For Bailey Lewis, It’s Always Been About Words First

Bailey Lewis remembers first grade vividly.  

She’d just transferred to a new school and every kid in her class could read. But Bailey hadn’t learned her alphabet, so she was placed in the lowest reading group. 

At five years old, Bailey was mad. She loved reading. She’d already fallen in love with words. Now, she was surrounded by many kids who didn’t share her passion. 

“So, I made it a point to learn really quickly and be able to read on my own,” Bailey said.  

Her love for words never waned and when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer was a writer. But, like just about anyone who’s ever given that answer, she was told she’d never make a living putting words on paper. 

“And I just didn't listen to any of them,” Bailey said. “Because I'm ornery and stubborn.” 

So she pursued a degree in English. And for good measure, she got a degree in Advertising “in case they [the naysayers] were right.”

“I just always knew somehow I was going to make that work,” Bailey said.

Bailey did make it work. She worked as a digital production editor for publications moving their content online. At that time, it was a task no one else had done yet. So, Bailey had to figure out how to get the content into the digital space in a user-friendly way.  And during those experiences, she saw the expanding digital landscape, where people would spend most of their day online, as an opportunity. 

It would take her down a path of designing online spaces that put people and words first. And the chance to launch her own business, helping businesses think about digital content strategy differently. 

“I fell into technology” 

When Bailey began working in content strategy, it wasn’t a “thing.” Very few people were practicing it. 

“I accidentally became a digital person,” she said 

This was around 2011. Bailey landed in Columbia hoping to make her literary career work out.  And avoiding a recession job market. She’d applied to more than 200 jobs and received zero offers. So, it seemed like an ideal time to pursue her passion for writing fiction. Bailey applied to several masters of fine arts (MFA) programs, all with the same requirement: they had to be near an ocean. Growing up in landlocked Iowa, she was ready to live in a state where the coast isn’t halfway across the country. 

Bailey was accepted at the University of South Carolina. And she’s been here ever since. The US was still dealing with the effects of the 2008 recession. 

The digital landscape was also going through an extensive shift. Publications were moving online to help manage the increasing costs of printing and shipping physical copies. 

So, Bailey worked with publishing houses like Drunken Boat Media and the University of South Carolina’s Yemassee.

“None of us knew what we were doing,” Bailey said. “None of us knew how to produce literary content online.” 

They were trying to figure out ways to get poems and other media online in a user-friendly way. And that’s when it dawned on Bailey that this wasn’t just a literary magazine problem. Everyone was facing this challenge. 

“I fell into technology that way,” Bailey said. 

Even though she didn’t realize it then, she worked in content strategy with literary publications. Those experiences helped her take the next step and start solving content strategy problems for businesses.

“I convinced a large banking institution that they should hire a fiction writer to be their content strategist,” she said. 

Bailey’s interviewers noted her passion for digital content was evident. Some of her initial work was on the first sites for AgFirst Farm Credit Bank branch locations.  

Since that first gig as a content strategist, Bailey has led digital content strategy for large clients, ranging from healthcare to higher education. She became an expert in digital accessibility for content strategy. Bailey’s knowledge enables her to roadmap content strategies and lead teams to design websites, apps, and digital assets so they’re more accessible to all human beings. 

The problems are getting harder 

Bailey says the content strategy problems organizations face today are much more profound than how to get a poem online. Because of this, she sees her role as being a guide for teams and leaders working in digital spaces.  

“Over the last 10 to 12 years, I figured out a lot of things leading end-to-end digital content strategy implementation projects,” Bailey explained. “And [where]  content and technology converge.”

Along with developing strategy, Bailey oversaw the work of UX content teams, from the discovery calls through the post-launch of a project. 

Through these experiences, she’s learned that human-centric content strategy must lead the way. Bailey wants to support people creating online content and help them implement it in a way that supports natural brain behavior instead of fighting against it. 

One problem Bailey encounters in her work is educating people on what digital content strategy is. Those in the marketing world instantly think of content like blogs, case studies, and production-level work. 

Others, well, may have yet to learn what the term means. So, Bailey puts a lot of thought into communicating the value of her knowledge and skillset. 

“People do not have to understand that it's called user experience content strategy in order to benefit from it,” Bailey said. 

Helping companies create human centric strategies 

When Bailey looks back at her work, she finds a unique thread for someone who always wanted to be a writer: her interest in technology. 

“How interested I continue to be in technology surprises me,” Bailey said. 

She described going to developer meetups, despite being unable to code her way out of a paper bag (those are Bailey’s words) and being fascinated with the conversations.

And really, for a digital content strategist, a love for technology is at the core of the work. 

Today, Bailey’s focus at Words First Content Strategy is helping clients understand content’s role in their business through coaching and training sessions. 

Her coaching sessions and workshop training help organizations assess their current content strategy and develop a plan that balances audience needs and business goals. This service was born from a need Bailey saw while working on content for various organizations. 

“I started to see the real need to have the ability to work side by side with teams and side by side with leaders,” Bailey said.    

Her goal is for a business to understand its content strategy, what it means, and how to use it because they partnered with her to develop the plan. 

In addition to her content strategy coaching, Bailey is also on the speaking circuit. She’s presented to organizations in Europe and across the US, including staff at the US Senate. 

A future with words first 

When she looks toward the future, Bailey said she wants to focus more on speaking and writing about digital content. 

“When I really do grow up, I would love to just be speaking and writing,” Bailey explained. “And doing select really good fit coaching with certain organizations.” 

Until then, like so many business owners in the digital space, Bailey adjusts how she describes her work based on how content related terms are being used. She’s settled on telling people she’s in user experience content strategy, gauging their reaction, and then giving the elevator pitch if they look lost. 

“I help leaders, teams, and professionals communicate to people in digital spaces in a way that's compassionate, in a way that puts their audiences first and in a way that helps them as creators,” Bailey tells them. 

Bailey said she’s gotten better at describing what she does, but it’s an ever-evolving task like digital content strategy. 

You can dive deeper into Bailey’s coaching work or join her Words First Community. And connect with her on LinkedIn to get regular content strategy insights.