20 Content Strategist Success Stories [2024]
A content strategist business is a business that helps companies and organizations create and implement a content strategy that aligns with their business goals and objectives. This includes researching and identifying the target audience, determining the types of content that will be most effective in reaching that audience, and creating a plan for creating, distributing, and measuring the impact of the content.
Running a successful content strategist business involves several key skills and strategies. First and foremost, it requires a deep understanding of the target audience and what types of content will be most effective in reaching and engaging them. This involves conducting market research, analyzing data, and staying up to date on industry trends and best practices.
In addition, it’s essential to have strong communication and collaboration skills, as content strategists often work closely with other members of an organization, including marketing and sales teams, to ensure that the content is aligned with overall business goals and objectives.
Finally, it’s essential to be organized and have strong project management skills, as content strategists often juggle multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. By staying on top of tasks and delivering high-quality work on time, content strategists can build a strong reputation and secure long-term contracts with clients.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a content strategist:
1. The Content Direction Agency ($288K/year)
Lacy, the founder of The Content Direction Agency, came up with the idea for her business when she realized she could offer her expertise as a blogger and content strategist to other businesses. After starting out as a freelance writer, she transitioned into long-term retainers and built a team of writers to serve her clients. Today, her business generates over $300k annually and continues to grow through word-of-mouth referrals and joint venture partnerships.
How much they make: $288K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 1
Content strategist Lacy Boggs leveraged her love of blogging and desire for a more flexible schedule to grow her business from a solo "Ghost Blogger" to a full agency with four writers and a cabal of contractors that helps businesses create bespoke content strategies and consistent traffic, yielding over a ($300k) year in revenue.
2. 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.
So... can you actually make money with a content strategist?
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. Flying V Group ($3M/year)
Flying V Group was founded by Robb Fahrion and his brother based on an opportunity they identified in the market. After helping a mentor with his website and seeing the demand for digital help, they decided to start a marketing services firm. They focused on serving professional service industries and used SEO and content marketing to establish their clients as industry experts online. The company has since grown to employ 12 people, worked with over 300 clients, and is on track to double its revenue for the second year in a row.
How much they make: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 16
Flying V Group, a digital marketing agency co-founded by Robb and Tyler Fahrion, has experienced explosive growth and profitability through their focus on SEO and content marketing, generating 540% more traffic in 2020 compared to the previous year, and increasing revenue YoY, all while operating debt-free and cash-positive.
4. Socialbuzzhive ($96K/year)
Emily Standley, a single mother with a passion for digital marketing, started her blog Socialbuzzhive to provide expert resources for entrepreneurs looking to grow their business online. With a community of over 4 million, Emily earns over $8,000 monthly through a combination of affiliate marketing, advertising, digital courses, and product reviews. Her blog serves as a go-to resource for those seeking work-life balance and financial success in the digital age.
How much they make: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 1
South Florida-based digital marketing strategist turned blogger grows her online business from zero to over 4 million followers, using a combination of affiliate marketing, advertising, digital courses, and product reviews, earning over $8,000 monthly.
So... can you actually make money with a content strategist?
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. Embarque.io: On-demand content marketing services ($300K/year)
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size:
Learn how a productized agency founder went from working with hyper-growth startups to making over $12,000 MRR.
6. Content Snare ($120K/year)
How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size:
Find out how Content Snare built a successful tool for agencies to get content from clients in just six months, from validation with a simple landing page.
So... can you actually make money with a content strategist?
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. 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.
8. Novus Digital Ltd ($480K/year)
Alex, the founder of Novus Digital, came up with the idea for his SEO agency when a former client reached out to him seeking help. With six years of experience in SEO, Alex wanted to create a company that focused on delivering measurable return on investment to clients, rather than just buzzwords and rankings. Despite initially launching with a shoestring budget, Novus has grown to attract clients ranging from small local businesses to international household names, generating $20,000 per month and with ambitious growth plans for 2022.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
Current team size: 11
Novus Digital, an SEO agency based in the UK and US, provides measurable ROI for clients, with a team of 8 and $20,000 monthly revenue, while transitioning to targeting SME service-based brands and e-commerce stores with a $1-10mil turnover and setting up a registered company in India.
