The essential guide to landing international remote marketing roles (+ companies that hire globally)
After countless applications, writing tests, and final-stage interviews, I finally got lucky and landed an international remote freelance content writing role.
But here’s the thing: in the marketing industry, relying solely on luck is not a strategy. Luck alone is unsustainable and hard to replicate. What I did back then was like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something would stick.
Through my experience, I learned that while luck helps, it’s not everything. And that’s why I’m sharing this guide. Not just to tell my story, but to offer actionable insights and expert advice to help you land remote international marketing roles with intention and strategy.
In this piece, you’ll find actionable tips and insights from subject matter experts, as well as practical resources to help you achieve your goals.
Table of content
1. 4 reasons to seek international remote roles
2. How to land international remote roles as an African marketer
3. International companies that hire marketers globally
4. Securing international marketing jobs with no experience
4 reasons to seek international remote roles
We surveyed 40 African marketers about their motivations for pursuing international remote roles.
A chart showing the aggregated results across all three platforms (Slack, LinkedIn, and X). "Higher salaries" received the highest percentage (54%), followed by "exposure to global markets" (25%), while "career growth opportunities" and "work-life balance" had lower percentages (12% and 9%, respectively).
From the survey results, marketers seek international remote jobs for the following reasons listed in a particular order:
1. Higher salaries
Most of the marketers we surveyed said that higher income is their biggest push towards international remote jobs. After all, who doesn’t want a comfortable lifestyle and being able to afford nice things without the fear of going broke?
2. Exposure to global marketing best practices
Working with international teams can help you keep up with advanced strategies, tools, and processes that might not be widely adopted in your local market. This experience builds versatility and gives you a competitive edge when applying for higher roles.
3. Career growth opportunities
If you ask experienced marketers how their careers took off on the global stage, they’ll probably link the growth to their first international remote role. Many companies offer structured development programs, mentorship, and exposure to global leadership styles, setting you up for future high-paying roles.
4. Flexibility and improved work-life balance
Remote jobs let you design your own schedule, save time on commuting, and manage personal commitments. Depending on time zones or asynchronous workflows, you can also find more time for family, hobbies, and self-care, among other things.
How to land an international remote role as an African marketer
Let’s be honest— there’s no single formula for success. However, insights from successful marketers reveal actionable strategies you can use:
1. Build global-level skills
It’s now becoming harder than ever to break into the marketing industry. But aside from early-mover advantage, successful marketers are proactive and intentional about what they want, whether it’s a role, skillset, connection, or any other thing. They don’t passively cross their fingers and wait for their luck to change.
To compete globally, invest in your skills. Here’s what Faith Uzuegbu, a content marketer at saas.group, advises:
2. Find your community
Marketers often talk about how communities have shaped their careers. From job opportunities to mentorship and resource, marketing communities give you a thriving space to learn international standards and do high-quality work.
Join Slack groups, LinkedIn forums, or platforms that connect you with experienced marketers. Though there are lots of communities out there, find those that are niche-specific, inclusive, and supportive of your journey.
Thinking of where to start? Here are the top marketing communities for Africans.
3. Grow your network
An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.” This holds even in marketing. Beyond building new relationships, your network can be your gateway to mentorship, job opportunities and referrals.
Nathan Ojaokomo articulates this better in a LinkedIn post.
Source: LinkedIn
Faith also shares how LinkedIn inspired her:
4. Target the right companies
Not all remote jobs are truly global, as the following conversation shows:
Source: Top of the Funnel Slack community
Maybe you can relate to this marketer’s question. While it’s true that tax issues, labor laws, and other legal requirements can influence a company’s hiring decisions, it’s not really a deal-breaker as some make it seem.
So before you apply to random companies that appear to be hiring, Faith suggests “targeting companies that are 100% remote—not remote in the U.S. or EMEA (where the A is silent). It's also worth looking through LinkedIn to see if they have a diverse workforce or have hired anyone in your location before.”
Being clear on job requirements can also save you time and disappointment when you don’t get callbacks. To prevent this, Etashe Okpola, Community Lead at Smarketers Hub, recommends reading the job description well to understand what the company wants.
💡 Tip: 8 International companies that hire African marketers
Ever seen a job ad that claims that the company’s hiring globally, only to discover that the role is region-specific?
In no particular order, here are my top picks of companies that hire marketers irrespective of where they’re based. I’ve also included names of Nigerian marketers who work or have worked at these companies.
saas.group acquires small to mid-sized SaaS companies and helps them to scale by providing them with resources like finance, marketing, and product management support.
The company embraces a remote-first work culture with its team distributed across the globe. Faith Uzuegbu is currently a content marketing manager at saas.group.
A fully remote content marketing agency that provides content strategy and creation to B2B SaaS companies. Animalz hires talented marketers worldwide, wherever they are in their careers. Faith Uzuegbu, Maryam Oseni, and Oyinkansola Edem have, at one time, held content marketing manager roles at Animalz.
Buffer offers social tools that help its customers grow through organic marketing efforts. The company boasts a fully diverse and globally distributed team with 80 members working across 20 countries.
Known for its transparency in finances, Buffer shares its team salaries. Tamilore Oladipo works with the marketing team as a content writer.
