Marketing Writer & Editor

About the Marketing Department:

The Marketing team drives brand awareness, customer engagement, and trip bookings through strategic campaigns, compelling content, and data-driven insights. They manage digital and traditional marketing channels, optimize customer outreach, and enhance the brand’s presence to inspire travelers and grow the business. 

The department is comprised of several teams, which include the below:  

• Direct Mail & CRM: Engages past and prospective guests through targeted email campaigns and personalized direct mail, leveraging data to drive bookings and loyalty. 
• PR & Partnership: Builds brand awareness and credibility through media outreach, strategic partnerships, and influencer collaborations to expand Backroads’ reach. 
• Website Management: Oversees the website’s content, functionality, and user experience to ensure seamless navigation, accurate information, and optimized conversion. 
• Brand, Content, Community: Responsible for the creative design, content and social media presence for the Backroads brand.

By joining the Marketing team at Backroads, you’ll be part of a group that values building innovative people processes and fostering a positive, inclusive employee experience. 

About the role:

The Marketing Writer & Editor will play a key role in shaping how travelers discover and engage with Backroads. In this role, you’ll craft compelling, on-brand copy across a variety of channels—including emails, catalogs, ads, and web pages—bringing our brand voice to life while reinforcing our position as the leader in active travel. You’ll manage a regional portfolio of trip-related content, developing clear and engaging materials such as itineraries, alerts, and marketing collateral that inform and inspire guests. This role requires a blend of creative storytelling and detail-focused editing, along with close collaboration across teams to ensure accuracy, consistency, and brand alignment in all communications.

The ideal candidate is a versatile writer with a strong editorial eye, able to craft everything from punchy ad copy to in-depth travel content that captivates and informs. You have a knack for capturing and evolving a brand’s voice across channels, balancing creativity with precision. You understand how to craft content that resonates with the right audience, using language and structure to enhance clarity, engagement, and impact. Comfortable managing multiple priorities, you bring strategic thinking, collaboration skills, and a passion for creating engaging, high-quality content. With at least four years of copywriting experience you know how to shape messaging that not only tells a story but also drives results.

What you’ll be doing:

• Manage a Regional Portfolio – You’ll own the creation and maintenance of Travel Planners (trip itineraries) and catalog/web pages for specific regions, ensuring content is accurate, engaging and updated on an annual cycle with mid-season revisions as needed. 
• Craft Trip-Specific Content – You’ll write and refine detailed daily itineraries, regional insights and logistical information that help guests understand and get excited about their trip. 
• Oversee Content Review & Delivery – You will coordinate with regional operations teams to review and finalize guest-facing trip materials, managing timelines, adhering to established brand standards and ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all deliverables. 
• Support Regional Marketing Efforts – You’ll use tools like the CMS, Excel, reservation systems and internal communication platforms to manage and distribute trip content across channels. 
• Research & Fact-Check – You’ll work to verify information for trip materials, including hotel and ship descriptions, transportation details, pricing, contact info, travel documentation and other key guest resources. 
• Communicate Trip Updates – You’ll write clear, timely guest-facing messaging for trip alerts, itinerary changes and operational updates across your assigned regions. 
• Support Digital Strategy – You’ll collaborate with SEO and PPC teams to implement keyword strategies in trip copy and draft ad copy for paid campaigns. 
• Contribute to Marketing Initiatives – You’ll write copy for special projects such as catalogs, email campaigns, blog posts, ads and targeted messaging for different guest segments. 

What you’ll need to be successful:

• 4+ years of copywriting experience in an agency or in-house marketing team for a consumer-facing brand. 
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. 
• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of work, including digital and print content. 
• Experience across diverse marketing channels. 
• Familiarity with CMS platforms and content management best practices (Drupal experience a plus). 
• Proven ability to meet tight deadlines and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Ability to think strategically and align messaging with broader marketing goals. 
• Excellent collaboration skills. 
• Experience working with a creative partner or team. 

Work Environment:

• Berkeley, CA
• 4 days in-office