WHAT DOES AN EDITOR DO?

Published: Jun 5, 2025 - The Editor manages website content production, including crafting and editing product reviews aligned with SEO, CRO, and editorial standards. This role involves developing compelling video reviews through thorough research and scripting, while coordinating with designers, videographers, and writers to ensure engaging multimedia output. The editor also supports team development, maintains CMS formatting, and contributes to executing the brand’s overarching content and UX strategy.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Editor

1. Editor Roles and Responsibilities

  • Story Editing: Making sure stories are engaging, easy to read, and shareable
  • Headline Writing: Combining creativity and analytical skills to come up with the catchiest article headlines
  • Visual Brainstorming: Brainstorming ideas for irresistible Facebook cover images
  • A/B Testing: A/B testing multiple headlines and Facebook covers to find the best-performing combination
  • Fact-Checking: Researching each story to ensure that it is comprehensive and factually correct
  • Team Collaboration: Closely cooperating with other team members (writers, photo editors, etc.) and ensuring the best quality is achieved and deadlines are met

2. Editor Duties and Roles

  • Team Management: Manage, educate, and motivate the editorial team to create high-quality content, programs, and products that meet the firm's digital KPIs
  • Content Strategy: Work with the SEO team and various stakeholders to execute a content strategy, content calendar, and content mix
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with stakeholders across the digital organization to ideate editorial programs that drive engaged audiences to create meaningful content experiences for consumers
  • Content Editing: Assign, top edit, and optimize content using SEO best practices and the firm's regulatory and legal controls
  • Stakeholder Support: Work and support internal stakeholders to drive acquisition and retention, and help meet team OKRs
  • Content Reporting: Feel comfortable presenting and reporting content insights to executive leadership
  • Content Analysis: Develop actionable content insights using analytics and SEO tools

3. Senior Editor Roles

  • Content Oversight: Oversee content production on the website, including writing and editing in-depth product reviews to be featured on the website and YouTube channel.
  • Editorial Standards: Uphold high standards for editorial excellence as well as SEO and CRO best practices (each piece of content must be optimized, targeted to meet marketing goals, and delivered on time)
  • Team Coaching: Coach internal team members and contractors to uphold those same standards.
  • Video Production: Create dynamite video reviews to accompany written product reviews (these videos will live on the Sleepopolis YouTube page and will require significant script prep and research)
  • Creative Collaboration: Collaborate with videographers, graphic designers, and writers to bring reviews to life.
  • Content Management: Occasionally, post and format all reviews in the CMS platform.
  • Strategic Partnership: Partner with Pillar Four leadership to create and execute Sleepopolis’ broader brand and content/UX strategy.

4. Editor Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Content Leadership: Leads in covering new and complex topics for print and/or digital media
  • Expert Writing: Leads writing activities or is recognized as a leading writer in subject matter areas
  • Editorial Management: Researches, writes, and revises material using proven writing talent, and assigns work to freelancers
  • Story Mentoring: Mentors others on how to recognize and edit troubled stories
  • Employee Training: Trains new employees
  • Subject Knowledge: Keeps current in assigned areas
  • Source Development: Develops, expands, and maintains sources and contacts relevant to the area of coverage

5. Editor Roles and Details

  • Quality Control: Ensure that quality control is paramount in all materials produced and strive for the highest standards
  • Editing and Proofing: Work with a variety of different QC/proofing/editing (both copy editing and structural editing) tasks, dealing with artwork/print production, writing copy/summaries
  • Fact-Checking Support: Support writers with fact-checking and compiling ref packs/ZINC
  • Manuscript Handling: Take responsibility for manuscript submissions
  • Copyright Management: Obtain copyright permissions/advice on requirements for copyright
  • Slide Formatting: Slide formatting and ensuring optimal presentation of slides (outsourcing to PowerPoint experts for big jobs)
  • Proposal Support: Pitch research and support for proposal development

6. News Editor Responsibilites

  • News Writing: Writing concise, persuasive descriptions and eye-catching news roundups and headlines for LinkedIn's news products
  • Editorial Strategy: Building and driving a market-specific editorial strategy across Asia
  • Content Curation: Pulling from a variety of news sources to create dynamic, real-time collections of stories and topics
  • Copy Proofing: Proofreading editorial copy to check spelling and grammar
  • Trend Spotting: Curating the best conversations on the platform, spotting and predicting trends important to business-content readers and creators
  • News Monitoring: Keeping up-to-date with breaking and trending news, while monitoring the impact of the work
  • Relationship Building: Forging relationships with top thought leaders and publishers
  • Global Collaboration: Collaborating with editors across APAC and around the world on coordinated global projects and publications
  • Content Analysis: Generating analysis on what’s working and what’s not, and coming up with ways to increase engagement through content
  • Content Development: Developing new ideas and executing them promptly to reach ambitious content growth and engagement goals in the region
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborating with other business departments to drive member and community engagement

