Editorial line: definition, method and example

What is an editorial line?

The editorial line refers to the lasting choices that decide what a publisher publishes and how it publishes it. The term comes from the press; today it applies to any organization that produces content.

In the press: the identity of a media outlet

For the CLEMI, the French center for media literacy (fact sheet of June 29, 2023), the editorial line defines the identity of a media outlet. It results from the editorial choices made by journalists in the editorial meeting. It decides which topics are selected, the angles and the ranking of news, with consistency in substance (the themes) and in form (the tone).

The CLEMI cites three criteria: the publication’s theme, its audience and the values it stands for. Format, frequency and business model also weigh in. A shareholder can therefore shift a newspaper’s line.

French labor law takes this into account. Article L7112-5 of the French Labor Code refers to a “notable change in the character or orientation of the newspaper”. If this change harms their honor, reputation or moral interests, a professional journalist can leave without notice, with severance pay. This is known as the conscience clause. The same article covers the sale of the newspaper: this is the transfer clause.

What is the editorial line of the French dailies Le Monde or Le Figaro? It does not fit into a formula. It shows in the daily choices of topics, angles and ranking, as the CLEMI points out. The rules a newspaper officially publishes belong to another document, its ethics charter, detailed below.

The editorial line is not the same thing as the editorial. According to the Larousse French dictionary, an editorial is an in-depth article, signed or not, that expresses the opinion of a journalist or of the newspaper’s management. The editorial is a text; the editorial line is the framework for all texts.

For a brand: its strategy put into practice

A company that runs a blog, a newsletter or a LinkedIn page works like a small media outlet. Its editorial line stems from its content strategy: the strategy sets the goals, the audience and the resources, and the line turns them into concrete publishing rules.

Editorial content is content that informs, explains or analyzes, as opposed to advertising content that sells a product. A brand’s editorial line mainly frames the first type. “Editorial line” translates the French “ligne éditoriale”; the written rules of a media outlet sometimes go by the name “editorial guidelines”, as at the BBC.

Editorial line vs editorial charter: what is the difference?

The editorial line says what to publish, for whom and why. The editorial charter says how to write it: detailed tone, vocabulary, typography, lengths, layout. The first is used to choose topics, the second to write them.

In the French press, the ethics charter is a legal obligation. Article 2 bis of the law of July 29, 1881 was created by the law of November 14, 2016. It provides that every employment contract of a professional journalist entails adherence to the ethics charter of their company. Companies that did not have one had to negotiate it; it is drafted jointly by management and the journalists’ representatives. Failing an agreement before July 1, 2017, the customs of the profession can be invoked in the event of a dispute.

Some media outlets publish rules of this kind. The BBC Editorial Guidelines (2025 edition) set out the BBC’s editorial values and standards for all its content, everywhere in the world. They have 18 sections, including impartiality, accuracy, conflicts of interest and privacy.

In a small organization, nothing prevents you from combining line and charter in the same document. Just keep two separate parts: the “line” part is reread before choosing a topic, the “charter” part before publishing.

How do you define your editorial line?

Defining your editorial line means answering four questions in writing, in this order: who is speaking and to whom, about what, in what tone, and where. The result fits on one page, which every contributor rereads before suggesting a topic.

Start from the brand and the audience

The editorial line does not create the brand’s identity, it expresses it. If a brand platform exists (mission, positioning, values, personality), use it. Otherwise, write down at least in two sentences what the brand promises and what sets it apart.

Then describe who you publish for. Your audience personas tell you what questions your readers ask, what words they use and what level of expertise they have. The CLEMI makes the same observation for the press: topics and tone change depending on the target audience.

Finish with an editorial mission statement, on the model “We publish … for … so that …”. It serves as the first filter.

Choose themes and angles

Pick three to five recurring themes: broad enough to last, precise enough for the brand to be legitimate on them. For each one, note the angle, that is, the point of view you can hold better than others: field experience, data, method.

Also write down what you do not publish: topics outside your expertise, controversies, reposts with no added value, the maximum share of promotional content. This list makes the line a decision tool. Faced with a suggested topic, the answer becomes simple: accepted, adapted or rejected.

Set the tone and the writing rules

Tone is described through concrete traits. The public style guide of Mailchimp (2023) offers a model. It separates voice, which does not change, from tone, which adapts to the situation and to the reader’s state of mind. Its voice comes down to four traits: speak plainly, without exaggeration; be genuine; translate jargon; use dry humor. One rule settles conflicts: being clear matters more than being entertaining.

Add the rules that concern production itself. Google invites every publisher to ask three questions, “who, how, and why” (documentation updated on December 10, 2025). Who created the content, with a byline. How it was produced, including the role of AI when readers might wonder. Why, first to help readers rather than to attract visits from search engines. An editorial line can settle these points once and for all: who signs, how the use of AI is disclosed, what reader need each piece of content serves.

Adapt the line to each channel

The same line is adapted to each medium. The CLEMI cites the example of Le Monde: the newspaper’s print and web editions and its Snapchat app do not highlight the same topics. The line sets the themes and the voice; each channel adjusts the format, length and register.

For a brand, add one line per channel to the document: formats, register, share of promotional content. On LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok, an editorial line adapted to social networks starts from the same themes but follows the formats and workings specific to each platform.

Editorial line example, with comments

The example below is fictitious: it was built for this article and does not describe any real company. It shows a complete editorial line, on one page, for a small-batch coffee roaster that sells specialty coffee online and in two shops.

What this example shows:

• The exclusion list carries the line. Without it, “talking about coffee” would let any topic through.
• The voice stays, the tone changes. This is Mailchimp’s distinction, applied channel by channel.
• The “Byline and AI” section answers Google’s “who” and “how” questions before a reader asks them.
• No publication date or frequency: these decisions belong to the editorial calendar, a separate document.

Once the editorial line is written, the next step is to plan your publications in a calendar. Reread the line at least once a year, and whenever the brand, the offer or the audience changes.