by Chandra Turner
It was a wicked year to work in content! Changes in Google’s algorithm sent publishers reeling and the adoption of AI Overviews put the industry on edge. As we anticipated the election results, our job market essentially froze, and around the holidays we saw massive media layoffs.
To understand how people who work in our industry felt about all this change, I asked 300+ editors, marketers, and content strategists their thoughts. What I found was frustration, sure. But I also saw a tenacious resilience and a persistence to pursue a career in storytelling. Editors have learned that our yellow brick road is a winding, uncertain one. But that’s OK—we are a tough bunch! As you’ll see from these survey results and write-in comments, editors continue to adapt, change, and thrive in this merry old land of content.
My favorite takeaways:
★ More editors went into business for themselves. Now 49% of editors report being full-time freelance but not without its struggles. They report loneliness (26%), making less (50%), and wishing they could have a full-time staff job (25%).
★ The job market was a joke. Editors reported more ghost listings (51%), lower salaries on offer (51%), and 70% fewer jobs at their level (especially those at senior-level and above).
★ More editors now work outside of media (54%) than within it. Most have pivoted to content marketing (26%) or brand publishing (20%) at large corporations (45%) with healthcare/ pharma being the most popular industry (20%).
★ Editors are less nostalgic. For the first time, legacy media companies Dotdash-Meredith and Condé Nast didn’t make the cut of editors’ dream places to work. While The New York Times, Patagonia, Disney, and Microsoft topped the list of write-in answers.
★ But they are hopeful! Most (80%) say storytelling will remain in demand by non-media brands and the mass adoption of AI could work in editors’ favor. “Backlash against gen AI will put a premium on 100% human-created content,” wrote in one editor. Interestingly, 43% use the technology at work.
LEAD LIKE AN EDITOR: How to be curious, creative, and connect better with your consumer