7. Editor Key Accountabilities

  • Editorial Management: Serving as managing editor of Preview, the Museum's quarterly calendar for members
  • Content Scheduling: Scheduling copy deadlines for staff, organizing issues in collaboration with the Designers, and the Marketing Director
  • Print Editing: Editing and proofing staff copy for print publication and website, and developing and curating feature content
  • Web Content Editing: Serving as primary museum website editor, processing weekly work orders and updating, editing, proofing, and cross-checking event content across all museum venues, both print and digital
  • Blog and Exhibition Editing: Editing for the website includes maintaining web pages for multiple exhibitions and building and editing posts for the Museum's blog, Circa
  • Website Relaunch: Responsible for editing the website relaunch and updating content during the transition
  • Campaign Editing: Editing all integrated email marketing campaigns, including offshoots on website, social media, mobile, and video, as well as direct-mail and survey campaigns
  • Exhibition Material Editing: Editing some curatorial and interpretive exhibition material, including related press releases, ad campaigns, and educational initiatives

8. Editor General Responsibilities

  • Content Planning: Assist with content planning and editorial reviews.
  • Content Creation: Create engaging video, editorial, and social media content
  • Feature Development: Initiate new features, ideas, content series, and ensure trending topics/interviews are conducted and executed in a timely fashion.
  • SEO Alignment: Create content that aligns with SEO strategy.
  • Audience Growth: Create content and look for partnerships that can increase viewership
  • Traffic Analysis: Analyse and interpret data to come up with strategies to improve web traffic

9. Editor Role Purpose

  • Content Scouting: Regularly read and pitch series on/from Webtoon Canvas and other online sources
  • Material Review: Review incoming materials
  • Creator Management: Manage creator relationships and maintain series schedules
  • Licensing Management: Manage licensor/licensee relationships
  • Series Tracking: Stay up-to-date on all series assigned
  • Marketing Strategy: Help to strategize and push for marketing efforts for the series
  • Relationship Building: Build and manage creator relationships for newly assigned series
  • Deadline Management: Set deadlines and support creators to ensure the overall quality of the assigned series
  • Production Optimization: Optimize the production process to ensure the series is delivered on time
  • Reader Engagement Monitoring: Monitor, review, and report readers' feedback and engagement of the assigned series
  • Onboarding Support: Assist in the onboarding and training of new hires and interns

10. Senior Editor Essential Functions

  • Content Ideation: Generate content ideas to support the content strategy
  • Article Writing: Write articles, guides, and features in line with the style guide
  • Micro-Copy Writing: Write supporting micro-copy (headlines, standfirsts, related links, etc.)
  • CMS Management: Upload, publish, and edit content using Zoopla’s proprietary CMS
  • Newsletter Curation: Compile and curate content for Zoopla email newsletters
  • Content Auditing: Regularly audit and edit existing content to ensure SEO best practices
  • Freelance Coordination: Commission, edit, and publish freelance content
  • Image Editing: Source, crop, and edit images using stock libraries and Photoshop
  • Performance Analysis: Measure the success of content performance using Google Analytics
  • Marketing Support: Support other marketing functions with content creation, such as social media

11. Senior Editor of Investigations Additional Details

  • Investigative Oversight: Oversee statewide collaborative newsroom’s investigative reporting, developing stories that will effect change and deepen engagement with audiences.
  • Project Management: Serve as a project manager and senior editor for statewide data reporter/developer, and coordinate investigative and beat reporters across the state on high-impact investigative stories.
  • Local Partnership: Partner with California stations to develop in-depth enterprise stories and investigations in local communities that have statewide or national implications.
  • Editorial Direction: Direct and edit high-profile investigations, while also coaching editors at stations around the state to develop and execute investigative pieces.
  • Distribution Strategy: With the California Newsroom managing editor, collaborate with individual stations’ audio and digital teams to determine the most effective strategy for distributing and amplifying public service work.
  • Public Service Collaboration: Work with the NPR investigative team, with an emphasis on strengthening capacity for more public service journalism across the public radio system.

12. Content Editor Details and Accountabilities

  • Ad Copywriting: Write content for paid advertising, including Facebook/Google ads, and landing pages.
  • Email Marketing Management: Manage email marketing content creation across all brands – manage creative meetings, then brief the team of writers and edit the content they create to achieve campaign goals.
  • Topic Research: Research industry-related topics (combining online sources, interviews, and studies) to support writing.
  • Marketing Copywriting: Write clear marketing copy to promote products.
  • Proofreading: Proofread all English content.
  • Content Submission: Submit work to project managers for input and approval.
  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Work with relevant teams (Email marketing/PPC teams) for content, creative, and optimization based on their campaign analysis.
  • Localization Oversight: Follow up on the translation and localization process, making sure the message is delivered correctly.
  • Content Gap Analysis: Identify customers’ needs and gaps in the content and recommend new topics.
  • Content Consistency: Ensure all-around consistency (style, fonts, images, and tone).
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