23 Content Marketing Business Success Stories [2024]
Content marketing is developing and distributing relevant, helpful content to convert the target customer to take the necessary steps. Businesses with a content marketing strategy get 67% more leads than other companies.
Therefore, the demand for content marketing services is high than ever before. Starting a content marketing service can be a significant business venture.
To start a content marketing business, you need a good understanding of SEO and social media. You can hire content creators to help you develop relevant and valuable content.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a content marketing business:
1. Article-Writing Co ($1.5M/year)
David Tile, the founder of Article-Writing.co, originally tried to start a penny auction website after college but failed. He then turned to freelance writing to make some cash, which eventually led to him building a successful content writing service. With $40k - $50k in monthly revenue from clients like Answers.com, Tile's business has grown without any outside funding, emphasizing the importance of taking action and adapting to market forces.
How much they make: $1.5M/year
Current team size: 25
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
2. Coffee and Contracts ($3M/year)
Haley Ingram, the founder of Coffee and Contracts, came up with the idea for her business while working as a real estate agent. After experiencing the power of social media marketing firsthand and receiving requests for advice from other agents, she saw an opportunity to create a subscription-based marketing toolkit tailored specifically for real estate professionals. In just two years, Coffee and Contracts has helped over 7,000 agents build their brands and currently generates an impressive average monthly revenue of $165,000.
How much they make: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 3
Coffee and Contracts is a digital marketing subscription service for real estate professionals that has helped over 7,000 members in just two years, with an average monthly revenue of around $165,000, and has grown at a rate of about 5% each month through organic traffic from Instagram and word of mouth.
So... can you actually make money with a content marketing business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. With Content ($360K/year)
Daniel Tay, co-founder of With Content, initially discovered his passion for content marketing while studying political science. After gaining experience as a journalist and content marketer in the tech industry, he realized the need for high-quality content marketing in Singapore and Southeast Asia. With a strong network and growing demand, Daniel launched With Content, offering specialized content marketing services for B2B tech companies. Through strategic content creation, transparent pricing, and targeted marketing efforts, With Content quickly gained traction and became a go-to agency in the region, generating $1 million in revenue to date.
How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
Current team size: 8
A Singapore-based content marketing agency, With Content, co-founded by Daniel Tay, generates a monthly revenue of $30k and recently crossed the million-dollar mark in total revenue, thanks to its focus on narrow content marketing services, transparency in pricing, and expanding the marketing funnel through various content marketing channels.
4. Bop Design ($2.4M/year)
Kara Jensen, co-founder of Bop Design, initially started the company as a side gig while working full-time. After experiencing the instability of the financial industry during the subprime mortgage crisis, she convinced her husband to join her and they focused on B2B website design and marketing services. Through smart financial management and a focus on value-added services, Bop Design has grown to become a multi-million dollar marketing agency, making the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list two years in a row.
How much they make: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 13
Bop Design, a B2B digital marketing agency, evolved through working with high-tech, software, industrial, and life science companies to develop lead-generating websites, brand platforms, and content marketing programs, and saw 153.1% revenue growth, landing them on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list for two years in a row.
So... can you actually make money with a content marketing business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. The Customize Windows ($33.6K/year)
Abhishek Ghosh, founder of The Customize Windows blog, was inspired by his passion for electronics and programming. He launched the blog in 2010 to share his knowledge of tweaking Microsoft Windows and gradually expanded its scope to include theoretical discussions on various tech topics. Over the years, the website has attracted direct advertisers and stabilized its monthly earnings at $2,500, offering valuable content to readers in the software and electronics niche.
How much they make: $33.6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 4
This case study is an inspiring story about how a founder started a blog on Microsoft Windows technology and, after a decade of hard work, dedication, and patience, managed to make it a sustainable business earning $30,000 per year, outlining the process of designing, prototyping, and launching the website and the lessons learned along the way.
6. Sniply ($420K/year)
Matt Bentley, the Marketing Lead at Sniply, came up with the idea for the custom URL shortener after experiencing the problem of losing customers gained from curating other people's content. He realized that when sharing third-party content on social media, traffic is diverted away from your own website. This led to the creation of Sniply, which adds a custom call-to-action button on any shared page, directing the traffic back to the user's website. With 550 paying customers and an annual revenue of $420k, Sniply has become a valuable tool for startup founders, brand managers, and social media managers.
How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1M
Current team size: 3
Sniply is a custom URL shortener that adds a custom CTA button to any page shared on social media, with 550 paying customers, including large marketing companies, and an annual revenue of about $420k, revolutionizing content marketing.
So... can you actually make money with a content marketing business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Three Girls Media, Inc. ($600K/year)
Erika Taylor Montgomery, founder of Three Girls Media, came up with the idea for her marketing and PR agency after leaving her career in broadcasting and politics. Recognizing the need for work-life balance and wanting more control over her schedule, she decided to launch her own business. With just a $3,000 loan, Erika started Three Girls Media, which has since grown to a team of 10 and grosses about $550,000 annually.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3K
Current team size: 10
A marketing and public relations agency founded by Erika Taylor Montgomery, Three Girls Media grosses about $550,000 annually and is a team of 11 who offer a range of services including social media management, digital marketing, email marketing, media relations, and website design and build.
8. Content-Whale Private Limited ($750K/year)
Vaibhav Kishnani, an engineer turned writer, came up with the idea for Content-Whale after noticing the unprofessional conduct in the Indian content market. With just Rs. 2,500 ($35) in capital, he started the content agency which now generates a revenue turnover of Rs. 4 crores ($514,000) and serves clients like Quikr and The Boston Consulting Group.
