29 Mar 2022 | Rebecca O'Keeffe

Revealed: the UK’s most popular editorial roles in media

Partner content

Long gone are the days when a role in media meant you had to be a journalist or broadcaster.

Are you on the hunt for your next media role? Perhaps you want to move up the ladder or maybe you would rather change roles completely. Whatever stage you’re at in your career, there’s a media job to suit you.

After all, it is one of the broadest and most exciting sectors out there today. While we still have traditional media outlets like newspapers and radio stations, we’re also seeing impressive growth in areas such as virtual reality and augmented reality as well as more refined use of data analytics.

Long gone are the days when a role in media meant you had to be a journalist or broadcaster. Today, the sky really is the limit. But with so many choices out there, where should you start? Well, we’ve rounded up the five most popular open media roles today. Now all you have to do is start applying.

1. Content strategist

Content strategy is a relatively new field. Similar to an editor, they plan, design, create and publish relevant content. They take into account both the company’s business objectives and the users’ needs. They will often work within an advertising department to make sure that any branded content produced is of a high standard and will hit the designated KPIs.

Key skills:

Storytelling
Data analysis
SEO

Average salary:

£37,081

Companies hiring for this position:

QVC, Major Players, Reading Room, Facebook and more. You can find out more here.

2. Social media manager

Do you spend a lot of time creating the perfect Instagram reel or mastering the latest TikTok trend? Why not turn it into a career?

Social media managers are individuals who manage the social media accounts of an organisation, business or person. This role has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, it’s not as easy as many people think it is. This is a role that involves a lot of data analytics, strategy and creativity too. Plus, you’ll need to be an excellent communicator to reply to comments in a friendly and efficient manner.

Key skills:

Time-management
Artistic eye
Customer service

Average salary:

£32,326

Companies hiring for this position:

Condé Nast, Sephora, WOW Hydrate, etc. Check out all the available social media roles here.

3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist

According to Brightedge research 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine. As a result, SEO is crucial for digital marketing campaigns and essential for any website’s success. SEO specialists are unsurprisingly in high demand. However, this is often a tricky area to specialise in as engine algorithms are always changed. Professionals must always stay up-to-date and be committed to career-long learning.

Key skills:

Critical thinking
Excellent writing skills
Data analysis

Average salary:

£32,851

Companies hiring for this position:

Macy’s, Middlesex University, Virgin Media and lots of others. You can find a full list here.

4. User Experience (UX) designer

The term “user experience” describes the interaction a person has with a product or service. UX designers shape and create the user journey to make sure it is as easy and seamless as possible.

To do this, a UX designer will combine product development, strategy, design and market research to create a straight-forward process. As you can imagine, it’s a fast-growing field. Any company with an online presence needs UX design so the opportunities are endless. In fact, in the Onward Search Top 20 for 2020 list, UX designers came in as the second most in-demand creative professionals.

Key skills:

Wireframing and prototyping
Empathy
User testing

Average salary:

£45,676

Companies hiring for this position:

University of College London, NatWest Group, Sky, Bloomberg and more.

5. Developer

Developers are often called different things such as programmers, coders or software engineers. They use programming languages to create the websites and apps that we use daily.

On a day-to-day basis they write, test, debug and maintain applications. Developers can work in pretty much any sector but they play a crucial role in the online media sector.

Key skills: