• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
White Long The Talent Fairy

The Talent Fairy powered by Ed2010

Recruiting agency specializing in editorial, content marketing, and brand publishing

  • Recruiting
  • Job Board
  • Career Coaching
  • News & Advice

What Editors Thought About 2024 and Their Predictions for the Industry Moving Forward

January 9, 2025 by Chandra Turner

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.

See the full survey results.

SHARE!Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email to someone
email
Category: edhome, What Editors Are Talking AboutTag: featured, state of content, state of editorial, survey results, talent fairy hiring report

About Chandra Turner

Previous Post: « LEAD LIKE AN EDITOR: How to be curious, creative, and connect better with your consumer
Next Post: The Survey Results Are In! »
cta section bg

The Talent Fairy connects editorial talent with brands.
#editorsmakethebesthires

Hire the Talent Fairy
TF abbreviated logo

Recruiting Services

Career Coaching

Post a Job

Find a Job

About The Talent Fairy and Ed2010

Press

Privacy Policy


Copyright Ed2010 Inc. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved.