What Is a Content Hacker?

Julia McCoy

Julia McCoy

Creator and Co-founder

what is a content hacker

You’ve likely heard about “growth hacking” and the effective methods that go into growing a business online.

But let’s get into specifics. There’s another term that’s being used these days — Content Hacker.

So, what is a Content Hacker?

Noun; a growth-focused content marketer. They create content that directly achieves growth for a business.

What is content hacking? It’s the practice of creating growth-focused content, consistently.

Why is this important? The content marketing industry is worth $400 billion and there’s no stopping in sight. Many smart entrepreneurs are making a conscious transformation from transient content marketer to laser-focused Content Hacker. ✨

Pumping out content day after day can feel rewarding, but if you’re looking at long-term growth, you’ll eventually get burnt out.

These days, budding entrepreneurs are taking note from top content marketers. They’re realizing strategic content creation can lead to a self-sustainable business. And then, they’re learning the skills they need to get heavy content marketing tasks done the right way.

So, if you’re asking yourself, “What is a Content Hacker?”, you’re in the right place. Come along and let’s explore exactly what goes into being a Content Hacker, and what content hacking is.

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Origins of the Modern-Day Content Hacker

Before we explain the modern-day definition of a Content Hacker, let’s travel back in time and see where the “Content Hacker” term came from.

content hacker origin

Sean Ellis first coined the term “growth hacker” on his blog in 2010. He suggested marketing hacking as an extremely effective vehicle for growth while defining the growth hacker as “…a person whose true north is growth. Everything they do is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.” 📈

Fast forward to today and we arrive at the more granular marketing term: Content Hacker.

What’s the difference? Creative entrepreneurs are now getting in on the action. And they’re using their content creation skills as their vehicle. 🚗

Because contemporary content hacking involves more than just small business blogging and updating old content. It’s now about starting or scaling a content brand out of your knack for writing and business (with the focus of sustainable long-term growth, of course).

Yes, blogging is powerful. 75% of brands say it’s their most efficient marketing tactic. But 57% of brands don’t even have a documented content marketing strategy.

percentage of b2b marketers with a content strategy

Not having a strategy is a path to failure. Because if you look at the other content marketing ROI statistics that are out there, it’s almost mind-boggling that everyone isn’t investing in learning everything they can about content hacking. They should be (and a true Content Hacker does). 📖

What Is a Content Hacker?

So, what’s a Content Hacker? Here’s the definition:

A Content Hacker is a smart, growth-focused content marketer. It’s someone who creates content in a way that directly achieves growth.

what is a content hacker

But an elite, top-of-their-game Content Hacker goes beyond blogging and marketing. They’re business owners who build and manage sustainable online businesses that create legacy and impact. They create a content marketing strategy, stick to it, and refine it as necessary.

Pretty exciting, right? It IS very cool, but there’s a lot of skill and knowledge that goes into it, too. A true Content Hacker possesses the following characteristics:

  1. A Content Hacker doesn’t need a college degree. They know you can still learn the key skills even if they skip the degree and save the tuition.
  2. A Content Hacker knows how to research and write for a target audience while using keywords for search engine optimization (SEO). The content they produce brings in leads and conversions while nurturing and growing an established fan base.
  3. A Content Hacker sets long-term business goals. They see the bigger picture and aim to have a lasting impact, instead of believing everything has to be difficult.
  4. A Content Hacker knows what and how to delegate. They know the power of people in their business and learn how to find others they can trust to get the day-to-day tasks done right.

That last trait is SUPER important – it’s why content creation is outsourced by 86% of B2B organizations! (Content Hackers also follow the trends in marketing and take note.) ✏️

content marketing activities b2b orgs outsource

No, not everyone can or will take the initiative to level up their marketing, content writing, and business skills to become a Content Hacker. But for those with an entrepreneurial spirit who decide to learn how it’s done — the rewards are monumental.

Get more strategic with your content. Learn how to avoid the biggest 15 writing mistakes that are killing your content, in our free guide.

writing mistakes

What a Content Hacker Is Not

Not everyone knows exactly what a Content Hacker is or does. To keep things crystal-clear, here’s a list of what isn’t a Content Hacker:

  1. A spammer or a schemer looking to get over on others for their own benefit.
  2. Someone trying to run a service-based business all by themselves.
  3. A poverty-minded content marketer looking for easy success to “get rich quick.”

Besides this list, what really separates a successful Content Hacker from the rest? It’s the knowledge and skills to put a plan in place that makes creating a sustainable online business a reality.

But who are these “successful” Content Hackers? How are they creating freedom for themselves through a content business? Let’s cover the exact Content Hacker definition up next.

How to Become a Content Hacker

So now that we’ve answered the question about what a Content Hacker is, are you wondering how to become one?

Becoming a Content Hacker is about more than knowing how to write content well. Even expert content writers will end up getting burnt out without a process in place.

To be truly great at content, you need to be strategic. You need a plan.

During the 10 years I was running a 7-figure content writing agency (that I started from scratch), I showed thousands of marketers how to create actionable, high-converting content that Google loves. Along the way, I refined a repeatable process that created a self-sustaining writing business.

My goal is to show you how to do the same, so you can be freed up to actually make an impact on this world, instead of grinding day-to-day.

I’ve learned the challenges that creative entrepreneurs face, and what stops them from becoming elite and strategic Content Hackers. With that knowledge, I created a completely transformational system that will demolish the roadblocks that are holding you back from true freedom and success with your business.

If you’re ready to become an unstoppable Content Hacker and learn how to build a sustainable business model that doesn’t drain your time and energy, let me show you the way in my proven training system. 

Apply for a spot in The Content Transformation© System today.

apply to content transformation system

Become a Content Hacker

Collaborate with other growth-minded, savvy Content Hackers – plus a host of experts. The price of two coffees/month gets you in.