Editorial Strategist with a $112,000/year salary

Welcome to another post in the $100k Club series. You can see the full series here. This is "My Morning Routine" for content marketing folks making six figures. The goal is to shed light on the skills and habits that enable people to achieve lucrative jobs and help get more people in this club.

These will be anonymous and updated regularly. If you make more than $100k/year and want to contribute, email me.

For more info on content marketing salaries, check out our salary report.

If you'd like to see more info on salary by job title, check out these resources: Content Marketing Manager Salary, Content Strategist Salary, Head of Content Salary, and Content Director Salary.

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What was your first full-time job in content? What was the salary?

My first content job was a content writer position at an EdTech startup here in Austin. My salary was $35,000 plus benefits.

At the time, it seemed like a dream situation since I was coming off of several entertainment industry jobs in L.A. that offered even lower salaries and no benefits.

How much do you earn today? What's your job title?

Today, I'm an Editorial Strategist for an AutoTech company in the travel niche. I earn $112,000 + benefits.

What's the single biggest salary jump you've made? (either from job-hopping or a promotion/raise)

The biggest salary jump I made was when I left my position at the EdTech company to start my own freelance content business. It's one of the most valuable and rewarding moves I've ever made. I learned a ton and almost doubled my income.

I was making $60,000 when I left and did $110,000 in my first year freelancing.

What is your most valuable skill?

I'm really entrepreneurially-spirited, which I think makes me a very curious, optimistic, and scrappy worker. I love looking at things from a big-picture view and figuring out what it's gonna take to make that bigger picture happen.

What's the best book you've ever read on writing, marketing, sales, business or productivity?

Company of One by Paul Jarvis gave me such a feeling of hope and ownership over my career and, at the time, my business.

It really turns the traditional view of work/business on its head and has super valuable insights whether you work for yourself or another company.

One day, I'll start another business and this will be my bible.

Have you had a career mentor/coach? If so, how did you find them and what have you learned from them?

I've never had an official mentor or coach, but the CEO of the EdTech company I worked for was such a big champion of and resource for me as I moved into starting my freelance business. He met with me several times that first year to offer his advice, insights, and connections.

The biggest thing he helped really hammer home for me is that it's okay to go slow. I can be incredibly impatient and want to do everything right this second. It's okay (and usually necessary) to take things one day at a time and build sustainably.

What skills or habits help you thrive at work?

This wasn't always the case, but I've really learned to wrangle the time management beast.

I have a lot of balls in the air at my job, but thankfully know how to get things done without that time bleeding into the time I set aside for my personal life.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to join the $100k club?

My biggest advice would be to create your own opportunities. Be vocal with your manager about wanting upward movement and more responsibility, but also find ways to bring those opportunities to the table yourself.

If you're waiting for someone else to hand you a 50%-100% pay increase, you'll be waiting a while. You're smart, so take charge.

What is your gender and ethnicity? Where do you live? (optional)

I'm a white female living in Austin, Texas.

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