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

What is a communications editor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Bradley Shreve,

Valerie Cronin-Fisher Ph.D.

A communications editor reviews articles and statements used in publications, press releases and other informational materials. They plan, writes, revises and coordinates informational materials for publication in newspapers and websites. They collaborate with the management and other staff to offer suggestions on which content are most likely to grab the attention of readers. This helps improve the products and inform headlines and titles.

Communications editors work in corporate organizations, the media and government agencies. They work closely with writers, marketing agencies and other stakeholders to execute their role efficiently. A successful communications editor should be highly creative, should have written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, research skills, exceptional writing and grammar skills.

Communications editors work full time 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday between 9 and 5. They may work additional hours and during the weekends when they have urgent deliverables.

What general advice would you give to a communications 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.

ScoreCommunications EditorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,611

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 7.31%

Black or African American 3.61%

Hispanic or Latino 8.19%

Unknown 4.60%

White 76.03%

Gender

female 65.13%

male 34.87%

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 communications editor

Explore communications editor education requirements

Most common communications editor degrees

Bachelor's

80.6 %

Master's

12.6 %

Associate

4.5 %

Start to develop specific communications editor skills

Skills	Percentages
Web Content	12.15%
Phone Calls	9.18%
Facebook	8.66%
Press Releases	7.69%
Twitter	7.08%

Complete relevant communications editor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New communications 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 communications editor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real communications editor resumes.

Research communications editor duties and responsibilities

Manage editorial and content for Siemens quarterly executive level do magazine with worldwide distribution.
Publish content in Facebook & LinkedIn.
Post on web using WordPress and Facebook.
Develop relevant content topic for company blog to grow company's SEO standing.

Prepare your communications editor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your communications 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 communications 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 communications editor resume templates

Build a professional communications 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 communications editor resume.