Fenwick Media offers content services that help marketers and companies. While Fenwick doesn't explicitly claim to hire from anywhere in the world, the company's drive for excellence sometimes leads them to exceptional talents regardless of location. Tamilore Sonaike, writer and strategist at Fenwick, is a case in point.
EarlyNode equips SaaS founders with resources, tools, and services to launch and grow their startups. Earlynode is known to hire talents globally, and their LinkedIn profile shows that over seven Nigerians work there in various roles. Lade Falobi is a general manager at Earlynode.
Omniscient Digital is an organic growth agency that helps high-growth B2B SaaS companies grow their content and SEO efforts. The company is always hiring for in-house and contractor roles and often accepts applications on a rolling basis. Afoma Umesi and Althea Storm are freelance marketers who have worked there.
A global HR and payroll platform that helps organizations hire, onboard, manage, and pay their remote teams and independent contractors across the globe. While RemotePass hires from anywhere, some roles, though remote, are country-specific.
Jeremiah Ajayi currently works as a content marketing manager at Remote Pass.
Float is a resource management tool that helps professional services teams plan their projects and manage their capacity more effectively. The company has 50+ person team members in over 20 countries. Stella Inabo, a Nigerian marketer, is one of their independent contractors.
5. Do your homework
Aisha Owolabi, Founder of Smarketers Hub, emphasizes research. In the early days of her career, she took a more tailored and specific approach to applying for jobs.
Jeremiah Ajayi’s story is a classic example of how to provide value even before you get hired.
Source: LinkedIn
Of course, you can already guess how going the extra mile turned out in his case. Jeremiah is currently a content marketing manager at RemotePass.
6. Stay consistent
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to getting high-paying remote roles. Even successful marketers follow different paths to where they are. For some, it was more straightforward; for others, not so much.
Landing international jobs takes time. Aisha adds, “It wasn’t a very linear process for me. From the moment I started applying to the time I accepted my first offer, it took around 8 months or more. Also, there were times when I paused in between and got tired of it.”
After implementing all the solid advice, what should determine your threshold for waiting for your big break? 3 months, 8 months, a year or more? She recommends putting your “best foot forward. Then continue to learn, optimize, and improve until you get to a place where you’re getting the results you want.”
Etashe adds, “In the game we're all playing, it's patience that counts because it may not happen as fast for you as it did for someone else. But that doesn't mean that it might not happen. You might have to change strategies.”
Not to sound aspirational, Faith’s advice is to “just keep showing up, improving your skills, and applying to the right opportunities. These things add up to what becomes “your big break.””
Securing international marketing jobs with no experience
That you’re in the very early stages of your marketing career doesn’t automatically disqualify you from getting international marketing jobs. The following steps can help you:
1. Build a portfolio
A strong portfolio demonstrating your skills, process, and ability to produce quality work can help you stand out. Even with limited work experience, you can still design an outstanding portfolio. Use our beginner’s guide to creating mock projects to get started.
2. Look for internship or volunteering opportunities
Internships give you hands-on experience working with companies. You may start with local companies that hire marketing interns.
While your goal is to land an international job, remember that you must start somewhere. And local internships or volunteering gigs may be a step in the right direction. After all, you need all the skills, practical experience, and connections possible to level up your marketing career.
3. Practice how to pitch
According to Lizzie Davey, a seasoned freelance marketer, pitching is an active marketing strategy that has always worked for her.
She has one of the best strategies for pitching clients and is an advocate of warm pitching, which is reaching out to an existing network of people who know you as opposed to cold pitching, where you’re DMing perfect strangers to market your service.
What’s the best way to craft a winning pitch—warm or cold? Lizzie shares three tips that help her find regular work:
Reach out to past clients and ask if they need an extra pair of hands.
Reach out to fellow marketers and ask if they have an overflow they need help with.
Announce your availability on the social channel you’re most active on.
A rule of thumb is that a great pitch should offer immediate value. Use this comprehensive guide to learn how experienced marketers are doing pitching right.
How much does an international marketer make?
There's no right or wrong answer. Your answer will depend on factors like the company's budget, field of expertise, job title, location, and marketing experience, whether you're at an early, mid, or senior-level stage in your career.
Here are some insights from the Stacked Marketer’s 2024 State of Marketing Salaries report:
The common salary for global marketers ranges between $50K and $100K/year.
Entry-level marketers, especially in lower-paying markets like Africa, earn around $25K-$50K/year.
Experienced marketers (>5 years) often earn $50K/year or more, regardless of location. So even as an African marketer, your experience can elevate you to better opportunities.
Final thoughts
There’s no one strategy or rule for getting your dream role in your dream company. Keep upskilling as a marketer, embrace that global mindset, connect with fellow marketers in your niche, build in public, and be willing to adapt your strategies and optimize what works.
Remember, success isn’t just about earning more. Prioritize delivering excellent work and building your reputation.
As Faith puts it, “Do good work when you get the chance because the marketing community is small and people talk. So when you eventually get a chance, whether that's freelance or contract, do your best work. “
Tired of rejection letters from companies you’ve applied to? Implement the suggestions and tips in this article. Also, explore our resource library to download your free cold-pitching playbook and a portfolio guide. And while at it, we have a supportive community ready to help make your remote marketing job search more intentional and stress-free.