Audience Engagement Specialist, Signal Ohio

Position Title: Audience Engagement Specialist, Signal Ohio

Work Location: Hybrid

Employment/FLSA Status: Full time/Exempt

Signal Ohio is looking for an audience engagement specialist for its northeast Ohio newsrooms. This is a crucial role in building and supporting a strategy that identifies our target audiences and grows our reach and engagement with them. The Audience Engagement Specialist will work closely with the newsrooms to maximize distribution and reach by learning from and integrating best practices into the newsroom daily production workflows as well as making products more accessible to wider audiences across multiple platforms.

Signal Ohio is among the most ambitious local news initiatives in the country with a mandate to rapidly expand to fill local news gaps across Ohio, at both the statewide and community levels. Signal Ohio’s mission is to become an indispensable, daily source of news and information for the communities it serves. In pursuit of that mission, we will need to reach and make an impact on over 11 million Ohio residents. We are just getting started and need your help to ensure our critical reporting serves our communities, finds its audience on multiple platforms, and engages the people of Ohio as members of our journalism project.

YOUR ROLE:

The Audience Engagement Specialist will collaborate with the Audience Editor to evaluate and execute overall audience growth strategy, including an SEO growth plan and a social media growth plan especially in the area of vertical video. They will also work with the Audience Editor to develop perspectives on additional distribution points that may fit into the newsroom’s strategy, such as Apple News, Flipboard, Pocket, etc. and including podcast / podcast distribution platforms, such as Anchor FM, SoundCloud.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Engagement: Fosters active and meaningful two-way interactions with our audience, utilizing social media, direct outreach, and innovative engagement tactics.
• Digital production: Part of the daily newsroom production flow; designs articles and newsletters, incorporating SEO strategy and knowledge; responsible for writing or checking SEO and social headlines.
• Social media: Responsible for developing a strategy for timing and cadence social media posts, recirculating content, and scheduling it.
• Newsletters: Works with the editorial team to produce newsletters and to help manage copy workflow.
• Trends: Monitors search trends and local happenings to help inform coverage, making use of the organization’s social networks and tools such as Google Search Console.
• Membership campaigns: Works with the audience editor to develop effective messaging for campaigns, and onsite, newsletter and social media calls-to-action.
• Analytics: Measures and reports on metrics key to conversion and retention success.

IDEAL CANDIDATE HAS:

• At least one year of full-time experience in a digital newsroom
• A desire to innovate, problem-solve, and launch new initiatives
• Strong editorial judgment
• A proven ability to work in partnership with journalists
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to explain complex data
• Experience managing professional social accounts, and ideally established brands
• A finger on the pulse of social media trends
• A basic understanding of search engine optimization
• Experience creating newsletters is a plus; knowledge of Mailchimp preferred

WHY SIGNAL:

At SIGNAL, our unwavering commitment to our mission is the heartbeat of our organization. We hold these core values close to our hearts, and we seek team members who share in this ethos:

• Lead with Heart: We approach every situation with empathy, open hearts and open minds. We support our teammates internally as passionately as we support others externally. We empower each other to do good work and enthusiastically roll up our sleeves to dive in at any level needed;
• Be Fearless: We think forward, welcome ideas, and remain solution-focused. Driven by curiosity and independent thinking, we take risks and stay agile. Accountability is key in our pursuit to innovate without fear of failure, as every setback teaches us something valuable, prompting necessary changes and growth;
• Bring People Together: We value human connection and strive to strengthen and inspire it through people and technology. Our collaborative culture is driven by a strong sense of community, fostering open communication with love and respect. We believe in the power of working together to achieve the greater good;
• Serve with Kindness: We are present, actively listening, and genuinely caring in every interaction. By embracing our best, most authentic selves and providing a sense of purpose, we foster a positive environment. We do this with joy, striving daily to be the good – together, and inspiring others to join us in our mission.

WHAT WE OFFER:

• Energetic and collaborative team environment passionately dedicated to our mission to expand community service;
• Award-winning entrepreneurial non-profit making a positive impact;
• Headquartered in Columbus, within a collaborative and inspiring workspace;
• A generous PTO policy and an additional 13 paid holidays;
• Competitive medical, dental and vision benefits, along with retirement and short-term and long-term disability benefits;

Signal is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to providing equal opportunities to all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, ensuring a fair and inclusive workplace. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship and will undergo a background check prior to hire.