An Ode to Some of Our Favorite Women in Content Marketing and Media

Originally published on March 14, 2018. Updated on March 23, 2022.

March is Women’s History Month, and in its honor, I spent time reflecting on some of the amazing women who have helped shape content marketing, media, and journalism by blazing trails, sharing their stories, and helping other women do the same.

Here’s a celebration of some of our favorite women in the content marketing and media industry:

Anisa Purbasari Horton

Anisa is a freelance writer and editor who covers the intersection of work and life. She’s an influential voice in the conversation around productivity, having previously been a co-host of Fast Company’s “Secrets of the Most Productive People” podcast. “Her insight has helped me examine my own struggles with the productivity and self-help narrative and look for better uses of the energy I was putting toward it,” wrote our senior publication strategist, Meagan. 

You can read some of Anisa’s articles here. 

Ann Handley

Ann is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, and co-founder of ClickZ. She’s a true leader in digital marketing, empowering marketers everywhere to rise above the noise and create content that deeply connects with their customers.

Want to be inspired by Ann? Get her books here and here.

Belle B. Cooper

Belle is a writer, iOS developer, and co-founder of Hello Code. Let’s stop for a second — she writes, she codes, and she starts cool businesses? Is there anything that Belle can’t do? We’ve been a huge fan of her writing over at Influence & Co. for years now, and once you check out her work, I bet you will be, too.

Want more from Beth? You can check out her blog here.

Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma, previously the CMO of Netflix, is fearless in breaking down barriers within the industry and beyond it. We’ve often looked to her as inspiration for our conversations around the BIPOC experience in marketing. Bozoma’s work has landed her honorable awards and titles, including an induction into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame and the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement. In 2021, she was named one of the most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes. 

You can learn more about Bozoma here. 

Ellen McGirt

Ellen is an award-winning business journalist at Fortune Magazine. In her newsletter, RaceAhead, Ellen publishes stories that cover race, culture, and inclusive leadership. She’s also the co-chair of The CEO Initiative, an organization that helps companies incorporate social progress into their core business strategies. 

You can check out Ellen’s newsletter here. 

Goldie Chan

Goldie Chan is a global speaker, digital strategist, and writer. She founded her own creative branding agency, Warm Robots, and has worked with well-known companies like Adobe and Microsoft. Referred to as “the Oprah of LinkedIn videos” by HuffPost, Goldie uses her extensive knowledge in branding and social media to help businesses build communities with their audiences.

You can learn more about Goldie here.

Maya Pope-Chappell 

Maya is a senior managing editor and the head of audience engagement and distribution for LinkedIn News. She’s also the creator of “How I Got Here,” an online series that uncovers the story behind business leaders and their journey to success. With more than a decade of experience in journalism, Maya uses her talents to lead and inspire. 

You can check out Maya’s “How I Got Here” series here. 

Nadya Khoja 

Nadya is the head of content at Sunnyside, as well as an influential speaker and writer. She’s been published in well-known publications including MarketingProfs, Search Engine Journal, and Forbes, where she shares insights on all things digital marketing. We’re a big fan of her articles and have featured her expertise on The Knowledge Bank before. 

You can learn more about Nadya here. 

Nellie Bly 

I probably couldn’t write about any of these amazing women sharing their stories and helping others do the same if it weren’t for one woman who blazed the trail. Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known as Nellie Bly, was a pioneer in journalism and storytelling. In a world where news was overly sensationalized and lacked true substance, Nellie championed a new type of investigative journalism. She was perhaps most famous for her exposé about the conditions in a women’s asylum that went on to drive reform.

You can learn more about her here.

Sarah Green Carmichael

Sarah is an editor and columnist at Bloomberg. She previously worked as an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, where she helped launch the “Women at Work” podcast. She and two other HBR editors held “conversations about the workplace and women’s place in it,” untangling workplace situations like the wage gap and gender discrimination by sharing their own stories and offering advice to help empower women.

You can read Sarah’s editorial column here.

Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl is an amazing leader, and we’re so inspired by her example. As the COO of Meta, she uses her platform to speak out on real issues that women face. She recently took to Facebook to shine a light on the pay gap: “Today is Equal Pay Day. This means that women had to work all of 2021 and through this day in 2022 to catch up to what men earned in 2021 alone. Every woman, no matter her background or identity, deserves fair pay. Equal Pay Day reminds us how much work we all have to do to make that a reality.”

You can check out Sheryl’s books here.

Sallie Krawcheck

Sallie is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital investment platform for women. This self-described “financial feminist” earned a place in the top 10 on Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” list in 2014. She’s also a bestselling author and the chair of Ellevate Network, a community of professional women whose mission is to “help women advance in the workplace, both for themselves and the greater good.” In addition to hosting global networking events, Ellevate Network has a blog, a column on Forbes, and a podcast — all focused on empowering women in the workplace.

You can learn more about the Ellevate Network here and check out Sallie’s book here. 

Kristen Bellstrom

Kristen is an executive editor at Fortune, where she focuses on women and business. She also serves as the co-chair of the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit and edits The Broadsheet, Fortune’s newsletter for and about powerful women. This daily newsletter includes topical insights and a roundup of relevant political, social, and cultural news. It focuses on stories that highlight strong women, but its content is relevant to all genders. Kristen also curates Fortune’s annual “Most Powerful Women” list, which highlights women across corporate America. 

You can read her articles here.

Kelsey Raymond

You didn’t think I’d curate a list of influential women in content without mentioning Influence & Co.’s fearless leader, did you? 

Kelsey is the co-founder and CEO of Influence & Co., and I’m lucky to call her my boss as well as my friend. She inspires me to be a better leader every day. With the help of the entire team at Influence & Co., she’s enabled our clients to publish thousands of articles in leading online publications, helping give these innovative thought leaders a platform to share their insights with the world.

You can read some of Kelsey’s content here or book her to speak here.

Yamini Rangan

Yamini was HubSpot’s first-ever chief customer officer. Now, she serves as the company’s president and CEO. Part of HubSpot’s mission is to help companies market to their customers in a way that sucks less than the way most companies communicate with people. Yamini uses her expertise in marketing and leadership to help people scale their businesses. 

You can learn more about Yamini here. 

These are just some of the women who are furthering conversations, opening doors for other women, and overall making an impact on our industry. Who are some of your favorite women in media?

Learn how to become a thought leader and make your own impact on the industry with this eight-step guide: