B2B Editor-in-Chief Model
Centralize editorial taste to turn business content into differentiated media
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The B2B Editor-in-Chief Model places editorial taste and coherence under a leader who understands what an internet audience will genuinely value. The editor-in-chief moves the organization beyond formulaic educational content without discarding useful education. They develop a point of view, select the right mix of stories, news, takes, soundbites, and shows, and apply consistent standards across formats. This role helps a brand differentiate through judgment rather than content volume alone. However, editorial ambition must remain connected to product and business strategy; polished podcasts and videos cannot compensate for a weak offering. The mechanism therefore combines audience relevance, distinctive taste, centralized editorial direction, and a recurring check that media investment supports the company's fundamental priorities.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain during Kieran Flanagan's prediction that editor-in-chief roles will become more common in B2B companies.
Core principles
- 01Editorial taste is a strategic differentiator
- 02Educational content must evolve beyond formulaic production
- 03A coherent editorial leader unifies formats and stories
- 04Content should serve subjects the audience genuinely cares about
- 05Media ambition must remain grounded in the product and business
How to run it
- 1
Establish the editorial audience
Define the specific people the publication or media operation serves and what they need beyond standard product education. Clarify the subjects on which the brand can offer credible judgment.
Watch out A broad company persona may be too vague to guide editorial choices.
- 2
Create a distinctive point of view
Determine the beliefs, standards, and taste that should make the content recognizable. Use them to decide what deserves coverage and what does not.
Pro tip Strong taste is demonstrated through consistent selection and editing, not merely a style guide.
- 3
Design the editorial mix
Combine useful education with stories, timely news, takes, soundbites, shows, and other suitable formats. Assign each format a clear audience purpose.
Watch out Adding formats without an editorial rationale creates more output but not more value.
- 4
Centralize quality decisions
Give the editor-in-chief authority to commission, shape, reject, and sequence work across channels. Maintain consistent standards while allowing creators room to execute.
Pro tip Judge ideas by audience value and differentiation before production quality.
- 5
Anchor media to the business
Regularly test whether editorial investments support the audience, product, and company strategy. Reduce projects that are impressive but disconnected from fundamentals.
Watch out Do not let high-production media become a substitute for product improvement.
- 6
Refine taste through response
Review qualitative feedback, repeat engagement, and business contribution. Use the evidence to sharpen future editorial selections rather than blindly copying popular formats.
In the wild
A software company promotes an experienced editorial leader to oversee its blog, newsletter, podcast, and short-form video. She removes interchangeable keyword articles, preserves essential education, and commissions original reporting and opinion around problems customers actively debate. Every series has a defined relationship to the product category.
→ The brand develops a coherent editorial identity without losing strategic focus.
A startup considers an expensive documentary series while customers remain dissatisfied with core workflows. The editor-in-chief pauses the series, redirects interviews toward customer problems, and coordinates stories that inform both the market and product team.
→ Editorial work supports product learning instead of competing with it.
Common mistakes
Publishing formulaic education forever
Basic educational content can remain useful, but relying on a fixed formula makes differentiation increasingly difficult.
Mistaking production for taste
High production quality does not replace the judgment required to choose stories people care about.
Getting over the skis
A company can overinvest in podcasts, video, and polished media while neglecting the product fundamentals that sustain the business.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for B2B organizations expanding from conventional content marketing into stories, shows, news, and opinion-led media.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for companies that use media production to distract from unresolved product weaknesses or unclear customer value.
From the transcript
“So I think in future, we will see editor in chief become a more commonplace role in B2B.”
“And then we we will pair that with stories and latest news and takes and soundbites and shows and things like that.”
“I think editor in chief, we've talked a lot about this show in the past for for folks who this might be the first episode…”
From the episode
Crystal Ball: Jobs of the Future