Deputy Audience Development Editor - Columbia

The Post and Courier, South Carolina’s premier news source, is seeking a deputy audience development editor with a journalism background to lead the execution of innovative growth and engagement strategies aimed at reaching new audiences and converting them to loyal subscribers.

The deputy audience development editor will supervise a team of audience producers in our expansion markets in Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and other South Carolina cities who will execute on tactics to grow, engage and convert audiences into loyal subscribers. The audience development team is newsroom experts on social media, SEO, newsletters, homepage management, breaking news alerts and other digital audience fundamentals. The team empowers reporters and editors to own their audiences, and oversees the daily flow of news coverage on- and off-site.

The deputy audience development editor will also play a supporting role in planning the daily digital news budget and will make data-informed decisions on when, where and how to publish our stories online. They will work closely with editors to guide their content strategies in order to maximize the impact of The Post and Courier’s news coverage within the communities that are directly affected. 

The deputy audience development editor will report to the audience development editor based in our Charleston newsroom. They should have a solid understanding of core audience growth fundamentals, including social media, newsletters, SEO and basic news analytics. They should have experience with engagement tactics, including live social, events, AMAs or similar, and be a fanatic for staying on top of the latest industry trends and best practices. Experience working remotely across multiple newsrooms is a plus.

This position is in-person, based in our newsroom in Columbia, South Carolina.

If you are hired, you will join an award-winning culture where talented journalists have the opportunity to pursue the best work of their careers, limited only by their ambition and determination.

The Post and Courier is privately held and is investing in its journalism. We began expanding across the state in 2020, seeking to fill a void in news deserts or areas where local news coverage had withered. We now operate Post and Courier newsrooms in multiple South Carolina cities.

We are a passionate, dedicated, digital-driven news organization and seek someone who shares that journalistic passion and commitment to excellence.

Responsibilities:

• Supervise team of audience producers who are responsible for homepage curation, breaking news alerts, social media management, SEO, newsletters, headline workshopping and other audience growth tactics.

• Coordinate with the audience development editor to plan the daily digital news budget, ensuring our coverage is reaching the right readers at the right time in the right places.

• Compile actionable analytics reports for editors, and communicate best practices for converting readers into loyal subscribers.

• Support paid social strategies, including boosting trending posts and creating ads to reach new audiences.

• Participate in regular audience team meetings to share subject matter expertise and advance audience development best practices.

• Coach and guide editors with in-the-moment guidance on how to reach readers. 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities: 

- Strong journalism skills and experience in a newsroom environment.
- Experience understanding and communicating analytics to guide decisions using platforms such as Google Analytics and Marfeel. 
- Knowledge of SEO best practices. 
- Experience with social media and an understanding of how different types of content excel on different platforms. 
- Ability to multi-task and quickly troubleshoot. 
- Strong writing and sharp editing skills. 
- A passion for local, state and national news, and a strong awareness of the newsworthiness of a given topic. 
- Ability to work flexible hours including early mornings, days, nights and weekends as needed. 

Requirements, minimum education level and experience: 

- Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, marketing or related field. 
- At least 3 years of demonstrated journalism experience. 
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills. 
- Strong organization and prioritization skills with excellent follow through. 

The Post and Courier is an equal opportunity employer.