Base Pay: $60,000.00

Full-Time, in-newsroom – Lafayette, LA

Company Culture & Core Values:

• The Current, Lafayette’s nonprofit digital news outlet, is seeking an Audience Editor to lead audience growth and engagement efforts.
• We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled.

Requirements:

The Audience Editor sits at the intersection of editorial and distribution — a hands-on role for someone who understands how journalism reaches people and why it matters. You will own The Current’s day-to-day audience strategy across newsletters, social media, and analytics, while working closely with reporters and editors to ensure our journalism connects with the communities we serve.

• 2–4 years of experience in audience engagement, digital journalism or a related field
• Demonstrated fluency with social media platforms and newsletter tools
• Comfort with analytics platforms, particularly Google Analytics
• Strong writing and editing skills, with an eye for headlines and SEO
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced newsroom environment
• The ideal candidate is digitally and editorially fluent with strong instincts for audience engagement and passionate about local news

Training Provided:

• Job-specific

Responsibilities:

• SEO & Distribution – Optimize headlines and metadata for SEO across all published content; monitor engagement metrics and adjust distribution in coordination with the Managing Editor as needed
• Stay current on platform trends and experiment with emerging formats, including video, audio and AI-assisted distribution tools
• Newsletters – Edit, curate and send newsletters regularly
• Analyze newsletter performance and experiment with formats to drive growth and deepen audience connection
• A/B test headlines and newsletter formats to optimize engagement.
• Manage and grow The Current’s email subscriber list
• Drive content performance tracking using Google Analytics, HootSuite and related tools
• Share analytics insights regularly to inform editorial decisions across the newsroom
• Interpret reader behavior and gather continuous audience feedback to shape coverage and strategy
• Manage and post across The Current’s active social platforms on a daily basis
• Engage with readers on social media, responding to comments, messages and inquiries in a timely and professional manner
• Experiment with emerging platforms to build two-way community engagement on owned sites and third-party platforms
• Produce social media graphics and short-form video content optimized for social platforms
• Pitch story ideas to editorial team informed by platform trends and audience data
• Develop creative storytelling formats in collaboration with reporters and editors, including explainers, Q&As and visual formats.
• Develop calls-to-action to drive reader participation and interaction across platforms
• Assist with community engagement events, including live forums, listening sessions, and reader meetups
• Collaborate with the Deep South Today audience team on shared initiatives, cross-promotion and content distribution across the network