Freelance Headline Writer

TED’s mission is to discover and champion the ideas that will shape tomorrow. Powerful ideas, powerfully presented, can move us to feel something, think differently, take action and create a brighter future. TED finds these powerful ideas across disciplines and around the globe, from people who passionately seek a deeper understanding of the world and want to make a difference in it. TED’s spotlight and its engaged, open-minded audience help these ideas to create real impact: to shift one person’s perspective, to make a difference within a community or to spark global transformation.
Job Description

TED is looking for a detail-oriented copywriter with an ear for language and boundless curiosity for a headline-focused freelance role within our Publishing & Social team. The ideal candidate is a seasoned headline writer who’s comfortable in a fast-paced and collaborative environment and passionate about TED's mission of spreading ideas.

A few skills we’re looking for in candidates: ability to express a compelling opinion that leads to action; contribute in and adapt to a distributed team; optimize a video for discovery on the internet.

Responsibilities

Writing and workshopping headlines for up to seven TED Talks per week, helping to shape the copy that will appear alongside published videos on TED.com, YouTube.com and TED’s other digital properties
Writing short, 3- to 5-sentence descriptions of talks that capture speakers’ ideas and readers’ attention

Qualifications

Required

2-5 years of headline writing experience at known and reputable brands with global reach
Ability to pass a proofreading and writing test

Useful

Fluency in a second language other than English, especially any of the following: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish
News reporting experience

Cover letter required
Please submit your cover letter in the field labeled "Message to Hiring Manager" and include the following:

Why you’re interested in joining TED in this role
Specific examples of headline writing you've done at other organizations

Additional Information

Hourly Rate: $25-30 per hour