South Audience Growth Producer Job at McClatchy in Biloxi

The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) and McClatchy's South news sites are seeking an Audience Growth Producer to grow and diversify readership for our journalism. The successful candidate will engage with readers across our digital platforms, through newsletters, on social media and in other ways that help grow our base of loyal subscribers. This role is part of McClatchy's Tier 2 and 3 Audience Development team, composed of an editor, deputy editor and eight producers who work hand in hand each day with the company's 15 small and medium markets across the United States.

Audience Growth Producers are data-driven experts in SEO, and newsletter and alert strategies, and are newsroom team partners who are responsible for helping determine the best ways to reach readers with our stories, videos and multimedia packages.

Keen news judgment and understanding of analytics to help drive content strategy, strong communication and writing skills, and the ability to collaborate with your colleagues are musts. Like all journalists at McClatchy, the producer must have demonstrated the desire and skills to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth around compelling public service journalism.

The position is based at The Sun Herald, located on Mississippi's diverse and exciting coast. This audience producer will also work closely with McClatchy's two Georgia properties, The (Macon) Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, as well as with a team that covers three South Carolina properties: The State in Columbia; The Island Packet in Hilton Head; and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. The selected candidate may choose the property they work and live in; candidates interested in remote work are encouraged to apply.

In this role, you will:

• Implement audience and journalistic best practices to continue serving our local and loyal audiences, particularly our subscribers.
• Coach newsrooms on SEO best practices, ensuring local and breaking news stories are surfaced for readers through search.
• Identify key new audiences, and launch engagement efforts to connect with communities.
• Collaborate with the analytics team to craft reports for the newsroom and drive strategy. The producer should have familiarity with data.
• Identify audience strategies, and build and implement promotion plans for high-impact journalism projects.
• Build and manage social media campaigns that elevate our journalism. The ideal candidate will produce creative designs in line with newsroom branding, write sharp, clean social copy to help readers understand and engage with the local news that affects their daily lives.
• Write engaging copy and curate newsletters that serve subscribers.
• Coach and collaborate with journalists on headlines.
• Experiment with new tools and platforms.
• Other digital audience growth duties as needed.
• May include some evening and weekend shifts.

What you'll bring:

• Passion for news and love for experimentation.
• Possess excellent communication skills, including leading training and coaching sessions around building audiences.
• Experience managing social media accounts, and working knowledge of SEO concepts and Google Trends to grow our readership, especially among potential subscribers.
• Understanding of social media best practices
• Understanding of newsletter best practices
• Ability to use analytics tools such as Parse.ly to make real-time decisions for elevating our journalism and developing related digital strategies.
• An independent spirit that can make decisions quickly and can handle several tasks at once.
• Proficiency in utilizing AI tools and technologies is highly desired.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

• College degree or equivalent work experience
• At least 2 years of writing, editing, digital and/or social media experience.

What we'll bring: As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy's benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter and your resume. (Optional: Show us an example of a social media and/or content distribution plan you're proud of.)

About McClatchy:

Our impact is growing every day. 30 growing markets. Over 65 million monthly readers. 57 Pulitzer Prizes. A strong portfolio of dynamic partnerships and smart investments. Our award-winning journalism, digital reach, and commitment to innovative growth have never been stronger.

As a member of the McClatchy family, you are part of a flexible, empowering, and exciting culture dedicated to creating a work/life balance and consistent opportunities for growth-a place where you have a voice and the ability to impact our future. It's an exciting time to be here. Our company is experiencing the most transformative period in its history. We're growing rapidly in the digital space and delivering award-winning journalism in innovative ways.