How to write a content designer job description

Nearly every business needs a strong content marketing strategy, and a content designer is key to making that strategy shine.

What does a content designer do? A content designer improves the user experience and accessibility of your content, from optimizing UX to copywriting.

This guide shows you how to write the perfect content designer job description, focusing on what matters most – skills, behavior, and culture – so you can hire the best.

We also discuss different types of content designers and their typical salary so you know what to expect.

What does a content designer do?

A content designer is responsible for building and managing content that’s accessible, user-friendly, engaging, and aligned with the needs of an organization and its target audience. They plan and strategize what content a company requires to meet user needs on various platforms, including websites and applications. This content includes blog posts, videos, infographics, or even quizzes.

Content designers combine creative storytelling with the hard data of user experiences to engage and attract people across many different digital platforms.

The typical content designer’s salary ranges from $77,000 to $139,000, averaging $91,000 per year. The estimated additional pay is $12,000 annually, which includes benefits like cash bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing.

Increasingly, more companies are writing content design job descriptions because of the sudden need for this role. In 2022, the global content marketing industry revenue was estimated at $63bn. The same report projected that number would reach $107bn by 2026.

Types of content designers

What does a content designer do? It depends on the type of content designer job description you’re writing.

Here are the main types of content designers:

• UX content designer: Creates content that improves the overall user experience.

• SEO content designer: Ideates and builds content that enhances visibility and ranking on search engines.

• Content strategy designer: Guides the creation and distribution of content. A content strategist job description should emphasize consistency and critical thinking.

• Technical content designer: Breaks down technical concepts into easy-to-understand content like user manuals, FAQs, and help guides.

• Brand content designer: Builds content that promotes a company’s values, purpose, and image.

Knowing which type of digital content designer job description you’re writing also informs the interview process. For example, hiring a UX content designer requires web design interview questions.

14 key skills to look for in a content designer

Knowing how to hire a content creator starts with understanding the skills you need. Businesses face major challenges with their content:

• 50.5% struggle to find the right layout

• 43.8% have trouble consistently producing it

• 37.1% have issues producing great designs

• 30.5% struggle to source the right data

Content layout, consistency, design, and data depend on the right skills.

Let’s take a look at which ones you need to hire.

Content designer hard skills

Here are the top technical skills for your web content designer job description.

Content designer soft skills

Here are the soft skills you need to write a great digital content designer job description.

How to write an effective content designer job description

Before we get to our template, let’s cover the three best practices for writing a content designer job description.

Take a look because these tips apply to everyone – whether you’re writing a creative content designer job description or a social media content description.

1. Clarify your needs and expectations

“What is a content designer?” is a question we often hear.

Many people aren’t entirely clear on what a content designer is, so be as clear as possible when writing your description. Include hyper-specific responsibilities and qualifications.

For instance, are you looking for a UX writer? Ensure you list the “UX Content Designer” job title and specific skills and qualifications so your ideal UX specialist doesn’t pass you by.

2. Focus on skills, not history

Content designers often come from varied backgrounds. They have a seemingly random history or no college degree because they jumped from content writing to copywriting to content design.

Focus on the right skills when writing a content designer job description – not experience and education.

Including tight restrictions limits your pool of content creators, but using skills-based hiring practices opens your recruitment process up to amazing, untapped talent.

Take our product tour to learn how talent assessments deliver top talent without relying on resumes.

Get started with your product tour

3. Ask for a wide variety of work samples

Content designers must work on many different mediums, so your UX content designer job description must ask candidates for a variety of work samples, including web copy, microcopy, emails, and content writing.

Here are some examples of the type of work that you should look for in portfolios (courtesy of the HubSpot content design team):

• Accessibility

• Content auditing

• Content testing

• Inclusive language

• User journey mapping

• Localization

• Notifications, tooltips, banners, and alerts

• Product interfaces

• Product or feature naming

• Style guides

• Voice tones and guidelines

Content designer job description template

Here’s our content designer job description template you can use for your next hiring effort. This handy template helps you standardize your recruitment process, reducing time and effort and enabling you to focus on your candidates.

Digital content designer job description: Company introduction

Use this section to introduce your company, including its name, purpose, values, and main services. You should also describe how content designers contribute to the company’s overall success.

