The First 90 Days as a New Content Manager: What to Prioritize

The first 90 days in a new role are often compared to a trial period. If you are a new content manager, it can feel like standing at the edge of a huge pool, unsure whether to jump in right away or first test the depth. This is the time when you learn how the company works, where the important information is, and who the people are that you can rely on. The best way to use this period is to observe, ask questions, and take your first small steps that will help you work more confidently and effectively later.

First 30 Days: Invisible Foundations

Content Audit and “Content Debt”

The first month is not the time to jump straight into big projects. Instead, do a content audit. This means reviewing everything that already exists: blog posts, videos, newsletters, and social media. But don’t just look at the number of texts. Pay attention to outdated information, inconsistent tone of voice, or unfinished ideas left aside. This is called content debt - like a debt that builds up when we don’t take care of existing content.

Mapping Informal Information

Every company has people who don’t write content but strongly influence it. These are often sales team members, customer success, or even support staff. They talk to customers every day and know where the audience has questions. If you include them in conversations, you will gain insights you cannot find in analytics.

Understanding “Decision Bottlenecks”

In some companies, content doesn’t get published for months because it is stuck waiting for approval. Find out early who has the final say and where the process gets stuck most often. If you know where the obstacles are, you can plan realistic deadlines and avoid frustration.

Psychology of the Internal Audience

Here I don’t mean customers, but colleagues. A big part of a content manager’s job is educating the team. People often don’t understand the difference between good and bad content. If you explain why one text performs better than another, you’ll get more support and less resistance when you suggest changes. The easiest way is to show them examples: pick one poor text and explain why it doesn’t work, then show them a strong piece of content and let them notice the difference themselves. If they can’t see it, only then explain further.

Days 30-60: Building Systems

Micro-Processes Before Big Plans

Many managers want to create a big content calendar for the whole quarter right away. But this often falls apart within the first week. It’s smarter to start with micro-processes. For example, agree that once a week the sales team gathers questions they hear from customers, and then use those questions for new blog topics. It’s a small step, but it makes a huge difference for consistency.

Content Hygiene

Just like a kitchen needs order, so does content. Without a clear system, things easily get messy. Create rules about where drafts are stored, how keyword research is documented, and who is allowed to change calls-to-action (CTAs) in already published texts. This “hygiene” will save you hours of headaches later. A tool that can help you keep things organized is EasyContent. It allows you to build customizable workflows, assign roles within the team, create templates for any type of content, and much more.

Testing on Small Samples

You don’t need to wait for a big campaign to see results. Try small tests. For example, in a newsletter, send two different subject lines to different groups of readers and track which performs better. It’s simple, and it gives you valuable data you can use right away.

Days 60-90: Strategic Impact

Aligning with the Product Roadmap

One of the biggest mistakes is when content lags behind the product. This means that if you hear about a new feature only once it’s already launched, you’ve lost the chance to prepare content to support it. That’s why it’s important to be part of conversations about the product development plan (the roadmap). The roadmap is like a map that shows which features or products are coming next. If you are included in these conversations, you can prepare content in parallel, ready on the same day the new feature appears, instead of weeks later.

Creating a Content Playbook

A playbook is like a mini handbook for the whole team. It contains rules about tone of voice, how texts should be written, and the processes of publishing. If you create it within the first three months, you will make work easier for yourself and for anyone who joins the team later. Another helpful point is if you use a tool like EasyContent - you can add your playbook into every template so it’s always available to everyone in one place.

Stakeholder Storytelling

Results need to be shown. But the way you present them is just as important as the result itself. Instead of dry numbers, show small wins as stories: “This blog post came from a question the sales team received three times last week - and now over 500 people have read the answer.” This type of storytelling helps you gain support and budget.

Conclusion

The first 90 days as a content manager are not just a period of getting familiar with the role. They are the time when you build the foundation for the entire content ecosystem that will last for years. If you focus only on tasks and deadlines, you’ll quickly fall into the trap of reactive work. But if you dedicate yourself to processes, relationships, and hidden details, you will become a driver of growth, not just someone who “writes texts.”

The key is simplicity: listen, observe, ask questions, and make small changes that create big differences.