Audience Engagement Producer

Location: Denver, Colorado (Hybrid)
Reports to: Director of Audience
Position Type: Full-Time
Salary: $60,320 – $69,160
Contact: [email protected]

THE POSITION

The Colorado Sun is seeking an audience engagement producer to execute social media strategy, with an emphasis on social video, and support audience engagement across current and emerging digital platforms.

Working on the audience team, this person will make The Sun’s journalism accessible, engaging and relevant to audiences across Colorado. They will translate reporting into compelling content while upholding the accuracy essential to earning Coloradans’ trust through fact-based, nonpartisan journalism.

The ideal candidate brings strong journalistic instincts, creative ideas and a strategic approach to experimentation. They can identify and pitch stories, execute experiments, track performance and share findings. They are detail-oriented, highly organized and comfortable collaborating across departments, training colleagues and managing projects.

This is a hybrid position. Candidates must live in Colorado or be willing to relocate.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Editorial Social Media Content Creation and Distribution (45%)

• Social Media Strategy: Develop and execute social media strategy across prioritized platforms, with an emphasis on social video, in collaboration with the director of audience.
• Content Creation and Distribution: Adapt reporting into accessible, engaging social content, including videos and shareable social cards. Manage scheduling and distribution across social media and digital channels.
• Newsroom Collaboration and Training: Work with colleagues to identify and pitch story ideas, establish social video workflows and expectations, and provide training as needed
• Breaking News and Reader Service: Share breaking news quickly and accurately across platforms, answer reader questions about reporting and direct followers to appropriate internal teams.

Metrics, Evaluation and Learning (25%)

• Performance Tracking: Monitor audience growth, engagement and impact across social media platforms. Ensure performance outcomes set in coordination with the audience director are met.
• Audience Research and Insights: Help identify, research and analyze target audiences to broaden readership across Colorado with a focus on younger and diverse audiences. Use analytics and audience research to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Reporting and Evaluation: Share results, trends and lessons across the organization, using findings to refine content and engagement practices.
• Experimentation and Professional Learning: Pitch, execute and evaluate experiments. Participate in webinars, training and conversations with peers and support organizations to understand changing audience habits and emerging platforms.

Audience Engagement Initiatives (15%)

• Audience Callouts and Conversations: Occasionally create callouts to solicit story tips and reader feedback, and work with reporters to organize and host ask-me-anything conversations on platforms such as Reddit.
• Interactive Storytelling: Occasionally collaborate with the product team and newsroom on digital zines, quizzes, maps and other interactive elements that complement reporting.
• Audience-Informed Content: When time allows, work with the newsroom to create engaging articles, such as listicles, tied to topical events, drawing on social media aggregation, audience callouts and other audience-focused approaches.
• Cross-Platform Support: Support strategy and execution for newsletters, search engine optimization, answer engine optimization and related audience projects.

Strategic Communications to Support Organizational Priorities (15%)

• Event Promotion: Support social media campaigns led by the events and marketing coordinator
• Membership and Fundraising: Collaborate with the membership manager to promote membership and fundraising campaigns across social platforms
• Paid Social Media: Manage paid social efforts for editorial projects to extend the reach of The Sun’s journalism

Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Strong journalistic judgment and a commitment to accuracy and fact-based, nonpartisan journalism
• Ability to adapt reporting into compelling, platform-appropriate content and pitch strong story ideas
• Creativity and strategic thinking, including the ability to develop experiments, execute them and evaluate results
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and clear communication
• Ability to collaborate across departments and train colleagues
• Familiarity with a content management system such as WordPress
• Proficiency with Google Workspace tools, including Drive, Sheets and Meet, and familiarity with Google Analytics and Google Trends
• Experience managing social media, digital marketing and paid campaigns, and/or audience engagement in a news setting
• Working knowledge of digital and social media tools, platforms and best practices, including familiarity with Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube
• Experience with Canva or a similar design platform, basic design skills and basic HTML
• Mastery of AP style
• Residence in Colorado or willingness to relocate

Preferred:

• One to three years of newsroom experience
• Video, photo and/or audio editing skills
• Spanish-language proficiency

WHY JOIN US

• Support independent, nonpartisan journalism that helps Coloradans understand their state and participate in civic life
• Help shape the growth of one of the country’s most ambitious nonprofit newsrooms serving communities across
• Colorado, including places with limited access to local reporting
• Work with experienced journalists and colleagues who value collaboration, public service and thoughtful experimentation
• Flexible hybrid schedule (approx. 75% remote, 25% in-person for team meetings, strategy sessions and events)
• Flexible and uncapped paid time off, paid holidays and sick and family leave under organization policies
• Health, dental and vision benefits plus an employer contribution to a 401(k) retirement plan
• Employer contribution to home office needs