Benefits of working with [your company]

Include the benefits of working for your company, such as flexible work, learning and development opportunities, and health insurance. Make sure to mention anything specifically relevant to content designers, such as upskilling programs in your marketing department.

Content designer job brief

[Company Name]

Job Title: [Content Designer / UX Content Designer]

Reports to: [Design manager]

Position Type: [Full-time, part-time, or contract]

Location: [On-site, remote, or hybrid]

[Salary and benefits information]

Content designer responsibilities and duties

• Understand user needs through research

• Build content strategies that align with audience needs and brand voice

• Write and edit content to ensure clarity and accuracy

• Guide content strategy and establishing best practices for content creation

• Ensure content meets web accessibility standards

• Maintain editorial calendars and managing content lifecycles

• Conduct user research and testing to refine content strategies and increase engagement

Content designer qualifications and skills

A great content designer job description should have the following skills and qualifications:

Required skills and experience

• Expert writing and editing skills

• Knowledge of SEO best practices

• Keen presentation skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication

• Expert understanding of user analytics

• Deep understanding of content management systems

• Agility and adaptability in a dynamic environment

• Solid active listening and the ability to interpret audience and client needs

Preferred skills and experience

• Product management and design skills and certifications

• Basic HTML/CSS skills

• Strong organization and time management skills

• Two to four years of experience in content design

• Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, or communications

Next steps: Attract and assess content designers with TestGorilla

You now have a well-built graphic designer and content creator job description – it’s time to hire the best talent.

You can use LinkedIn or Glassdoor to find candidates with the best knowledge of design principles, design thinking, digital products, and UX research.

Let’s say you’re looking for a senior content designer. Once the candidates start pouring in, you need a data-driven way to discover your ideal hire: Talent assessments let the skills do the talking without resumes getting in the way.

Mis-hires aren’t just costly; they could also lead to a messy, ineffective content strategy. To make sure you get top talent, use skills tests like:

1. Content Strategy test

2. UX/UI Design test

3. Critical thinking test

4. Communication test

5. Culture Add test

Our UX/UI Design test gauges how a candidate addresses user needs and understands intuitive designs. This assessment discovers candidates who balance stunning visuals and smooth functionality.

See what this test has to offer by checking out these preview questions.

Our Content Strategy test objectively uncovers how a candidate connects to an audience and increases crucial traffic. Successful candidates show a strong understanding of every stage of the customer journey.

These tests enable you to accurately and fairly shortlist candidates and cut right to top-tier talent.

After you narrow it down, you need to invite the best candidates to interviews to learn more about their skills and personalities.

Check out our piece on product designer interview questions to get started.

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Build a great content designer job description and hire the best

Content is vital for your business strategy, and you can ensure it flourishes with a stunning content designer job description.

Examine the specific skills your role needs and focus on them in the content design job description and further into the hiring process. Top talent is at your fingertips if you assess what matters.

Sign up for our free forever plan to gain unlimited access to our Communication, Time Management, and Problem-Solving tests – three vital assessments for content designers.

You can also look at our product tour to understand how to go from a web content designer job description to a successful hire.

For a deeper look, book a demo with one of our experts.

Content designer job description FAQs

Let’s finish this content designer job description guide by answering three frequently asked questions.

Why hire a content designer?

Content designers shape, optimize, and manage a company’s content production and strategy. These professionals help drive digital traffic, create accessible, engaging user experiences, and maintain brand alignment. Content designers have a range of duties, including managing written content, modeling technical layouts, and ideating strategies with stakeholders.

Increasingly, more companies realize the importance of great content designers. When businesses dedicate 10% to 50% of their content efforts towards content design, they’re 33% more likely to report successful results.

What software do content designers use?

Content designers are typically proficient with word processors, Figma, content management systems, graphic design tools, and project management software. They also know content research software, video marketing tools, and content planning technology. In addition, content designers understand concepts like user interface, usability, interaction design, and iteration when they design systems.

Consider these tools while writing job descriptions for graphic designers and content creators because many overlap between different types of content creators.

Is a content designer the same as a UX designer?

A content designer role and a UX designer are often interchangeable terms for the same job. Some professionals specify that UX writing gives designers more control over the information architecture, while content designers focus specifically on a piece of content. Because the terms are nearly identical to most professionals, it’s important to clarify the skills you need in your content designer job description and then hire your new talent with talent assessments.