Willa Bennett is the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen. Before joining Hearst Magazines in this role in September 2024, Willa served as editor-in-chief of Highsnobiety where, under her leadership, the publisher was awarded 4 National Magazine Awards (ASME), 3 Webby Awards, and 3 Muse Awards.
Willa previously held roles leading the social team and strategy at GQ and working across audience development at Bustle Digital Group. A Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree and a published author, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in digital journalism and communications.
Cosmopolitan and Seventeen are legacy brands with deep histories and very clear identities, but they are also living organisms. The context in which each exists is always evolving. Stepping into that role meant honoring what generations of readers loved while making sure we are speaking to who they are now. The opportunity to lead such important brands is never lost on me.
Leadership is a practice. Some moments require steadiness and reassurance. Others require a higher tolerance for risk. The skill is knowing which moment you're in. I try to stay open and honest about what is working and what isn't. I'm also less attached to doing things the way they have always been done than I used to be. Transformation is part of the job. Our audience is constantly redefining culture, and the pace at which platforms enter and exit the cultural conversation is unprecedented. Our leadership has to mirror that metabolism. If we expect our teams to be agile and future-facing, we have to model it ourselves.
I think about it less as a choice between the two and more as a conversation. Our audience is smart. They are already shaping culture in their group chats, on their feeds, in their own lives. My job is to listen closely and provide context for the current moment. Sometimes that means validating what they're already feeling. Sometimes it means introducing a new perspective or asking a question they haven't thought to ask yet. It’s an exciting place for me, but it’s also a huge responsibility.
Virality is a moment. Trust is a relationship. Cosmo has been a leading voice for young women since 1965 and that doesn't happen by chasing what's trending. It happens by being genuinely useful and honest with your audience. I think about longevity the same way I think about a relationship: show up consistently, tell the truth, and don't be stagnant.
Thoughtful emails. I cold-emailed my way into Seventeen. Do you like something you’ve read? Reach out to the writer or editor. Are you into a specific video series? Let the host or producer know!
Pilar Guzmán, Editorial Director of Oprah Daily. She proves great writing and great editing aren't separate impulses.
My journal. It is where ideas start.
It’s not new, but Substack. I love that people are writing again.
My Ántonia by Willa Cather. We obviously share a name. But we also share a belief that women's stories deserve to be told with the same seriousness and beauty as anyone else's.