9. Draft.dev ($1.08M/year)
Karl started his business, Draft, after feeling bored in his previous job. Combining his skills as a software engineer and his passion for writing, he decided to offer technical content to software engineering blogs on a subscription basis. With a focus on building trust and leveraging his network, Karl quickly found success with his business, on track to bring in $10,000 in recurring revenue in just his third month.
How much they make: $1.08M/year
How much did it cost to start: $600
Current team size: 6
Draft founder, Karl, built a productized service for technical content, generating $10k in (mostly) recurring revenue in just three months of running the business, showing the success of skill-stacking and the impact of word of mouth and maintaining a strong network in a service business.
10. 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.
11. CopySmiths ($480K/year)
Katrina McKinnon came up with the idea for CopySmiths after noticing the significant impact that blogging had on organic traffic and sales for her clients. She closed her 20-year-old agency and started CopySmiths, offering a productized service of high-quality blog articles for eCommerce stores and affiliate sites. Since its launch in 2020, CopySmiths has grown to over 100 clients and 40 writers.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $8K
Current team size: 7
CopySmiths, a content shop that specializes in writing blog articles for eCommerce stores and affiliate sites, has grown from 2 clients and 4 writers in 2020 to now over 100 clients and 40+ writers by using a business operating system inspired by the book "Work the System" by Sam Carpenter and focusing on product-market fit and referrals as their primary drivers of growth.
12. Wizard of Content ($1.08M/year)
How much they make: $1.08M/year
Current team size: 24
"Founder earns over $500k in one year through Fiverr - learn her top tips for fast success"
13. 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.
14. Lead Comet ($96K/year)
James De Roche, the founder of Lead Comet, came up with the idea for his SEO agency after working at a PPC agency and realizing the gulf between what SEOs talk about and what they deliver. He wanted to provide high-quality SEO strategies that actually delivered results for B2B organizations, and decided to start Lead Comet with a focus on rapid results through sprints instead of the traditional retainer model. With projected annual revenue of $120,000 in its first year and expected growth in year two, Lead Comet offers its clients the freedom to test its services before committing to long-term contracts.
How much they make: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
Current team size: 2
Lead Comet is a successful B2B SEO agency that uses sprints instead of retainers to rapidly deliver results for their clients, generating $120,000 in annual revenue for their first year and projected to double their profits in year two, with a focus on creating systems and processes to deliver the highest quality SEO strategies.
15. Critical Path Action ($36K/year)
Mike McRitchie, the founder of a resume writing and web marketing content business, came up with the idea after realizing he had a large network of LinkedIn connections in the telecom industry. He decided to leverage his expertise and offer resume writing services to his connections, which quickly converted 50% into paid clients. Through consistent blogging and strategic marketing efforts, Mike was able to grow his side hustle and double his income to over $30,000 in just two years.
How much they make: $36K/year
Current team size: 0
This case study follows a business owner who doubled his income from side hustles in two years, earning over $30,000 annually by writing resumes and LinkedIn copy, blogging weekly, and increasing rates as he attracted more clients from online platforms like Craigslist and LinkedIn.
16. Gun Made ($180K/year)
Hello, meet Brady Kirkpatrick, the Founder of Gun Made. Brady started Gun Made as a blog about guns, ammo, accessories, and more, and it has now become a media business with 1.5-2 million readers per year. The business generates $15k per month in recurring revenue, mainly from affiliate marketing, and is on track to become a seven-figure business in a few years. Brady's next big project is creating an E-commerce platform that integrates pricing from hundreds of retailers to help consumers find the lowest-priced firearms. Impressive, right?
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $70K
Current team size: 1
Gun Made, a media business founded by Brady Kirkpatrick, started as a COVID side project and now generates about $15k per month in recurring revenue from affiliate marketing, with plans to help retailers generate over $2.5M in sales in 2022 through their new e-commerce platform that aggregates pricing from hundreds of retailers.
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- 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
