Q&A with Satta Sarmah Hightower: Journalist Turned Freelance Content Marketing Writer

Many freelance writers make the leap from journalism to content marketing, but not all of them land on their feet. Satta Sarmah Hightower is one who did. As a former traditional journalist and reporter, Hightower has found success working with agencies, content studios, tech, and financial services companies. She now has an impressive roster of clients including NASDAQ Private Market, Morgan Stanley, Capital One, Adobe, Microsoft, and Google. 

She shared her insights and advice for other writers who are making this shift.

Give us a quick summary of your career as a traditional journalist.

I worked as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel and as a reporter and editor for an AOL local news site. Starting out as a freelancer in 2014, I also did freelance journalism work for outlets such as Fast Company magazine.  

When did you go freelance and why?

I always say I became a freelancer by accident. I’ve been laid off twice — once in 2009 and then again in 2014. Around the time of my second layoff, I was about to get married and had to move from NYC (the media capital of the world) back to Orlando where my soon-to-be-husband still lived. After moving in the spring of 2014, I started searching for a job but also began freelancing at the same time. A lot of my former colleagues who also were laid off had found other jobs and began hiring me for freelance work. I also started actively looking for freelance gigs and landed a couple. That got the ball rolling and I’ve been a full-time freelancer ever since. 

Did you dive into content marketing right away, or were you initially doing freelance journalism?

I did a mix of journalism and content marketing. When you’re first starting out, you can’t be picky, so I just took any reasonable freelance gigs I could get. 

Why did you decide to make the switch to content?

Simple — content marketing is more lucrative and the work is more plentiful.

Was it a hard decision?

Yes and no. I have both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism. I’ve wanted to be a journalist ever since I was 14 years old, but the reality of the profession makes it hard to be self-sustaining. The pay is often low and you work long and odd hours (at least as an on-staff reporter). As a freelance journalist, you’re constantly pitching and there are often long lead times for assignments and getting paid.

Content marketing has its own unique challenges, especially dealing with clients, but the trade-off is that you’re usually well compensated and don’t have to navigate the feast-or-famine cycle as much. 

Were there any resources you found helpful when you were changing your business?

I work a lot with agencies and content studios, so that helped me make the transition without having to do a lot of business development or sending hundreds of LOIs (letters of introduction).

How did you choose your niche?

I cover B2B tech, fintech, financial services, business and entrepreneurship. These are all topics I’m personally interested in. I also noticed that once I started getting a few assignments in each of these niches, many clients pegged me as an expert in these topics, so I just naturally evolved to covering them. 

What are some of the key differences between journalism and content marketing that you’ve found challenging?

There’s a lot of overlap, but the most challenging part of content marketing is managing client expectations, shifts in direction and/or scope creep. As a freelancer with my own content marketing consultancy, I have to treat the work I do like a business. I’m a service provider, but also a business owner and threading that needle sometimes can be difficult. 

Do you feel your journalism experience gives you an edge? How?

Absolutely! I’m a storyteller at heart, but my journalism experience also has helped me cultivate solid interviewing and research skills. Though I’m no longer a journalist, I bring all that experience to bear in my work as a content marketer, strategist and writer. 

What have been the benefits of switching from journalism to content marketing?

Definitely the pay. Because I’ve been freelancing full-time for 8 years, I also don’t have as many up and down swings in my business. My workload and income are pretty steady. I’m grateful that one of my biggest challenges is too much work and trying to balance that with passion projects and some of my creative pursuits, like podcasting, fiction writing and ghostwriting books.   

Is there anything you miss about your old career?

Not really, because I feel like I still use my journalism skills every day.

What advice do you have for other journalists considering switching to content?

I’d just encourage them to start marketing and reaching out to content studios and agencies — maybe even for the current news outlets where they freelance. However, one thing to consider is that many news outlets have rules around doing branded content and journalism at the same time, so I’d be aware of what the parameters are before going full steam ahead with content marketing.

It’s also important to reach out to your network and tell friends and colleagues what you’re doing and about the pivot you’re trying to make. They could be a good source of leads and referrals. Also post on LinkedIn and Twitter about this, share your current work and stories in your desired niche that you find interesting. For example, I’m looking to shift the balance of my work more toward fintech and financial services, so I’ve been sharing more stories in this sector — those that I’ve produced myself or that I find really interesting from other newspapers and trade publications. Taking similar steps can help you build your brand and authority in your chosen niche(s).