Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Writer / Editor

💰 $ - $

WritingEditingContentCommunications

🎯 Role Definition

The Writer / Editor is responsible for producing and polishing clear, compelling content that aligns with brand voice, marketing goals, and SEO best practices. This role owns editorial quality—fact-checking, line editing, and metadata—while partnering with product, design, and growth teams to plan content that engages target audiences and supports conversion and retention objectives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Content Writer
  • Staff Copywriter
  • Editorial Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Editor
  • Content Strategist / Editorial Lead
  • Managing Editor

Lateral Moves:

  • Content Marketing Manager
  • UX Writer
  • Social Media Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, research, and write long- and short-form content—including articles, blog posts, white papers, case studies, landing pages, email campaigns, and social copy—that adheres to brand voice and business objectives while optimizing for search and discoverability.
  • Perform substantive copyediting and line editing to improve structure, flow, clarity, tone, and grammar; ensure every piece meets editorial standards and brand guidelines before publication.
  • Create and maintain an editorial calendar in collaboration with marketing, product, and design teams to coordinate content production, deadlines, and promotional cycles across channels.
  • Conduct keyword research and apply on-page SEO best practices (titles, headers, meta descriptions, internal linking, schema where applicable) to improve organic search performance and SERP visibility.
  • Lead content planning sessions and ideation workshops to generate topic pipelines based on audience insights, keyword opportunity, seasonal trends, and product roadmaps.
  • Manage and mentor freelance writers, contributors, and internal junior writers—commission assignments, provide editorial briefs, review drafts, and enforce quality and style consistency.
  • Collaborate with SEO, analytics, and growth teams to define content KPIs, measure performance (traffic, engagement, conversions), and iterate on content based on data-driven insights.
  • Fact-check claims, statistics, and sources; coordinate legal and compliance reviews when content involves regulated topics, trademarks, or partner references.
  • Optimize existing content via content audits and refresh cycles, consolidating, pruning, or updating articles to improve search rankings and user experience.
  • Produce clear content briefs and editorial guidelines that include audience definition, key messages, tone, desired CTAs, SEO targets, and technical requirements for writers and partners.
  • Localize and adapt content for different regions and audiences, collaborating with localization teams to maintain voice while respecting cultural and legal differences.
  • Format and publish content in CMS (e.g., WordPress, Contentful), including adding metadata, alt text, inline links, and ensuring accessibility and responsive display across devices.
  • Develop and enforce a centralized style guide (AP, Chicago, or house style) and ensure editorial staff and contractors adhere to it for consistency and brand integrity.
  • Write concise, conversion-focused copy for product pages, CTAs, and marketing campaigns in partnership with product and growth teams to drive user acquisition and retention.
  • Produce and edit scripts, storyboards, and copy for multimedia content (video, podcasts, webinars) and coordinate with production teams to align editorial goals and pacing.
  • Monitor competitor and industry content to identify gaps, opportunities, and trending formats; recommend new content types and distribution tactics accordingly.
  • Manage editorial workflows and project timelines, using project management tools (Asana, Trello, Jira) to ensure on-time delivery and clear cross-functional handoffs.
  • Ensure all content meets accessibility standards (WCAG basics) and mobile usability best practices by collaborating with UX and engineering to address formatting and readability issues.
  • Create attention-grabbing headlines and social captions that align with brand voice while encouraging clicks and shares; A/B test headlines and meta descriptions when applicable.
  • Oversee content tagging, taxonomy, and metadata strategy to improve site navigation, discoverability, and content personalization efforts.
  • Translate technical product information into clear, user-friendly language for documentation, help centers, and in-app copy, working with product and engineering SMEs.
  • Lead stakeholder reviews, incorporate feedback from legal, compliance, subject-matter experts, and executives while maintaining editorial independence and schedule.
  • Maintain version control and archival procedures for published content; document changes and rationale during major content experiments or migrations.
  • Conduct user and audience interviews, surveys, and desk research to surface story ideas, validate messaging, and capture authentic testimonials or case studies.
  • Design and execute content promotion plans with paid, owned, and earned channels, coordinating with growth marketing and PR to amplify reach.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with editorial analytics reporting—preparing weekly and monthly summaries of content performance and insights for leadership.
  • Support cross-functional workshops to align content with product launches, seasonal promotions, and brand initiatives.
  • Contribute to development of buyer personas, messaging frameworks, and sales enablement content to improve funnel conversion.
  • Help maintain content governance, permissions, and contributor onboarding processes.
  • Participate in editorial training sessions to raise overall team writing and editing standards.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced copyediting and proofreading skills with mastery of grammar, punctuation, and editorial mechanics.
  • SEO content writing and optimization: keyword research, on-page SEO, content clustering, and metadata writing.
  • Content Management Systems (CMS) proficiency — WordPress, Contentful, Drupal, or similar for creating and publishing content.
  • Experience with analytics and reporting tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and basic familiarity with content dashboards.
  • Familiarity with HTML/CSS basics for formatting, inline links, and troubleshooting content presentation issues.
  • Proficiency writing for multiple formats: long-form articles, natively formatted landing pages, email templates, and social media.
  • Ability to create editorial briefs, style guides, and content templates that scale across teams.
  • Experience with collaboration and project management tools (Asana, Trello, Jira, Slack).
  • Working knowledge of AP/Chicago/manual style and creating or enforcing house style guides.
  • Competence in conducting interviews, primary research, and synthesizing technical information into user-friendly copy.
  • Familiarity with accessibility basics (alt text, readable headings, semantic markup) and SEO-friendly practices.
  • Experience managing freelance talent, contracts, and editorial budgets.

Soft Skills

  • Strong storytelling instincts and the ability to adapt tone for different audiences and channels.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and editorial judgment under tight deadlines.
  • Cross-functional collaboration skills; proven ability to balance competing stakeholder requirements.
  • Critical thinking and data-informed decision making; comfortable interpreting metrics to guide editorial strategy.
  • Excellent time management, prioritization, and project ownership across multiple simultaneous initiatives.
  • Clear communication and feedback delivery; able to coach writers to improve quality.
  • Curiosity and continuous learning mindset—keeps up with industry trends, SEO changes, and content formats.
  • Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced, iterative product/content environment.
  • Creativity for ideation and problem-solving around audience engagement and content distribution.
  • Empathy for readers and users; able to write with audience-first focus.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Communications, Marketing, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

  • BA/BS or advanced degree in Journalism, Creative Writing, Communications, Marketing, or Digital Media.
  • Certificates in SEO, content marketing, or technical writing are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Journalism
  • English / Creative Writing
  • Communications
  • Marketing / Digital Marketing
  • Technical Writing / Information Design

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–6 years of professional experience in content writing, editing, or journalism.

Preferred: 4+ years with demonstrable experience owning editorial projects, optimizing content for SEO, managing contributors or editorial teams, and using analytics to drive content decisions.

Explore More Careers