, that's what this episode is all about. How to set yourself up for success in the best way possible as a first-time content manager. 

We share our first-hand experiences, a few lessons learned the hard way, our favorite tips for laying a strong foundation for your content management career, and much, much more.

Enjoy! 

Listen to the episode

🚨Subscribe to Content Lab on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.🚨 

Related resources

• 3 lessons from my first 90 days as a B2B content manager
• Essential content manager training resources, guides, and courses
• How to build rapport with any interview subject matter expert

Important show note

As I mentioned a the previous episode, in the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a bunch of episodes John and I recorded over the past few months. For various reasons, we always felt very quickly that they would become obsolete — for example, we would cancel events we were promoting in those episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After serious consideration, we've opted to release those episodes anyway. So, please understand that there may be some cases where we reference events that ended up not occurring during certain episodes that we opt to publish down the line, as they make sense.

They also may be released out of order, based on their topic. The topics we discussed are still very valuable and evergreen, however, so we hope you'll excuse any momentary confusion. 

Until next week! 👋