Audience Editor - Sports

Star Tribune Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Healthcare coverage

Paid time off

Hybrid work arrangements

Tuition reimbursement

Employee assistance program

Pet insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

Job summary

The Minnesota Star Tribune is seeking an Audience Editor for Sports to lead audience development and engagement. Embedded with the Sports desk, the role shapes coverage plans and storytelling approaches to maximize reach across StarTribune.com, social, newsletters, and video.

You will analyze data from multiple sources to identify opportunities, understand priority audiences, and collaborate with editors, reporters, and platform teams to execute audience-focused strategies during daily coverage

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in journalism or a related field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 3 years in audience development, digital journalism, sports journalism, social media, newsletters, analytics, SEO, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of audience behavior across digital platforms (social media, newsletters, search, homepage, mobile, video).
• Ability to translate performance data into actionable newsroom insights for coverage, framing, and distribution.
• Experience developing strategies that drive audience growth, subscriber value, and engagement.
• Strong research skills to synthesize data sources into audience segments and trends.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with editors, reporters, and platform teams.
• Knowledge of how sports audiences engage with breaking news, live events, analysis, features, personalities, and community conversation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead audience strategist for the Sports desk, partnering with editors and reporters on coverage planning and distribution.
• Use audience data and performance insights to shape coverage decisions and growth opportunities.
• Identify priority audiences including subscribers, casual fans, and younger readers across platforms.
• Advise on how Sports stories are framed, timed, and presented on StarTribune.com, YouTube, search, newsletters, and social channels.
• Collaborate with social media editors, newsletter producers, and homepage team to extend reach during major moments.
• Test new approaches to headlines, formats, live coverage, video, newsletters, and audience engagement.
• Contribute to a culture of experimentation, audience service, and journalistic excellence.

Skills

Audience development

Digital journalism

Sports journalism

Social media

Newsletters

Analytics

SEO

Product strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field

Job description

Headquarters 650 3rd Avenue S Suite 1300 Minneapolis, MN 55488, USA

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.

Thisrole will be embedded with the Sports desk andserve asthe leadstrategist for audience development.The Audience Editor willhelpshape coverage plans, storytelling approaches and maximize the reachofour journalism.This rolewill work closely withsports editors and reporterstoidentifyandexecuteopportunitiestoexpand our audienceduring bigmoments, dailycoverageandenterprise storytelling.

he right person for this job is deeply immersed in sports media and fan culture. You follow the Vikings, Timberwolves, Lynx, 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 audienceexpertise, broader newsroomstrategyand 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, storypresentationand distribution.
• Use audience data, research, searchtrendsand 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, youngerreadersand people discovering our journalism on new platforms.
• Advise onhow Sports stories are framed,timedand presented across StarTribune.com,YouTube,search, newsletters, social media, mobile and other platforms.
• Partner withsocialmediaeditors, newsletterproducersand thehomepage team to strengthen the reach and impact of Sports coverage, especially during breaking news and major sports moments.
• Identifyopportunities to testnew approachesto headlines, story formats, live coverage, video,newslettersand audience engagement, then help the desk apply what works.
• Collaborate with the centralized Audience Team to bring shared tools,expertiseand best practices to Sports while contributing to a culture of experimentation, audienceserviceand 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,mobileand 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, subscribervalueand engagement.
• Strong research skills, including the ability to synthesize multiple data sources into useful audience segments,trendsand recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with editors,reportersand platform teams.
• Strong news judgment and an understanding of how sports audiences engage with breaking news, live events, analysis, features, personalities, enterprisejournalismand community conversation.
• Knowledge offan behavior, digitalhabitsand the evolving ways audiences discover and build loyalty with sports journalism.
• Experience collaborating across editorial, product, social, newsletter,videoor audience teams.
• Commitment to journalistic excellence, publicserviceand 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,coachingand developing journalists in audience growth, SEO,analyticsand 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, fancommunitiesor 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 experienceisa 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 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

At The Minnesota Star Tribune, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset, and we are committed to their happiness, growth, and well-being. Here’s a snapshot of the exceptional benefits we offer:

• Modern Downtown Office: Enjoy a state-of-the-art workspace with a free fitness center, collaborative center, golf simulator, and a rooftop patio.
• 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.

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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.