39 Interview Questions to Ask a Content Marketing Manager

1. How do you determine the best marketing channels for your target audience?
2. Describe your most successful content marketing campaign. Why was it effective, and what role did you play?
3. You have an idea for a new campaign, but leadership doesn’t get it. How do you gain executive buy-in?
4. What do you think sets our brand apart from our competitors’ brands?
5. Tell me about a time when a project’s demands and scope changed significantly. How did you react, and what was the project’s outcome?
6. Tell me about a time when you came up with a creative idea for a marketing campaign. What was the idea, and how did you bring it to life?
7. Tell me about your experience managing brand social media accounts.
8. What’s your process for understanding your target audience and their key pain points?
9. Tell me about the metrics you rely on to measure a marketing campaign’s success. What metrics do you track, and how do you go about measuring them?
10. Tell me about a time when a marketing campaign didn’t have the impact you wanted. What happened, and what did you learn from the experience?
11. Tell me about a time when you managed a large, complex project with lots of moving pieces.
12. Do you think it’s better to focus on the little details of a campaign or the big picture? And why?
13. Tell me about a time when you set a goal and achieved it. What were the steps you took to be successful?

Building relationships with others is of utmost importance for content marketing managers. By forging strong bonds with industry thought leaders, they can gain valuable insights to incorporate into their content. Plus, this skill is also critical for cross-functional work with sales, customer success, and product teams.

The below questions can help you find candidates with a knack for relationship building.

1. Describe a time when you built rapport quickly with a colleague who you didn’t see eye to eye with.
2. Tell me about a time when you were able to understand a colleague’s needs and adjust your approach accordingly.
3. Describe a time when you had to work cross-functionally to write a piece of content. What happened?
4. Tell me about a time when you failed to manage an employee’s or your team’s work. What did you do?
5. Tell me about a time when you helped motivate a team member. How did your support help them accomplish their goal?
6. Describe a time when you were able to successfully complete a task because of your relationship with another team member. How did it impact your work on that project?

Successful content marketing managers can balance their workload and deadlines with ease by working efficiently.

The below questions can help you find candidates who excel at efficiency.

1. Tell me about a time when you undertook a large project. How did you determine what to prioritize and how?
2. Give me an example of a time when your schedule was suddenly interrupted and your plans completely changed.
3. Tell me about a big work project that you had to plan. What steps did you take to organize your thoughts, plan out your steps, and get the project done efficiently?
4. Tell me about a time when you successfully eliminated constant interruptions and fires. How did you stay focused and finish your work on time?
5. Give me an example of a time when you had a lot of tasks you had to manage simultaneously. How did you tackle everything?
6. Tell about a time when you made a mistake with a project that caused you to lose valuable time. How did that alter your initial plan? How did you get the project back on track?
7. Share a time when you were able to successfully complete a project ahead of schedule. Describe the project and the steps you took to complete it.
8. Give me an example of a time management skill that you value and have successfully applied in practice. What impact has this had on your work?
9. Describe a situation that required multiple competing priorities. How did you manage prioritization, and what was the result?
10. How do you measure efficiency in your day-to-day work?

Great content not only tells an interesting story but also persuades readers and encourages them to take action.

The below questions can help you find candidates who can easily persuade others.

1. Tell me about a great idea of yours that you pitched to your colleagues or leadership team. How did you convey the idea, and what was the result?
2. Tell about a time when you were able to encourage others to take a chance on a new project or idea.
3. Describe a time when you anticipated a problem and persuaded your team to take an alternate route. What happened?
4. Tell about a time when you used your leadership skills to gain support for something that was initially strongly opposed.
5. Share a time when you successfully persuaded a colleague to support a controversial idea of yours.
6. Tell me about a time when you communicated clearly to sell your team on an idea and work together to achieve the goal.
7. Metaphors, analogies, or stories can sometimes be useful when making a case to get buy-in. Give me an example of a time when you were able to do so successfully.
8. Share a time when you convinced your colleagues to follow a new process. What steps did you take to persuade your team?
9. Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone to follow a policy or guideline you didn’t believe in.
10. Give me an example of a time when you used facts and reasoning to persuade a team member to accept your recommendation.