How much they make: $750K/year
How much did it cost to start: $35
Current team size: 30
Content-Whale, a content curation agency, has achieved a Rs. 4 crore ($514k/year) turnover 4-5 years after being started with just Rs. 2500 ($35), and has a pool of more than 500 writers, aiming to become a market leader in the global content market.
9. Add Value | Growth Marketing Agency ($600K/year)
24-year-old Joachim Brouckaert founded Add Value, a growth marketing agency, after noticing that many marketing agencies prioritized money over delivering value to their customers. With a background in digital marketing and experience freelancing as a digital marketer, Joachim decided to start his own agency focused on full-funnel marketing services. After a year in business, Add Value generates an average monthly turnover of 30k and works with 18 active clients.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
A 24-year-old founder shares how his growth marketing agency generated €360,000 in its first year, with a team of 5 people working for 18 active clients per month, using SEO, Facebook and Google ads, organic content on LinkedIn, and a hybrid agency model with a focus on client retention.
10. MeetEdgar ($4M/year)
Laura Roeder, the founder of MeetEdgar, came up with the idea for her social media automation tool after realizing the burden of managing social media accounts and creating new content across multiple platforms. With her background in teaching social media marketing and her own online course business, she saw the need for a tool that could handle the grunt work of social media management. By validating the idea through her course, she decided to create MeetEdgar and launched the software in 2014.
How much they make: $4M/year
Current team size: 11
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
11. Influence Podium ($480K/year)
Marti Sanchez, the CEO of Influence Podium, came up with the idea for his business after ghostwriting papers for B2B CEOs in college. He realized the power of personal branding and content, and eventually launched Influence Podium to help B2B CEOs grow their personal brands and create content at scale. Now in its 3rd year, Influence Podium has crossed $30k MRR and aims to hit seven figures by the end of the year.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 6
Influence Podium CEO Marti Sanchez started his content service for B2B CEOs three years ago, which now helps get CEOs of companies on podcasts and repurposes those episodes. They have crossed $30k MRR and their next goal is to hit seven figures by the end of the year, while completely self-funded.
12. The Happy Beavers ($480K/year)
The founder of The Happy Beavers initially started as a freelance translator, but after experiencing success with SEO-focused content creation, they transitioned into building a company. They utilized platforms like Upwork to gain clients and focused on personalizing their sales approach to stand out from the competition. They are now scaling their business growth and working on developing an AI that can analyze the quality of written content.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 10
The Happy Beavers is a content creation company specialized in SEO investments through content creation, with a team of 10 full-time employees and around 150 freelancers, boasting an excellent track record, which they build up through Upwork.
13. Zoella YouTube Channel ($4.57M/year)
How much they make: $4.57M/year
Current team size: 6
Case study: How Zoella earned over $5 million through YouTube, with almost a billion views and over 10.8 million subscribers, and leveraged her popularity to secure lucrative advertising and television opportunities.
14. Socialistics ($500K/year)
How much they make: $500K/year
Current team size: 8
Socialistics founder Jason Yormark turned a side project into an advertising agency managing social media campaigns ranging from $2K to $5K for 15 clients, providing content marketing, social media marketing, Facebook advertising and more.
15. Merrative ($24K/year)
Harshala Chavan, the founder of Merrative, came up with the idea for her business after noticing a lack of dedicated spaces for people to discuss literature. After attending a book club meetup, where she had a great discussion with others who had read the same book, she wondered if she could bring this experience online at scale. She validated her concept through participating in BPlans and growing her Instagram page, which eventually led to the launch of Merrative as a community-led marketplace for publishing talent.
How much they make: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 0
Merrative, a community-driven marketplace for publishing talent, generates an average of $1,500 per month in marketplace transactions from their 5,000+ strong community of readers, writers, journalists, and scholars.
16. Get Found XL ($540K/year)
Justas Markus, the co-founder of GetFound XL, originally started the company as a content marketing agency. They quickly found success, acquiring three clients within the first month. After a year, they made the decision to focus solely on building links, which has allowed them to optimize their processes and deliver high-quality services to their 40+ clients.
How much they make: $540K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
A link building company co-founded by Justas Markus has grown to make an average of $35k per month in recurring revenue with a focus on delivering high-quality services through manual processes and focusing on fewer markets.
17. Siege Media ($5M/year)
How much they make: $5M/year
Current team size: 93
Get an inside look at how Ross Hudgens built one of the largest content marketing businesses in the US, working with some of the biggest names on the internet through a fully inbound sales funnel.
18. Content Refined ($996K/year)
Narcis became the CEO and Manager of Content Refined after the business was already established. However, he was able to optimize procedures and increase clientele, leading to significant revenue growth of 76% over 3 years. With a focus on delivering high-quality content and helping site owners rank for target keywords organically, Content Refined has become a fully managed content writing service that attracts and retains customers through word of mouth and referrals.
How much they make: $996K/year
Current team size: 0
Content Refined's CEO Narcis shares how they grew their fully-managed content writing service to double their revenue, with 76% growth, and expand their clientele while keeping profit margins healthy - all within the past 3 years - by remaining focused on delivering quality and performance, leveraging referrals, and implementing AI procedures.
19. WTFBit Writing ($48K/year)
How much they make: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0
Denys from Ukraine shares his journey from being an essay writer to launching his own copywriting agency, WTFBit Writing, which now generates between $2K-$5K/month and has helped 50+ IT companies with their content marketing needs.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
