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Background · Tech Media & Employer Branding
Built In, a tech news, recruitment and employer branding platform.
Prior to launching Storyworthy Studios, Sarah Aylward was Built In’s Content Director — leading content strategy, content operations and three content teams producing tech news and employer-branded content for eight tech communities across the U.S., through a period of rapid growth that included the company’s Series B and $22 million Series C rounds of funding.
The Opportunity
Where It Started & What Came of It
Leading content strategy for Built In’s eight distinct city sites during a period of rapid growth.
Built In is a tech news, recruitment and employer branding platform. Prior to launching Storyworthy Studios, Sarah Aylward worked at Built In as the Content Director during a period of rapid growth.
In that role, Sarah led content strategy, content operations, enterprise customer acquisition strategy in collaboration with the sales team, and client employer branding and content strategy — across the Tech News, Research & Reports and Brand Studio teams. She led three distinct content teams, roughly 20 full-time and freelance editors, writers and strategists, developing content for eight unique tech communities in the U.S.: New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
With the collaboration of her team, Sarah worked with the sales team to develop custom content strategies for enterprise and corporate clients, designed new content processes with the operations team, and partnered with the finance team to devise a strategy to triple content product revenue.
Her team tripled content product revenue in year one, which helped to secure the company’s Series B round of funding — and continued to increase content product revenue in year two, which helped lead to a $22 million Series C.
- The role
- Content Director, full-time, before Storyworthy Studios existed — across three teams: Tech News, Research & Reports and Brand Studio.
- The scale
- Eight city sites, roughly 20 full-time and freelance editors, writers and strategists, and content for hundreds of tech companies across all of Built In’s sites.
- The result
- Content product revenue tripled in year one, helping secure the Series B; continued growth in year two helped lead to a $22 million Series C.
The Scope of Work
What the Role Covered
Leading the tech news and brand studio content strategy for hundreds of tech companies across all of Built In’s sites — and, alongside it, the operations, the product, the enterprise sales motion and the teams that made the content line grow. Six connected responsibilities.
- 01
Content Strategy
Tech news and brand studio content strategy across all eight city sites — New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle — serving hundreds of tech companies.
- 02
Content Operations
Designed new content processes with the operations team and stood up new content operations to produce at the scale eight markets demanded.
- 03
Content Product Redesign
Redesigned Built In’s content product offerings — the packaged content products the sales team took to market.
- 04
Enterprise Customer Acquisition
Enterprise customer acquisition strategy in collaboration with the sales team: custom content strategies matched to enterprise and corporate client needs, and support for onboarding enterprise clients.
- 05
Client Employer Branding & Content
Employer branding and content strategy for Built In’s client companies — the employer-branded content that gave tech companies a voice inside the communities they were hiring from.
- 06
Team Leadership & Revenue Strategy
Led three distinct content teams, roughly 20 full-time and freelance editors, writers and strategists, and partnered with the finance team to devise the strategy that tripled content product revenue.
Built In’s Content
See It Live
Bounteous — Team Spotlight
Created to support recruitment for Built In’s client Bounteous, this spotlight article provided an in-depth look into what it’s like to work as part of the Bounteous business development and client services teams.
Justworks — All About Culture
Built In’s client Justworks was on a mission to build a more diverse, more inclusive team, including increasing women in their workforce. This spotlight article was produced in partnership with their team to share an insider’s perspective into how Justworks welcomes women and underrepresented individuals onto their team. View now →
The Outcome
What Built In Had in Place
Content product revenue tripled in year one — and kept growing into a $22 million Series C.
As a result of company-wide collaborations, and the Built In creative and content teams, content product revenue tripled in Sarah’s first year, which helped to secure the company’s Series B round of funding. Content product revenue continued to grow in her second year, which helped lead to Built In’s $22 million Series C in July 2019 — led by Updata Partners and, by Built In’s own account, one of the largest funding rounds ever raised by a woman tech CEO in Chicago at the time.
How It Got There
- Redesigned the content product offerings across all eight city sites.
- Developed custom content strategies with the sales team for enterprise and corporate clients, and supported their onboarding.
- Designed new content processes with the operations team and stood up new content operations.
- Partnered with the finance team on the strategy to triple content product revenue.
- Led three content teams — Tech News, Research & Reports and Brand Studio — producing tech news and employer-branded content for hundreds of tech companies.
Notable Collaborations
- Built In’s sales team — enterprise customer acquisition strategy and custom client content strategies.
- Operations and finance teams — new content processes, and the revenue strategy behind the content product line.
- The Built In creative and content teams — roughly 20 full-time and freelance editors, writers and strategists across eight markets.
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