Communications Specialist, PR

Merrick Creative; Greenbelt, Northern (MD, KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Merrick Creative in Greenbelt, MD is seeking a writer who can craft compelling stories, pitch them to journalists, and grow toward account leadership. You’ll shape client narratives, develop talking points, and build relationships with reporters across sectors.

The role blends writing and strategic thinking, with opportunities to lead accounts and influence campaigns for food & beverage, real estate, nonprofits, and brands. Hybrid work in Greenbelt.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years in marketing, PR, or communications.
• Exceptional writing with the ability to shift tone.
• Strong sense for media landscape and story angles.
• Ability to connect day-to-day tactics to big strategy.
• Sharp organization and proactive time management.
• Familiarity with newsroom tools like Muckrack, Cision, Meltwater.

Responsibilities

• Draft, edit, and pitch press releases, op-eds, and advisories to national, regional, and trade outlets.
• Build storylines and talking points that highlight client impact and thought leadership.
• Monitor coverage to identify openings and responses.
• Develop relationships with journalists across sectors.
• Write across formats: blogs, newsletters, social copy, etc.
• Contribute to paid social and digital campaigns with compelling copy.
• Help craft reputational strategies and crisis communications when needed.
• Coordinate messaging with design, digital, and strategy teams.

Skills

Exceptional writing

Story pitching

Time management

Multiple projects

Journalist relationships

Tools

Muckrack

Cision

Meltwater

Job description

Greenbelt, MD (Hybrid) · Full-Time or Contractor

The short version

PR moves fast. The angle that's hot this morning is old by three. We need a writer who can find the story, pitch it before the window closes, and is hungry to run their own accounts down the line.

Who we are

Merrick Creative is a creative and communications agency in Greenbelt, MD. Our PR team shapes how clients are seen, heard, and talked about. We land the high-profile coverage, steer clients through the storms, and build campaigns that make their work impossible to ignore. Food and beverage, real estate, nonprofits. Brands and causes worth fighting for.

The role

You're a writer first and a strategist right behind it. You can take a tangled idea and turn it into a story a journalist actually wants to run. You know a good angle when you see one and you know who to send it to. This is a role with a runway. If you're aiming to grow into an account lead, we're building this so you can get there.

What you'll do

Draft, edit, and pitch press releases, op-eds, and advisories to national, regional, and trade outlets.

Build the storylines and talking points that put client impact and thought leadership front and center.

Watch the coverage and spot the openings, both the ones to chase and the ones to answer.

Grow real relationships with journalists across every sector we touch.

Write across the board. Blog posts, op-eds, newsletters, fact sheets, social copy.

Develop concepts, taglines, and ad copy for paid social, digital campaigns, and ads.

Cook up communications strategies that don't sound like everyone else's, tied to real client goals.

Back up reputation management, issues response, and crisis comms when the moment calls for it.

Work with account leads and creative teams to keep messaging tight across every platform and coordinate the workflow across design, digital, and strategy.

Build content calendars and cross-platform plans for the announcements and op-eds that matter.

What you bring

2 to 4 years in marketing, PR, or communications.

Exceptional writing, with the range to shift tone and voice for any audience or format. Samples required.

A real feel for the media landscape and an eye for the story angle others miss.

The instinct to connect the day-to-day tactics to the bigger strategy.

Sharp organization and time management. Detail-oriented, and proactive without being asked.

The ability to juggle multiple clients and projects without dropping the pace.

Familiarity with Muckrack, Cision, or Meltwater is a plus.

The fine print, sincerely meant

Merrick Creative is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We hire the best people, full stop, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Different backgrounds make sharper work. We want yours.