Audience Development Editor

Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc; Minneapolis, Northern (MN, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Phone stipend

Vacation time off

Paid holidays and floating holidays

Sick time

Job summary

MinnPost, a Minneapolis-based newsroom, seeks an Audience Development Editor to lead growth across web, newsletters, and social media. You will set ambitious goals, guide a team, and align audience growth with member conversion.

Strong data instincts and leadership are essential. You will partner with membership and editorial teams to drive engagement, optimize SEO and content distribution, and expand MinnPost’s reach among diverse Minnesota communities.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in audience development, digital journalism, or related field
• Experience leading a team in a newsroom
• Proven track record of growing audiences via newsletters, social media, and web
• Ability to translate analytics into actionable strategies
• Experience with analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Parse.ly
• SEO experience including keyword research, headline optimization, and link-building
• Experience with WordPress or a similar CMS
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Data-informed decision making and collaboration

Responsibilities

• Own and execute MinnPost’s audience development strategy across web, newsletters, and social media
• Supervise the newsroom audience team and audience-related contractors
• Contribute to editorial leadership discussions and provide regular updates on audience growth to staff and the board
• Establish and track KPIs that define progress toward ambitious audience goals
• Develop new digital products and manage existing ones with an eye toward meeting readers’ needs
• Grow MinnPost’s newsletter subscriber base and web audience
• Manage MinnPost’s social media presence for reach and engagement
• Collaborate with editor-reporter teams on audience distribution and engagement strategies
• Ensure best practices for SEO and manage MinnPost’s Google Ads profile
• Manage content partnerships and republication opportunities
• Deploy community engagement strategies to connect with underserved audiences

Skills

Audience growth

Data-driven decisions

Analytics tools

Writing & editing

Communication skills

Tools

Google Analytics

Parse.ly

WordPress CMS

Google Ads

Job description

Audience Development Editor

Starting salary: $85,000-$95,000/year

Location: Minneapolis, MN

MinnPost is hiring an Audience Development Editor, a senior newsroom leadership role that will own and drive audience growth strategy across the organization. Reporting to the Executive Editor and serving as a peer to other senior editors and business leaders, this person will set ambitious goals, build on MinnPost’s strong newsletter foundation, and put the organization on a trajectory of significant, measurable growth across web, newsletters, and social media.

MinnPost has quality journalism, a committed editorial team, an established audience, and the organizational commitment and resources to grow. The work of this role is to take those assets further: to significantly expand MinnPost’s reach, grow the newsletter subscriber base, deepen engagement across platforms, and connect more Minnesotans to public‑interest journalism. You will lead a dedicated audience team, including one open position you will help shape, with real standing in newsroom leadership and the support to drive change.

This is a newsroom role that requires both strategic vision and a willingness to execute. The Audience Development Editor will bring an audience‑first perspective into editorial planning, supervise a team responsible for key audience‑facing products, and work in close partnership with the membership team to align audience growth with paid member conversion. Day to day, that means working shoulder‑to‑shoulder with them, sharing goals, and taking joint ownership of donor growth targets. At an organization of 20 people, senior leaders make things happen, not just plan them.

We’re looking for someone who is entrepreneurial, driven by data, and committed to MinnPost’s mission. Strong candidates will have a track record of growing audiences in a digital news environment and the editorial instincts to know what readers want and how to serve them.

In this role, you will:

Strategy and leadership

• Own and execute MinnPost’s audience development strategy across web, newsletters, and social media
• Supervise the newsroom audience team and audience‑related contractors
• Contribute to editorial leadership discussions and provide regular updates on audience growth to staff and the board
• Establish and track KPIs that define progress toward ambitious audience goals
• Develop new digital products and manage existing ones with an eye toward meeting readers’ needs

Audience growth and engagement

• Devise and execute strategies to grow MinnPost’s newsletter subscriber base and web audience
• Manage MinnPost’s social media presence with an eye toward both reach and meaningful engagement
• Supervise newsletter and web production, filling in occasionally on daily needs
• Collaborate with editor‑reporter teams on audience distribution and engagement strategies for specific stories and beats
• Ensure best practices for SEO across the organization and manage MinnPost’s Google Ads profile
• Manage content partnerships and pursue republication opportunities with other media organizations
• Deploy community engagement strategies to build meaningful connections with underserved audiences, including through MinnPost events

Collaboration and alignment

• Work closely with the membership team to ensure audience growth strategies connect to paid member conversion goals
• Collaborate with business team leadership to align audience and revenue strategies
• Work with other editors to cultivate an inclusive, collaborative editorial culture that reflects the diversity of Minnesota

Ideal candidates will have:

• 4+ years of experience in audience development, digital journalism, or a related field
• Experience leading a team or managing projects in a newsroom environment
• A proven track record of growing audiences through newsletters, social media, and/or web
• A habit of using audience data to inform decisions and make arguments: someone who reaches for the numbers first and can translate analytics into clear, compelling cases for action
• Experience with analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Parse.ly
• SEO experience, including keyword research, headline optimization, and link‑building
• Experience with WordPress or a similar CMS
• Strong writing and editing skills
• A test‑and‑learn approach to strategy and genuine drive to innovate
• Ability to make data‑informed decisions both independently and collaboratively
• Strong organizational and communication skills

To better reflect the communities we serve, we seek to recruit staff members from many backgrounds and with diverse identities. MinnPost is an equal opportunity employer, and we strongly encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.

This is a management position with a starting salary of $85,000-$95,000/year

MinnPost is based in Northeast Minneapolis with a flexible hybrid schedule. This position works in the office at least two days a week and regularly in person for special projects, meetings, and events.

• Health insurance (80% for employees / 50% for partners or dependents)
• 401(k) plan (employer matching up to 3% of salary, which can be applied to 401(k) contributions or eligible student loan payments)
• Monthly phone stipend
• Vacation time off (15 days per year to start)
• Paid holidays (8 days per year) and floating holidays (4 days per year)
• Sick and safe time (12 days per year)
• Paid birthing person health leave (100% up to 6 weeks)
• Paid family leave (100% up to 8 weeks) through MN PFML program
• Short-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Options for employee‑paid dental, vision, long‑term disability, and supplemental life insurance

MinnPost is a newsroom of smart, collaborative people who care about the journalism and look out for each other. The audience they serve is unusually engaged: thousands of loyal readers, many of them paying members, who come back because they trust what MinnPost produces. Journalists who work here know their work is reaching people who care.