We’re expanding how we tell stories across The Lead Local titles, and we need some talented people to join us.

Our award-winning local journalism at The Lead has been turning heads and gaining thousands of subscribers – as we drop into inboxes every Wednesday and Sunday.

We’re expanding our team to help build on the work undertaken since 2024 as we’ve launched local newsletters and publications across the North of England and ensure our journalism is making an even bigger impact and being more widely read than ever before.

This isn’t about writing more stories, we already dig deep and tell stories the communities and towns we serve need telling – it’s about ensuring these stories are getting their fair space in the timelines of how people now consume their news.

The Role:

The Lead is looking for a creative and proactive Story Distribution Editor to help get our original local journalism in front of more people.

This role is all about finding new ways to share our stories, reaching the communities they matter to and making sure our journalism has an impact beyond our own website and channels.

You’ll take our written journalism and find opportunities to share it across social media, online communities and other media outlets.

We’re looking for someone who understands how different online communities work, knows what makes people stop scrolling and is excited about helping independent local journalism reach a wider audience.

This is a hybrid role, combining home working with time at Society1 co-working hub in Preston alongside other members of The Lead Local team.

Key Info:

Salary: £28,000-£33,600 per annum dependant on experience

Location: Hybrid: Home-based (North West of England) and co-working in Society1 in Preston

Contract: This is a fixed-term role until end of March 2027, this is a full-time role of 37.5 hours per week although there is flexibility around working hours

Key Responsibilities

Story distribution and audience engagement

• Find creative ways to share The Lead’s journalism across a wide range of online platforms and communities.
• Work to promote stories through our owned and operated channels, including The Lead’s social media channels, as well as third-party platforms such as Reddit.
• Identify relevant online communities and conversations where our journalism could add value, and build relationships with those audiences.
• Adapt how stories are presented to suit different platforms and audiences, while maintaining the accuracy and integrity of our journalism.
• Monitor how content performs and use audience engagement and other insights to identify what works well and work with The Lead Local’s team to understand how correspondents can input into our distribution strategy

Media outreach and partnerships

• Identify opportunities for The Lead’s stories to be picked up, shared or featured by other media outlets, organisations and relevant online platforms.
• Build relationships with journalists, publishers, community groups and other organisations that could help amplify our work.
• Proactively pitch relevant stories to external outlets and look for opportunities to extend their reach and impact.

Learning and development

• Track the reach and engagement of distributed stories and use these insights to improve future activity.
• Share ideas and learning with the wider team to help strengthen The Lead’s distribution strategy.
• Experiment with new approaches to reach different communities and audiences.

About You

You’ll ideally have:

• Experience creating, distributing or promoting content across social media and other online platforms.
• A good understanding of how online communities work and how to engage with them in an authentic and thoughtful way.
• The ability to spot opportunities to get stories in front of new audiences.
• Experience creating visual content for social media, or the confidence and willingness to develop these skills.
• Strong written communication skills and an eye for what makes a story engaging.
• A proactive approach, with the confidence to try new ideas and learn from what works and what doesn’t.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload.
• An interest in local journalism, community issues and the role independent media plays in society.

What You’ll Bring

You’ll be someone who thinks beyond simply posting a link and waiting for people to read it. You’ll understand that different audiences discover and engage with stories in different ways, and you’ll enjoy finding the right approach for each platform and community.

You’ll be comfortable working independently, bringing ideas to the table and working collaboratively with the editorial team to make sure The Lead’s journalism reaches as many relevant people as possible.

How To Apply

Send a copy of your CV and a covering letter of no more than 250 words to ed@thelead.uk by 5pm on Tue 27 October. We hope to shortlist and interview in late October/early November.

Please mention Journo Resources when you apply, it really helps us out.