How long does it take to become an editor?

It takes around 4 to 6 years to become an editor. There is no one particular path towards becoming an editor. Nor are there any certification or licensure requirements to work as an editor.

What skills do content editors need?

Content editors need skills in proofreading, communication, and brand knowledge. Content editors are in charge of reviewing articles in preparation to be published. An eye for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation is important for content editors, but there is more to it than that.

How To Become A Content Editor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a content editor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Bradley Shreve

A content editor is an expert who is in charge of reviewing articles put down by content writers and writing on websites to advertise the goods and services of a company. As a content editor, you are also in charge of creating monthly newspapers and improving written articles to raise readers' commitments. You are required to relate with the end-users to get a response on the content's active influence or effect.

Also, you must carry out business on the latest developments to give the organization an advantage over other rivals. This is to make sure that a moderate quantity of content is made throughout the year. Additionally, you have to search for new strategies to publicize new goods or services and come up with approaches for generating content. You may operate individually to develop the strategies or operate as a crew to bring innovative ideas.

As a content editor, you should commonly hold a Bachelor's Degree in English, communication, or journalism. Although, a master's degree can be used as an alternative. Furthermore, you must exhibit good interpersonal, writing, communication, and time management skills. Alongside these, you must be innovative, detail-oriented, and of course, good at decision making. You will earn an average of $56,859 per year, which is an estimate of $27.34 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a Content Editor?

Bradley Shreve

Editor, Tribal College Journal

Be flexible. An undergraduate degree in history offers a solid liberal arts background, but not a skill set that is finely tuned for most jobs. Think outside the box, and understand that the job you land probably won't be in the history profession.

ScoreContent EditorUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,694

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%

Asian 7.14%

Black or African American 3.53%

Hispanic or Latino 7.99%

Unknown 4.57%

White 76.50%

Gender

female 56.46%

male 43.54%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a content editor

Explore content editor education requirements

Most common content editor degrees

Bachelor's

78.8 %

Master's

12.1 %

Associate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific content editor skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Content	8.07%
Web Content	6.93%
Digital Marketing	4.21%
WordPress	4.17%
Video Content	4.01%

Complete relevant content editor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New content editors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a content editor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real content editor resumes.

Research content editor duties and responsibilities

Work with W3C standardize CSS to achieve design goals.
Coordinate and manage a team of photographers who work on NBA games throughout the league.
Identify, create and manage QA projects to improve data consistency and accuracy using SQL to extract data.
Manage editorial department by editing and publishing daily content for website and daily e-newsletter.

Prepare your content editor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your content editor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a content editor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Content Editor Resume templates

Build a professional Content Editor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Content Editor resume.

Apply for content editor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a content editor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do content editors rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Content Editor reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I love hearing stories from other sources.

Cons

people not providing accurate information

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019