Post job

What does a social media editor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Bradley Shreve
What does a social media editor do

A social media editor is in charge of handling and maintaining the social media platforms of a company or brand, ensuring to produce and develop engaging content for a target audience. Their responsibilities often revolve around editing relevant content for posting, engaging with clients professionally and promptly, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them according to a set of given responses. One must also coordinate with graphic designers and other writers, devise strategies to identify marketing opportunities, develop online campaigns, and keep abreast of the latest trends.

On this page

Social media editor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real social media editor resumes:

  • Manage editorial department by editing and publishing daily content for website and daily e-newsletter.
  • Improve the aesthetic look of the organization's twitter profile.
  • Involve proofreading, basic HTML coding and working on tight deadlines.
  • Take photos of dishes and post them on the restaurant's Instagram account.
  • Provide reports and metrics for social media, including SEO impact and consumer growth.
  • Advise other departments on how to improve the SEO and social sharing for their content.
  • Create engaging content for the OnlySP YouTube channel (game commentary, reviews, etc . )
  • Direct editorial and development of creative assets: infographics, charts, multimedia, data viz, YouTube, WordPress.
  • Work with editor-in-chief developing ideas for monthly coverage.
  • Rate Facebook advertisements for relevancy to personal interests, and provide feedback according to ratings.
  • Create tweets -moderate Facebook content -respond to user inquiries -attend and report on live, promotional events
  • Create an event marketing campaign for high school athletes in line with NCAA and Pac-12 regulations.
  • Assemble and operate Panasonic AG-HPX500 HD during NCAA football games, basketball games, and other events.
  • Provide feedback to fiction and non-fiction authors regarding submit work, for editing prior to being submit for publication.
  • Engage in responsive copywriting and administration of social media campaign giveaway.

Social media editor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Social Media Editors are proficient in Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Good judgment, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Social Media Editors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Instagram, 12%

    Coordinate with booking manager to post relevant and timely posts across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Facebook, 11%

    Created tweets -Moderated Facebook content -Responded to user inquiries -Attended and reported on live, promotional events

  • Twitter, 10%

    Translated live Twitter broadcasts held internationally on politics and diplomacy for Under Secretary of State.

  • Social Platforms, 8%

    Executed day-to-day activities across all social platforms.

  • Social Content, 4%

    Created social content; wrote, edited, and approved social post copy.

  • Video Content, 4%

    Delivered up to date highlights, worked in pressure environment and under tight deadlines to produce program ready video content.

"instagram," "facebook," and "twitter" are among the most common skills that social media editors use at work. You can find even more social media editor responsibilities below, including:

Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a social media editor to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "editors must be imaginative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics." Social media editors often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "directed editorial and development of creative assets: infographics, charts, multimedia, data viz, youtube, wordpress. "

Good judgment. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling social media editor duties is good judgment. The role rewards competence in this skill because "editors decide whether certain stories are ethical and whether there is enough evidence to publish them." According to a social media editor resume, here's how social media editors can utilize good judgment in their job responsibilities: "keep good good gorgeous pinterest relevant and captivating by pinning daily. "

Detail oriented. social media editors are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to social media editor responsibilities, because "editors must be meticulous to ensure that material is error free and matches the style of a publication." A social media editor resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "break down roi for each social media outlet and detail ways to increase that return. "

Writing skills. A big part of what social media editors do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to social media editor responsibilities because "editors ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical social media editor tasks: "implemented seo best practices writing and editing of daily blog posts. "

Most common social media editor skills

Choose from 10+ customizable social media editor resume templates

Build a professional social media editor resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your social media editor resume.
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume
Social Media Editor Resume

Compare different social media editors

Social media editor vs. Public relations internship

A public relations intern is responsible for assisting the public relations department in creating content to engage customers and prospective clients in availing of the goods and services of the company. Public relations interns participate in meetings to suggest strategies and observe areas of improvement. They also perform administrative duties as needed, post social media updates, review press releases, and research market trends. A public relations intern must be detail-oriented and communicative to assist customers with their concerns and inquiries.

The annual salary of public relations interns is $23,075 lower than the average salary of social media editors.Even though social media editors and public relations interns are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require instagram, facebook, and twitter in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, social media editor responsibilities require skills like "social platforms," "social content," "video content," and "google analytics." Meanwhile a typical public relations internship has skills in areas such as "press clippings," "writing press releases," "press kits," and "press materials." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Public relations interns earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $32,969. On the other hand, social media editors are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $55,515.On average, public relations interns reach similar levels of education than social media editors. Public relations interns are 3.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Social media editor vs. Content creator

A content creator is primarily responsible for producing written, verbal, and visual materials that promote products and services to a particular audience. In a company setting, a content creator adheres to managers or senior creators' directives, fact-check and review data, coordinate with other staff such as graphic artists, and participate in developing promotional materials. Moreover, a content creator utilizes social media for brand awareness. They must maintain knowledge of the latest trends, create content that captures the public's interest, and engage with clients, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

A career as a content creator brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a social media editor. In fact, content creators salary is $8,045 higher than the salary of social media editors per year.A few skills overlap for social media editors and content creators. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "instagram," "facebook," and "twitter. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that social media editor responsibilities requires skills like "social platforms," "video content," "social channels," and "curate." But a content creator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "digital marketing," "web content," "video production," and "wordpress."

Content creators may earn a higher salary than social media editors, but content creators earn the most pay in the internet industry with an average salary of $73,393. On the other hand, social media editors receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $55,515.In general, content creators achieve similar levels of education than social media editors. They're 1.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for social media editors in the next 3-5 years?

Bradley ShreveBradley Shreve LinkedIn profile

Editor, Tribal College Journal

If you plan to teach, focus on becoming familiar with, and understanding how to use, different learning management systems. You should also know where to find various digital historical sources, whether in online archives or on the web. It is also crucial to be adept at using a variety of apps and social media platforms.

Social media editor vs. Content writer

The job of content writers is to create the best possible written or visual content ranging from blog posts to press releases. They produce the content for various types of websites, including social networks, news aggregators, and e-commerce sites. The job of content writers is not limited to writing, but also ensuring that the content connects or is relevant to the website pages. They are expected to set the tone of the website and revise the content upon customers' or clients' requests. They are also responsible for assisting in the creation of style guides.

On average scale, content writers bring in higher salaries than social media editors. In fact, they earn a $4,975 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on social media editors and content writers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "instagram," "facebook," and "twitter.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from social media editor resumes include skills like "social platforms," "social content," "video content," and "social channels," whereas a content writer is more likely to list skills in "digital marketing," "wordpress," "web content," and "subject matter experts. "

Content writers earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $97,968. Social media editors earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $55,515.content writers typically earn similar educational levels compared to social media editors. Specifically, they're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Social media editor vs. Journalist

A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.

Journalists average a higher salary than the annual salary of social media editors. The difference is about $6,885 per year.While their salaries may vary, social media editors and journalists both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "instagram," "facebook," and "twitter. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A social media editor uses "social platforms," "social content," "video content," and "google analytics." Journalists are more likely to have duties that require skills in "excellent interpersonal," "multimedia," "story development," and "local community. "journalists enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $64,488. For comparison, social media editors earn the highest salary in the technology industry.In general, journalists hold similar degree levels compared to social media editors. Journalists are 2.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of social media editor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs