The Ultimate Guide to Professional Development for Writers & Editors

How to Be
a Better
Writer &
Editor
Professional
Development Guides
from

We know you want to
BE AWESOME
at your job!

So, we picked the brains
of a team of editorial
experts to find out how
they've gotten so good.
Emma Siemasko
Content Marketing
Specialist at Grasshopper
Melissa McCreery
Co-founder and
Former Editor-in-Chief
of The Daily Muse
Adrian Granzella Larssen
Editor-in-Chief of
The Daily Muse
Emily Chau
Associate Product Editor
at Rodale

And compiled it all into the
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR WRITERS & EDITORS.

Are you ready for it?
it'll be a HUGE help to your career.
(And only take a LITTLE time to flip through.)
Whether you’re just getting started
or you’re ready to move to the top,

First, we’ll talk about the skills you need.
And then we’ll give you the resources
to make it happen.
Let's get started.

So what skills does one
need to develop to be a
superstar writer or editor?

Well, there are
the obvious ones.

You certainly need to be
able to WRITE well.
You certainly need
to be able to
WRITE WELL.

Write, as much as you can and
for as many sources as you can.
Don't worry about being the best
writer who has ever roamed the
earth—just write. The more you
write, the better and faster you
will get at it.

You should also understand the ins and outs of
GRAMMAR.

But there are
other skills that
people tend to
overlook.

Writers and editors
often have to understand
the basics of
MARKETING.

They’re responsible for:
Coming up with
clickable titles
Thinking about
content that people
will want to share
Working to increase a
publication’s reach

It's also useful to know a little bit about SEO.

After all:
What does good
content matter
if people aren’t
finding it?

You need to balance
branding and good
writing with improving
natural search.

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<p> These days, it’s important for
writers and veditors to have some
basic TECH SKILLS.</p>
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<p> These days, it’s important for
writers and editors to have some
basic TECH SKILLS. </p>

Understanding how
to work a CMS
Learning the
ABCs of HTML
Knowing the
basics of analytics
All of these come in
handy in today’s world
of digital media.

Editorial is no longer just about
copy. You need to know about the
systems you're operating in and how to
measure traffic if you're going to come
up with a great editorial strategy.

Perhaps one of the most important skills you
should have as a writer or editor is the ability to
network & build
relationships.

Find new writers and
people to contribute
guest posts
Collaborate
with other
publications
Make people fans
and advocates of
your work

The media world is pretty small,
but it's all about connections.
When looking for possible outlets
to write for, or, as an editor, for
potential writers and columnists,
the more people you know,
the better.

As you grow into editorial
leadership positions, you also
have to be pretty good at
M A N AG E M E N T.

You’re in charge of:
Keeping writers
on track
Giving them
regular feedback
Making sure projects
are in order
Keeping a solid
publishing schedule

Early in my career, I invested a lot of time
in coaching writers, which meant putting
my thoughts into words, including the
specific things each writer needed to do
to improve a given piece. I had to learn
to spell out a vision and the concrete
changes needed to bring an article
closer to that vision.

Now that we're on the
same page about the skills
you need, let's talk about
how to get there.

We asked our experts what resources
have been helpful along the way
and pulled together an
official RESOURCE GUIDE
for your editorial and writing development.

"The AP Stylebook is the bible for style,
grammar, and spelling. And if you're going
to be a writer or editor, you have to care
about all this little stuff."
Any
Other
Book
You
Want
BOOKS TO READ

Most of the books I read are
novels. Novels, much more than
most“professional development”
books, are written to tell stories,
and learning to tell stories well is at
the heart of what a good writer or
editor needs to do.
As a writer, I think it's really
important to read anything
you can find, even if it's not
directly relevant to your job.
It's crucial to see what sorts of
styles are out there.

I think Medium is a great concept to help writers get their work
out, especially if they don't have a personal blog. It's a really
collaborative way of getting writing in front of people's eyes.
BLOGS & MAGAZINES TO READ

Read everything you can get your hands on,
especially publications that are in the same
general format yours is or accomplishing
things you want to accomplish.
But also think critically about the editorial
choices that go into what you read. What is
the structure of the publishing schedule or the
magazine layout for the brands you admire?
What choices do they each make about the
mix of features and special projects vs. bread
and butter”content? What do you think of
each of these?

I'm attending the INBOUND conference
run by HubSpot to get the Inbound
Marketing Certificate, which is really
exciting for me.
CONFERENCES TO ATTEND

I got my start as a writer by taking Mediabistro's online
classes. There's a class for pretty much anything related
to writing, reporting, social media, and copywriting.
They're pretty intense and deadline driven, too, so you get
a sense of what it's like to write on a tight schedule.
CLASSES TO TAKE
Writing & Grammar
Grammar and Punctuation
Bootcamp for Journalists
Advanced Copy Editing

CLASSES TO TAKE
Marketing & SEO
Cultivating an Online
Community for Your Brand
Introduction to SEO
Content Marketing for New
Marketers: The First Steps
8 Steps to Discovering and Creating
Content Your Audience Will Love
Best Practices for Integrated Con-
tent Marketing and Social Media
Google Authorship: Why You Need
It and How to Implement It

CLASSES TO TAKE
Tech Skills
Web Fundamentals
HTML Tutorial
Google Analytics
Essential Training

Follow writers you love.
You'll get a daily sense
of their voice and style,
and it's a great source
of inspiration.

Now—it's time to go
out into the world
and get better at
rocking your career!
(We know you can do it.)

And, if you want a little more help along the way?
Keep up with for the advice
you need to build the career you've
always dreamed of.
Get Career
Advice
Browse
Editorial Jobs
Sign Up for
Classes
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The Ultimate Guide to Professional Development for Writers & Editors

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