Audience Editor - Sports

The Minnesota Star Tribune; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 78,956 - 106,824; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Healthcare coverage

Dental and vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off

Hybrid work arrangement

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The Minnesota Star Tribune is seeking an Audience Editor for Sports to drive audience growth and engagement from our Minneapolis HQ. Embedded with the Sports desk, you will lead audience development, shape coverage plans, and maximize reach across YouTube, newsletters, search, and social media.

You’ll work with editors and reporters to identify opportunities during big moments and daily coverage, translating data into actionable coverage decisions, while staying deeply connected to fan culture

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 3 years in audience development, digital journalism, sports journalism, social media, newsletters, analytics or related fields.
• Strong understanding of audience behavior across digital platforms.
• Ability to translate performance data into actionable newsroom insights.
• Experience developing strategies that drive audience growth and engagement.
• Strong research skills to synthesize data into audience segments and trends.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with editors, reporters and platform teams.
• Strong news judgment and understanding of how sports audiences engage with breaking news and features.
• Knowledge of fan behavior and digital habits in sports journalism.
• Experience collaborating across editorial, product, social, newsletter, video or audience teams.
• Commitment to journalistic excellence and audience-centered decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead audience strategist for the Sports desk on coverage planning and distribution.
• Use data, trends, and insights to shape coverage decisions and growth opportunities.
• Define priority audiences including subscribers, casual fans, and youngerReaders across platforms.
• Advise on framing, timing, and presentation of Sports stories across StarTribune.com and social channels.
• Partner with social media editors and newsletters teams to expand reach during major events.
• Test new approaches to headlines, formats, live coverage, and audience engagement.
• Collaborate with the centralized Audience Team to share tools and best practices.

Skills

Audience strategy

Data analysis

News judgment

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field

Tools

SEO

Job description

The Minnesota Star Tribune is an innovative modern media organization building on an extraordinary 159-year legacy. With seven Pulitzer Prizes and numerous other accolades, we stand as a beacon of journalistic excellence in Minnesota. Together, we are the heart and voice of the north.

Our mission is to build a better Minnesota by connecting us with the people, ideas, and stories that strengthen our communities. We’re seeking dynamic leaders who are passionate about journalism and democracy to help shape this future. If you are excited about reinventing one of our state’s most trusted institutions and leading us into a new era of growth and excellence, we want to hear from you.

We are seeking an Audience Editor for Sports at our headquarters in Minneapolis MN to help drive audience growth and engagement for one of the nation's most ambitious sports teams in news.

This role will be embedded with the Sports desk and serve as the lead strategist for audience development. The Audience Editor will help shape coverage plans, storytelling approaches and maximize the reach of our journalism. This role will work closely with sports editors and reporters to identify and execute opportunities to expand our audience during big moments, daily coverage and enterprise storytelling.

The right person for this job is deeply immersed in sports media and fan culture. You follow the Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins, Wild and Gophers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, podcasts, newsletters, search and emerging platforms. You’re fascinated by why certain stories and personalities break through while others don’t. You know how to reach both the diehard fan and the sports‑culture curious.

As part of the centralized Audience Team, this role gives Sports dedicated support while connecting the desk to shared audience expertise, broader newsroom strategy and best practices. This is a highly collaborative role that requires a nimble ability to work across teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead audience strategist for the Sports desk, partnering with editors and reporters on coverage planning, story presentation and distribution.
• Use audience data, research, search trends and performance insights to help shape coverage decisions and identify opportunities for growth.
• Help the Sports team better understand priority audiences, including loyal subscribers, casual fans, team‑specific audiences, younger readers and people discovering our journalism on new platforms.
• Advise on how Sports stories are framed, timed and presented across StarTribune.com, YouTube, search, newsletters, social media, mobile and other platforms.
• Partner with social media editors, newsletter producers and the homepage team to strengthen the reach and impact of Sports coverage, especially during breaking news and major sports moments.
• Identify opportunities to test new approaches to headlines, story formats, live coverage, video, newsletters and audience engagement, then help the desk apply what works.
• Collaborate with the centralized Audience Team to bring shared tools, expertise and best practices to Sports while contributing to a culture of experimentation, audience service and journalistic excellence.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work‑related experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in audience development, digital journalism, sports journalism, social media, newsletters, analytics, SEO, product strategy or a related field.
• Strong understanding of audience behavior across digital platforms, including social media, newsletters, search, homepage, mobile and video experiences.
• Ability to analyze performance data and translate it into clear, actionable newsroom insights that inform coverage, framing and distribution strategy.
• Experience developing strategies that drive audience growth, subscriber value and engagement.
• Strong research skills, including the ability to synthesize multiple data sources into useful audience segments, trends and recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with editors, reporters and platform teams.
• Strong news judgment and an understanding of how sports audiences engage with breaking news, live events, analysis, features, personalities, enterprise journalism and community conversation.
• Knowledge of fan behavior, digital habits and the evolving ways audiences discover and build loyalty with sports journalism.
• Experience collaborating across editorial, product, social, newsletter, video or audience teams.
• Commitment to journalistic excellence, public service and audience‑centered decision‑making.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a newsroom, sports media, audience development or platform strategy role, especially with experience using data and research to grow and engage audiences.
• Experience training, coaching and developing journalists in audience growth, SEO, analytics and digital storytelling best practices.
• Familiarity with analytics tools and audience measurement platforms.
• Experience working on subscription‑based or membership‑driven media products.
• Familiarity with Minnesota sports audiences, fan communities or major sports coverage rhythms.
• Experience developing audience strategies that reach both loyal users and new or emerging audiences.
• Social media content creation and video editing experience is a definite plus.

Schedule

Wednesday‑Sunday, 1 pm‑10 pm. Schedules may need to be adjusted at times to accommodate the needs and coverage plans of the Sports Department.

Compensation Range

Annual pay range for this H‑scale position is $92,890, as stated in the contract of the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild.

Compensation will depend on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience and may fall outside of the range shown.

The Minnesota Star Tribune offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401(K) match, healthcare coverage – medical, dental, and vision, life, disability, paid time off, and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at benefits.startribunecompany.com.

More About The Minnesota Star Tribune

• Modern Downtown Office: Enjoy a state‑of‑the‑art workspace with a free fitness center, collaborative center, golf simulator, and a rooftop patio.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Includes commuting subsidy, medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Wellness & Work-Life Balance: Participate in our wellness program with financial incentives, generous paid time off, flexible holidays, one volunteer day, and two wellness days.
• Financial & Family Support: Benefit from a 401(k) with company match, paid parental and caregiving leave, hybrid work arrangements, and tuition reimbursement.
• Additional Perks: Access to an employee assistance program, pet insurance, flexible spending accounts, and health savings accounts.

2025 award winner of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Media and News and proud recipient of Newsweek’s Greatest Midsize Workplaces 2025 recognition.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Even if you don't meet every single requirement for this role, we encourage you to apply. At The Minnesota Star Tribune, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Questions? Contact Jess Bellville at [e-mail].