Content strategy has never stood still, but the last five years have brought more than surface-level updates. The pressure for measurable outcomes, sophisticated channel planning and data fluency has made today’s content strategist almost unrecognisable. 

Gone are the days when brand-led storytelling was enough to secure engagement or drive action. Organisations are now judged not only on what they say, but on how well their content performs, where it appears and how quickly it adapts to changes in digital behaviour. In this context, the question becomes: who are the people best equipped to lead content work into 2025?

According to Hubspot, 29% of marketers cited the importance of using data to inform their marketing strategy as one of the biggest changes in the industry over the last year. So understanding how the role has changed is the first step for employers. The second is being able to recruit strategically, not just filling gaps but identifying the content roles that will deliver against long-term business goals.

From Brand Message to Performance Strategy: Content’s Operational Maturity

Marketing content has moved from an accessory to a function. As teams move closer to commercial outcomes, strategy is no longer a discipline separate from execution or analysis. Instead, content teams are expected to support performance frameworks and work in close alignment with digital, analytics and paid teams.

There is a growing demand for hybrid roles across marketing. Content strategists are increasingly expected to combine channel knowledge, analytical insight and planning capability. In many organisations, they also need commercial fluency and the ability to oversee creative development alongside media and distribution planning.

What defines a modern strategist is not only the quality of their thinking. It is their ability to plan for performance across formats, timelines and audiences, while adjusting based on ongoing insight. The pressure for measurable outcomes and consultative value has reframed the expectations of content strategists. Many are now opting out of rigid agency models in favour of direct advisory relationships with businesses, a development highlighted in WARC’s 2024 Future of Strategy report.

The Strategic Skillset in 2025: What High-Performing Content Teams Need

There is no single formula for success, but a few capabilities consistently show up in high-performing content teams:

• Audience Insight and Behavioural Understanding: It is not just about personas anymore. Strategists need to understand platform-specific behaviours, intent signals and how content is consumed. A strong grasp of behavioural drivers and platform logic is now essential to content relevance.
• Data Literacy and Performance Analysis: Content without measurement is no longer viable. Strategists are expected to interpret performance data, assess attribution and act on content insight. Being able to identify what is working and why is now a core part of the role.
• Algorithmic Awareness and SEO Nuance: Search remains a core discipline, but algorithmic awareness now spans all content channels. Strategists must understand how content is recommended or ranked — skills often reflected in SEO and PPC hiring briefs we support
• Creative Oversight and Strategic Planning: Content planning is about more than managing calendars. Strategists are expected to lead ideation, create useful briefs and maintain quality across executions. They often act as a bridge between insight and delivery, helping to keep content relevant, consistent and commercially valuable, especially as teams balance automation with human oversight in creative strategy.
• Repurposing and Distribution Thinking: Content value is measured by how far it travels and how long it lasts. Strong strategists work across ecosystems. They think in terms of formats and sequences, designing modular content that reaches the right people at the right time.

Who You Should Be Hiring: Core Roles That Make Content Work Harder

• Content Strategist
  Still central to many content teams, though the expectations are far more integrated. These individuals manage messaging hierarchies, plan campaigns and support performance frameworks. They work across editorial and commercial formats and are expected to deliver actionable outcomes.
• Social Content Lead
  Short-form content is no longer a production task alone. It requires strategic oversight. Social leads manage tone, timing, responsiveness and engagement across platforms. In sectors where brand trust matters, this role is increasingly seen as essential.
• Performance Creative or Creative Strategist
  As content production accelerates, the creative lead is responsible for helping shape messages that work quickly and across formats. These individuals work between creative, media and content teams, helping align brand messages with performance goals. These hybrid roles increasingly overlap with the creative briefs we advise on.
• Platform-Specific Video Creators
  Not every business needs one, but many benefit from the agility brought by platform-specific content creators. Especially in B2B, roles that can experiment with format and production while aligning with the brand are adding value to internal teams. According to LinkedIn, more than 84% of marketers reported that video contributed to increased website traffic, with short-form formats playing the most prominent role.

The takeaways

Content teams are under more pressure to deliver, but the solution isn’t volume. Knowing who to hire and why is what sets effective teams apart. As content strategy continues to expand beyond single formats or disciplines, businesses that invest in clearly defined, performance-focused roles will be better placed to meet changing demands. 

The organisations getting this right aren’t chasing trends; they’re really building capability. That starts with understanding what today’s content roles really require and finding people who can deliver against that with clarity and intent.

How Source Supports Better Content Hiring Decisions

Hiring for content is not just about filling titles. It is about understanding how different content skills connect to delivery and performance. That is where Source brings clarity. Find a candidate with us or find a job.  

By working closely with internal stakeholders across digital and creative teams, Source helps define role scope, shape briefs and identify individuals who bring both subject knowledge and applied experience.