The path into publishing used to run almost exclusively through print mastheads — editorial assistant, associate editor, on up the ladder at a print title. That ladder still exists in a shrunken form, but most publishing careers today are built across a much wider mix of roles: digital editorial, audience growth, newsletter strategy, and platform-specific content, often within the same small team.
Why the Roles Have Broadened, Not Disappeared
Publishing didn't shrink so much as it redistributed. The same core functions — reporting, editing, building an audience, monetizing attention — still exist, but they're now spread across websites, newsletters, podcasts, and social platforms rather than concentrated in one print product. That means publishing careers today typically demand more range across formats than a single specialized print role once required.
A realistic modern publishing career path should:
- Build skills across at least one editorial format and one audience-growth skill
- Treat platform and format fluency as core, not a separate specialty from "real" editorial work
- Develop a portfolio spanning multiple formats, not just traditional print clips
- Stay adaptable as the specific platforms and formats in demand keep shifting
A Simple Framework
- Choose a core editorial focus — reporting, editing, or a specific beat — to build depth in
- Add a complementary skill in audience growth, newsletter strategy, or platform-specific content
- Build a portfolio that demonstrates range across formats, not just one traditional medium
- Stay current on which platforms and formats are actually driving engagement in your niche
> Tip: A portfolio built entirely around one format — print clips alone, for instance — signals less versatility to modern publishing employers than a smaller portfolio that shows range across at least two formats.
Example
Before: A candidate applying for editorial roles with a portfolio consisting entirely of print magazine clips from several years ago.
After: The same candidate with a portfolio spanning a print clip, a newsletter they've written or edited, and a piece of audience-growth work — demonstrating the range modern publishing roles actually require.
Common Mistakes
- Building skills in only one format while the industry has broadened across several
- Assuming the traditional print masthead ladder is still the primary path into the field
- Neglecting audience-growth and platform skills as separate from "real" editorial work
- Building a portfolio that doesn't reflect the range modern roles actually demand
For anyone building or growing a publication's own site as part of a broader editorial career, understanding basic site health and performance is a genuinely useful skill to develop. SeoWolf's SEO Audit tool is a reasonable place to start learning that side of the work.
The masthead didn't disappear — it just spread out across more formats than it used to fit into, and the strongest careers today are the ones that can move comfortably across all of them.