As many of you know, I’ve been running APW for almost seven years now (insert various shocked emojis here), and it’s been my full-time job for the past four years. In the beginning, the “company” (such that it was) was me, on my couch, doing every single job after work and on weekends (and after a year or so, not sleeping very much.) Sometime around year three, I started very slowly bringing on other people. Almost all of them started as unpaid interns, or just dedicated readers who offered to help out. Over the years I learned a lot (a lot) about being a boss and working with a staff—which is much harder than anyone warns you—and through gut instinct, dumb luck, and a slow honing of actual skills, was able to build a really kick-ass team.
The company has been growing like crazy in the past year, and today we’re hiring for a Content Manager position. It’s currently a 25–30 hour a week work from home position that we expect to go full time from June–September during my maternity leave. We’re looking for someone who’s passionate about growing their position as the company grows, and who would like to ultimately work full time for APW. In an ideal world, we’d hire someone in the Bay Area, so we strongly encourage local candidates to apply. However, we’re used to working with staffers remotely, so if you think you’re a good fit, APPLY. We’re looking to bring on someone ASAP, and as such will be looking at applications on a rolling basis.
Content Manager—A Practical Wedding
Under the direction of the Editor-in-Chief, the Content Manager is responsible for implementing APW’s content strategy, both short and long term. The Content Manager directly oversees our team of contributors while also acting as a primary content provider, helping us maintain our role as one of the top resources online for sane wedding planning. We’re looking for a team player who can wear many hats, and is eager to learn the ins and outs of how APW works and operates, from top to bottom. The ideal candidate for this position will have a strong grasp of content editing (copyediting skills not required; we’re looking for someone who can edit for substance) and social media strategy. We want someone who is genuinely invested in the brand, who wants to be part of the growth of the company. Responsibilities include:
Content Development: Works directly with APW’s Editor-in-Chief to create long term content strategy. The content manager is expected to proactively seek out new content and ensure the balance of our editorial calendar.
Content Implementation: The content manager is responsible for executing our editorial calendar. This includes prepping all posts, ensuring quality control, enforcing deadlines, managing payments, and writing 2–4 articles each week (things like sponsored posts, roundups and open threads. Personal writing is encouraged from staff members, but not required.) The content manager is responsible for optimizing all content for search engines, so knowledge of (or willingness to learn) SEO is desired.
Social Media: The content manager will be responsible for implementing growth strategies across all social media channels. Preference will be given to candidates who have a proven track record in managing social media.
Traffic Growth: The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in growing APW’s presence in the wedding space, and will work with the team to implement growth strategies.
Acting Managing Editor: The content manager should be able to take over in the event of any editor’s absence (more specifically, the selected candidate will take over for Meg on maternity leave, starting in June).
Site Moderator: The content manager maintains our community standards and moderates comments on all posts.
Skills Required: The person in this position must be efficient, well organized, have a strong interest in growing the APW brand. The ideal candidate will have a working knowledge of APW content, our brand, and the site’s voice. Must be a writer who can create compelling content quickly and efficiently. Must be able to manage a team of contributors, and enforce deadlines. Strong content editing skill a must (strong copyediting skills not required). The ideal candidate will be able to develop strategy for increasing traffic, while ensuring that all published content is up to quality standards. Must be able to work on deadline, should be comfortable wearing many hats in a small team environment, must be willing to work on all sorts of projects—from high level to low level—without complaint, and be willing to pinch hit for team members when necessary.
Additional preferred skills: Experience in online publishing strongly preferred. Knowledge of (or willingness to learn) basic Photoshop skills. Experience and interest in using SEO to grow traffic. Bay Area candidates strongly encouraged to apply, but will consider remote candidates if the fit is right.
Hours: Currently a 25–30 hour a week work from home position that we expect to go full time from June–September during my maternity leave.
Salary: Roughly $20+/hour; full-time salary range in the mid five figures.
How To Apply
Please submit all applications to team (at) apracticalwedding (dot) com. Please make the subject of your email “Content Manager” so that we can keep track of incoming applications. In your application, please include:
- Cover letter:
- Tell us your experience, what you’d bring to the role, your working style, and your relationship with the APW brand.
- Share three new ideas you’d bring to APW, included as bullet points in your cover letter. These could be content ideas or social media strategy or both.
- Two writing samples, in a writing style that would be published in APW. (At least one needs to be editorial writing. The other can be personal.) Your writing samples can be original content or previously published work.
- A Pinterest board of 25–35 pins showing the style of content that you feel reflects the intersection of your aesthetic with the APW aesthetic.
- Two or three references.
- Note: If your application is selected for an interview, you will be asked to edit a piece for us.
What Our Team Is Like
While we’re super excited about this new position, we’re also looking for someone who’s a great fit for our team. Here is how current and past staffers describe working for APW:
From Maddie, Digital Director at APW:
I started working at APW as a part-time editorial assistant. In my interview I told Meg that under no circumstances did I want to turn my position into a full-time job. I was done working for other people and was going to figure out how to be my own boss, come hell or high water. Except, then I actually started working for APW and it was unlike any other job I’d had. For the first time, “Hey, can I try this and see if it works?” was answered with “Sure, why not?” instead of “Um, we’re going to have to run that by corporate.”
Last week, when the Internet was exploding with debates about what color the dress was, Paul Ford wrote a really smart thinkpiece for Medium about creating online content. He said of the Buzzfeed’s success that the algorithm is more likely than not, “Hire tons of people; let them experiment, figure out how social media works, and repeat endlessly; with lots of snacks.” APW doesn’t have tons of employees (we’re actually a surprisingly small team at two full-time employees and a handful of part-timers) and working from home means you need to provide your own snacks, but otherwise this is essentially what it’s like working for APW. There’s a lot of hustle (it’s still work), but the hustle is driven by experimentation and a desire to figure out what’s next. If you’re hungry, enjoy problem solving, and just want to get your hands dirty doing something you care about, then APW is the perfect place for you.
From Rachel, former intern, current Senior Lifestyle Editor at Buzzfeed:
I love APW and I loved being an APW intern. I learned so much about writing, business, weddings, and the web in that year. The APW writing internship is really whatever you want it to be; I told Meg and Maddie during my interview that I wanted a lot out of it. When I started as an intern, I had honestly lost my writing groove on my personal blog. I wanted to branch out into new topics and writing styles but needed permission and encouragement, and that’s exactly what I got. Meg, Maddie, and the rest of the staff helped me improve my writing, and, maybe more important, they gave me the confidence I needed to take risks again. They showed up for me in a million little ways and the conversations I had with them made my writing and my overall approach to creative work so much stronger.
I am so proud of the portfolio pieces that I wrote for APW and to be a part of this team. It opened so many career and creative doors for me, both directly and indirectly. The year I was an APW intern is the year that I started calling myself a writer and really believing it.
To apply, please apply to team (at) apracticalwedding (dot) com. Make sure to include “Content Manager” in the subject of your email. We look forward to meeting you!
