How to Become a Content Producer: Useful Skills and Tips

Updated 18 March 2023

Working as a content producer may be a fulfilling and fast-paced job as you have the chance to produce exciting new content for a varied audience. Content producers employ many different types of skills in their daily tasks and are typically creative and imaginative individuals. Learning about how to become a content producer may help you decide whether you wish to explore this job as a professional career. In this article, we detail how to become a content producer, explain how much they make, outline some of their daily tasks and responsibilities and provide some tips to become a content producer.

What is a content producer?

Before understanding how to become a content producer, it's crucial to first have an understanding of who a content producer is. A content producer is a professional who specialises in producing different types of content. For example, written content such as articles, blog posts or newsletters. They may also specialise in digital media such as videos and dramas. They usually produce high-quality content that attracts a steady stream of viewers.

How to become a content producer

If you're interested in learning how to become a content producer, you may wish to consider speaking with family and friends who're in the industry. This helps you obtain a better idea of what this job position entails and what skills you may wish to acquire to excel in this job position. Hearing these first-hand stories may also be more realistic and practical in your decision making. These individuals may also have good advice for you before you embark on this career. Here are some steps you can consider taking to become a content producer:

1. Obtain the relevant academic degree

Content producers typically have a professional degree in cinematography or a similar field. Such formal education equips aspiring content producers with the relevant technical skills for this job. For example, they may understand lighting and know how to write well. They may also meet professors and lecturers in the industry who can give them advice and insights into how to perform well in the industry.

Having an academic degree is a testament to your academic abilities and overall competency. Potential employers and hiring managers may look favourably upon a candidate with a relevant degree as it suggests that the candidate has some basic foundational knowledge about the job position which could ease their onboarding and adjustment process.

2. Do a relevant internship

To increase your chances of becoming a content producer, you may wish to undertake internships during your free time. For example, you may choose to intern with a digital content company during your school vacations to understand for yourself how a content creator thinks and collaborates with others. This internship opportunity is also a valuable one for you to ask questions and learn skills that could give you an advantage over your peers.

Doing an internship with a reputable company could increase your chances of obtaining a full-time job with that company if you perform well. The company may decide to offer you a job upon your graduation if there's a vacancy. Alternatively, they may recommend you to other companies with openings for the content producer role to help you begin your professional career. The network and relationships you build during your internships may also be useful for you to find a job in the future.

3. Tailor your resume to the job position

When applying for the job position of a content producer, consider tailoring your resume to fit the job position you're applying for. This includes highlighting relevant educational qualifications, key skills and work experience. By doing so, you show the potential employer or hiring manager that you're a suitable candidate for the job position. You may be able to create talking points or points of interest that you can elaborate on in a later interview.

Do consider writing a cover letter to accompany your resume when applying for a job position as a content producer. Having a cover letter gives you an additional opportunity to highlight your suitability for the job position and may increase your chances of obtaining a face-to-face interview at a later stage. Ask a trusted friend or family member to help you review your resume and cover letters before sending them out to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes in your application documents.

How much does a content producer make?

The income of a content producer could vary depending on how many years of relevant working experience they have. Their salary may also differ depending on the type of content they produce and the popularity of content they produce. Content producers usually earn a fixed base salary and may earn bonus depending on their performance at work. Also, content producers with a track record of producing well-performing content may be able to ask for higher pay than their peers.

Here are the average base salaries of different roles in the same content industry, including the salary of content producers:

Content producer: $3,206 per month
Content writer: $3,558 per month
Content marketing executive: $4,188 per month
Content specialist: $4,321 per month
Content strategist: $4,825 per month

What does a content producer do daily?

The specific roles and responsibilities of a content producer may vary depending on what type of content they specialise in. The daily tasks may also vary depending on the size of the content producing team and the genre of content they produce. In general, these are some of the tasks that a content producer does:

Formulate a story idea

A content producer may first work with a team of other content producers to come up with an idea. This may be an idea for a short film, a video or a blog article. To formulate this story idea, the content producer may reflect and think about their personal experiences or gain inspiration from real-life events around them. They may also research about the trending topics to create interesting and impactful content.

There may be many rounds of discussion and adaptation about the story idea before deciding on the final idea. Discussions may include debates about the viability of the idea. There may also be brainstorming sessions about other possible ideas.

Obtain funding from sponsors

Another important task a content producer may do is to pitch their idea to sponsors and obtain funding to realise their content idea. There may be sponsors from related brands or other general investors who wish to help fund content production. To sell the idea, a content producer may create presentation slides outlining the general idea for the content and rehearse the delivery of the content presentation. There may also be negotiations regarding the terms of the sponsorship, such as the amount of funding and whether there are minimum requirements for the content produced.

Coordinate with other teams

A content producer may coordinate and collaborate with others teams, such as the actors or marketing team to produce the content. They may discuss the main points of the content idea or how best to showcase the content in a manner the audience finds acceptable. Having good collaboration is a great way to build rapport within the team and to ensure that the project goes smoothly. Such collaboration also gives all parties the chance to express their opinions which may result in greater synergies and a better work product.

Tips to become a content producer

Here are some tips that may help you to successfully become a content producer:

Pay attention to the popular content. You may wish to pay attention to the content that goes viral on various media platforms to understand what consumers enjoy and seek out in their consumption of content. This could be useful reference material for you when you create your own content in the future.
Build good connections and networks. One way to become a content producer is to build good connections and networks as these contacts may be useful in promoting your name. To build connections, you can consider attending seminars and sharing sessions with other content producers to get to know the key personnel in the industry.
Acquire more technical skills. The content industry changes quickly and you may want to constantly improve and acquire new skills to stay relevant. Spending time, effort and resources to invest in yourself can also help you outperform your competitors who may not be aware of the latest technical skills in the industry.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.