My name is Suzanne Raga — this is what I achieve at Aha!

What is the best way to accelerate your career? Work at a high-growth company that challenges you and puts learning first. An unwavering motivation to continue improving and achieving is also key. The highest performers constantly pursue new ideas and seek to understand the experiences and motivations of the people around them. We can learn a lot from them.

Curiosity fuels growth — which is why we want to bring you personal stories of achievement from talented people. Our hope is that some of their ideas are useful (and maybe even inspirational) as you work to become your best.

Meet Suzanne Raga, a senior editor on the Aha! marketing team. She specializes in writing and refining content, including product news, career stories, and guides for product managers. She also enjoys helping teammates understand the nuances of tone and how to best communicate complex concepts in writing.

Suzanne lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband and two daughters. Outside of work, she spends time biking around her neighborhood, practicing yoga, and playing guitar and drums.

Read on to learn more about how she finds meaning and joy in her work — in her own words.

What energizes you about being a senior editor?

I love the focus and precision necessary to create high-quality content. Whether I am writing a thought leadership blog post or editing a teammate's product management guide, I get energy when I define and then refine a message. Teaching the Aha! writing style to new team members is just as energizing. I enjoy scrutinizing both the style and substance of drafts — and explaining why I make certain changes to them.

It is deeply fulfilling to apply a rigorous mindset and critical eye to every word, sentence, and paragraph.

What is something that makes your role at Aha! unique?

My senior editor role is a nice blend of writing and coaching. I spend roughly half my time drafting content that educates and inspires product builders (including blog posts and guides) and updating previously published content. The other half, I edit a variety of content across our product suite: product announcements, website pages for our live tutorials, email newsletters, and more.

I also enjoy leading writing workshops for the content team. My goal is to distill something interesting or unexpected into actionable advice for writers and copy editors. In my latest workshop, for example, we explored how video creators make viral content and how to apply those techniques to our own writing.

What are the biggest challenges in your role — and how have you solved them?

It is a big challenge to make trade-off decisions and balance different types of work.

Because our marketing team is constantly producing new content, I consistently receive edit requests from teammates. I work closely with my team lead to prioritize tasks and decide what needs immediate attention versus what can wait. Saying "no" or "not yet" to requests is not always easy, but managing deadlines is an essential part of being a senior editor.

What has been the most rewarding thing about joining the Aha! team?

Our marketing team produces many new short- and long-form pieces each week. I am always impressed by how much thought and care each team member puts into what they create. The majority of our content goes through multiple reviews and feedback rounds — and the end result is truly collaborative messaging that informs and engages. It is rewarding to be part of a team that values content so deeply.

How do you keep learning and building knowledge in your role?

I read regularly about topics outside of product development. Biographies, mysteries, weekly issues of The Economist — they all fuel my creativity, and sometimes even help me make unexpected connections to the topics we write about.

I also commit to continuing education. (Every Aha! team member is eligible for annual funding and paid time off for third-party education.) Over the years, I have taken courses on communicating effectively, self-editing, and viral content. I also just completed a course on making data-driven decisions.

What advice do you have for an aspiring or early-career writer or editor?

Creating content at a SaaS company is a collaborative effort. Success hinges on your willingness to remove your ego from the process and put business and audience needs first.

This means being willing to incorporate feedback and not getting too attached to your drafts. Your goal is to create the best piece of content possible — not to hold on to your initial ideas and phrases.

Excellent wordsmiths are also conscientious, detail-oriented, and persistent. Think of yourself as a sculptor who is continually shaping and refining your creation. Tools like a thesaurus or ChatGPT can be helpful for generating ideas and making tweaks. But you always need to apply your own deep thought and precision to what you are writing.

The What I achieve series spotlights the exceptional people on the Aha! team. For insights into how we got here, read our Why I joined posts.

We are bootstrapped, profitable, fully remote, and hiring. Join us and achieve your best.