Talent Fairy Talking Points: The State of the Content Industry Survey Results Are In!
An inside perspective on the editorial and content marketing job market from the industry's matchmaker. #editorsmakethebesthires
Survey Results
What Editors Thought About 2024 and Their Predictions for the Content Industry
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. #editorsmakethebesthires
My favorite takeaways:
★ More editors went into business for themselves. Now 49% of editors report being full-time freelance. But it comes with its struggles: Freelancers report loneliness (26%), making less (50%), and longing for 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). Hiring managers also seemed frustrated.
★ 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 sector (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. The New York Times, Patagonia, Disney, and Microsoft were editors’ top write-ins.
★ 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% say they use the technology at work.
“Companies, agencies, and brands are ALWAYS in need of good writers. Not everyone is a good writer, and the value of good writing (in emails, newsletters, campaigns, ad copy, blog posts, brochures) can really help an organization achieve its goals.” — survey respondent
Lead Like an Editor: How to be curious, creative, and connect better with your consumer
In today’s noisy marketplace, it is difficult to make your business stand out from the crowd. Consumers are bombarded countless times a day with choices about how to spend their money and time. Thanks to modern technology, advertisements and sales pitches come flying at us from every direction; oversized billboards, pinging emails and texts, slick TV commercials, and flashing web videos all compete for our constant attention.
It isn’t enough to offer a quality product and rely on its merits to sell itself to the public. Today, all businesses, from small mom-and-pop operations to major corporations, must learn to tell stories and build relationships with their customers. Branding is no longer just about having a sharp logo or witty tagline; people want to support brands that make them feel good about themselves and the world. Whether that means choosing a product because it makes them look cool or because the company that produces it gives back to a particular charity, today’s consumers use their dollars to make statements about themselves and their values.
As a business leader, this is a lot to live up to, and the pressure can feel overwhelming. But what if I told you there is a group of people who have been breaking through the noise to have their messages heard for decades? And that, taking it a step further, these marketing geniuses have created brands that people not only respect and trust but also develop relationships with? If you think these visionaries sound like leadership unicorns who couldn’t possibly exist in the real world, think again. They are real, alive, and walking among us. …
Excerpted from Lead Like an Editor (Be Amazed Media, December 2024) by Victor Maze.
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An Editor’s Dictionary to Corporate Jargon
The Future of Editorial is “Editorial”
Even with all the changes in the industry, one thing is clear, good storytelling will always stand out. As AI floods the internet, brands need human editors more than ever to create stories that connect with people. Do you think the demand for human written content will really bounce back as AI grows?