Job Opening: Growth and Content Producer
Location: Remote but ability to work BST / EST / CEST timezones
Type: Freelance
Reports to: Founders
Day Rate: £160 – £190 depending on experience, possibility for commission
Time: Minimum 3 days a week
Deadline: 10 September 2025, Midnight BST
About Us
The Citizens is a not-for-profit journalism and campaigning organisation focused on technology and politics. We use journalism and storytelling to power campaigns and build community — confronting the unchecked power of Big Tech and the State.
We were founded by Carole Cadwalladr, the award-winning journalist and podcaster, known for her investigations into Cambridge Analytica and Brexit. Today she continues her work as an independent writer, with projects including her Substack newsletter How to Survive the Broligarchy. The Citizens collaborates with Carole on Substack Live alongside our wider journalism projects and campaigns.
The Role
We’re looking for a sharp, motivated, and creative Growth and Content Producer to help us build and grow our Substack community. This role blends audience growth, content production, live event curation, and community engagement.
You’ll be responsible for delivering one high-quality Substack Live event each week, sourcing and booking bold guests, and managing the upload of our weekly newsletter. A core part of the role will be driving new audiences from platforms like YouTube, Bluesky, X, Instagram, and TikTok to our Substack community — using smart content repurposing, social promotion, and growth hacks. You’ll also focus on deepening engagement within Substack and finding creative ways to convert free readers into paid supporters.
This is a hands-on role working directly with The Citizens’ Executive Director, Clara Maguire, in a fast-paced, ambitious environment. You’ll need to be proactive, comfortable with shifting priorities, and excited to experiment with new ways of building audience and impact.
What You’ll Do
Event Production & Guest Curation
- Deliver at least one high-quality Substack Live event each week.
- Research, pitch, and book bold, relevant guests – from thinkers, writers, and filmmakers to whistleblowers, campaigners, and cultural figures.
- Shape events so they feel smart, engaging, and conversational.
- Manage logistics and technical setup for Lives, including Q&A and chat.
Research & Editorial
- Prepare sharp, insightful research notes for guests and interviews.
- Speed-read books, screen films, and surface key themes and context.
- Draft briefing documents for live and recorded events.
Growth & Content
- Manage the upload and scheduling of the weekly newsletter.
- Repurpose content from Lives and interviews into engaging formats for YouTube, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and X.
- Actively design and test growth funnels to bring audiences from social platforms into our Substack community.
- Create original short-form content (posts, graphics, threads) to capture attention and drive sign-ups.
- Track and analyse performance to refine what works – from headlines to posting times.
- Experiment with creative growth hacks to convert free subscribers into paying members.
Community & Social
- Actively engage in Substack Notes and community threads.
- Moderate and encourage conversation during Lives.
- Post and cross-promote content across Bluesky, YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
- Build and nurture relationships with readers and subscribers.
Team Support
- Help keep diaries and schedules moving in a fast-paced environment.
- Jump in on operational or editorial tasks as needed – from last-minute guest changes to sourcing graphics.
What You Bring
- A strong interest in tech, politics, and democracy – or a willingness to quickly immerse yourself.
- Hands-on experience in content production, audience growth, or community management.
- Proactive and self-starting – you love experimenting and finding new ways to grow.
- Strong research and synthesis skills, able to translate complexity into clarity.
- Excellent organisational skills, with resilience when schedules shift.
- Familiarity with Substack and social platforms (YouTube, Instagram, X, Bluesky, TikTok).
- Basic skills in editing and repurposing digital content (video, audio, text).
What It’s Like to Work Here
We’re a small, ambitious team that cares deeply about our mission. Things move fast, diaries can be chaotic, but we create a big impact with limited resources. There’s real space here for your ideas and creativity.
To Apply
Send your CV, a short cover note (or video message), and one idea – whether it’s a guest to book, an event to run, or a growth hack to test – that could help expand our Substack community to info@the-citizens.com with the subject line Growth and Content Producer.
Closing Date: 10 September 2025, Midnight BST
Where Can We Be Found
Our Newsletters (via Substack & Ghost)
Our Main Website
Social Media
You can also check us out on Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Carole’s Substack