Audience Development Editor
The Sacramento Bee is seeking an innovative, high-energy journalist to develop and execute digital audience growth and engagement strategies across its five California news sites.
The audience development editor, based in Sacramento, will work to test, measure and refine a variety of digital audience and subscriber growth tactics that engage local readers and build long-term loyalty among our subscribers.
You’ll lead an audience team that is fun, creative and always looking for new ways to connect with our diverse audience across platforms. The newsroom you’ll join is deeply committed to listening to, engaging with and meeting the needs of our neighbors across the Sacramento metro area.
The successful candidate is skilled at engaging with readers across our platforms, from social media to live events; has demonstrated success in growing newsletters and other news products; and has a firm command of SEO, including Google Trends and Google Discover. The candidate also possesses a love of purposeful experimentation, informed by results. We are looking for someone as comfortable working in strategy as in the weeds, who can hop from a pivot table to Canva with ease.
The audience development editor should have a knack for juggling multiple projects, identifying opportunities for improvement, and offering encouragement and guidance to colleagues. You’ll be an innovator in the newsroom and lead data-driven content and distribution experiments in partnership with reporters, editors and McClatchy’s News Analytics team.
The successful candidate will be comfortable communicating and guiding the tactics we are using to execute our audience strategy on a daily basis. This person will collaborate with editors across Sacramento’s newsroom along with The Fresno Bee, The Modesto Bee, The San Luis Obispo Tribune and the Merced Sun-Star.
Sacramento is a vibrant, culturally diverse city with a welcoming climate and renowned dining scene. As the state capital of the fifth-largest economy in the world, it draws both politicos and outdoor enthusiasts. The “City of Trees” is known for its glittering history, cultural diversity and dozens of lush farmers markets. (And it’s only 100 miles to the Sierra Nevada mountains, 88 to San Francisco, and 143 to Yosemite.) It’s a fantastic place to put down roots, and this job offers the chance to contribute meaningfully to its future.
And if you have a passion for this topic but don’t meet 100 percent of the requirements, please apply. Don’t be afraid to highlight other skills you bring to the table, as well as your philosophy of audience journalism, in your cover letter.
The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $80,000 and $95,000 annually. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, relevant education, department equity, training, geography, and local wage and hours laws.
Key responsibilities:
Collaborate with McClatchy teams to create data-driven strategies that produce audience growth and subscriber loyalty on our websites.
Regularly analyze performance data via Parse.ly and Amplitude to improve audience development strategies, and give feedback to your team and your newsrooms in daily meetings.
Curate and write newsletters, develop pop-up newsletters, and implement best practices to increase list size and engagement.
Train newsrooms on SEO, headline writing, and how best to reach digital and new audiences.
Coordinate and/or host live and virtual events, town halls and listening sessions to build trust with our communities.
Elevate on-site experiences for new and existing readers.
Lead an inspiring and community-driven social media strategy on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok that creates long-term advocates for local journalism.
Coordinate with editors producing high-impact journalism projects, ensuring that they put their audience at the center, from the idea phase onward.
What you’ll bring:
Reliable news judgment and a clear understanding of journalism ethics
Experience in a leadership role
A proven track record of growing and engaging with audiences
A deep understanding of social media best practices and newsletter and alert strategies
Experience with analytics platforms, and ability to analyze and communicate effectively about audience analytics
Curiosity about and awareness of audience trends in the digital media space
Must work comfortably in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation
Reporting and editing experience a plus
Minimum requirements:
Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent work experience
5+ years of experience, preferably in a digital media organization