Description
Join an award-winning communications agency recognized for nearly three decades of innovation, client success and industry-leading storytelling. MediaSource is looking for a fractional SDR to identify the right prospective clients and start the conversations that build our new business pipeline.
This role starts with research, not the inbox: using our ideal client profile (ICP) as your compass, you'll find the right prospective clients — public relations directors, communications leaders, marketing officers — through your own research across industry sources, LinkedIn, and other tools. Once you've identified a good-fit prospect, you'll enter and organize them in our CRM, then lead a targeted, email-first outreach effort to open the door. This is not a cold-calling role. Our sales cycle is long so we need someone who thinks in nurture sequences, not quick closes, and who's comfortable playing the long game with thoughtful, well-timed touches rather than volume dialing.
You'll own prospecting and outbound execution end to end: researching and sourcing target accounts, building them out in the CRM, writing and refining email sequences, managing follow-up cadences, and handing off warm conversations to our leadership team for discovery calls.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
• Identify the right customer. Research and source prospective clients against our ideal client profile (ICP) —public relations directors, communications leaders, marketing officers — using outside research and tools, then enter and prioritize them in the CRM
Build and maintain target contacts, account lists and deals in the CRM, keeping records accurate, deduplicated, and organized by segment and priority
• Lead initial outreach via email — write, test, and iterate multi-touch sequences with real copy that reflects our voice and positioning, not scripts off a dialer
• Manage a CRM-based cadence across a long sales cycle, tracking opens, replies, and where each prospect sits in the funnel
• Personalize outreach using timely hooks (news, funding rounds, leadership changes, industry moments) rather than generic templates
• Qualify inbound replies and schedule discovery calls for the agency's principals
• Own ongoing CRM hygiene — accurate, deduplicated, up-to-date records as prospects move through the pipeline
• Report weekly on pipeline metrics: sends, opens, replies, meetings booked, and conversion by stage including attending (virtually or in person) a weekly sales meeting
• Continuously refine targeting criteria, subject lines, sequencing, and messaging based on performance data
ENGAGEMENT DETAILS
Structure: Fractional / contract (1099) — not a full-time role
Initial Contract: August – December, 2026
Time Commitment: 8–12 hours per week, flexible schedule
Compensation: Monthly retainer of $1,500 - $2,000 per month, calculated based on hours worked, plus performance bonuses for every new signed retainer client or project you source.
Location: Remote/Central Ohio: The agency is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio; preference given to local candidates open to occasional in-person meetings and touchpoints.
Reporting To: Agency Principal / Head of Business Development
Tools Provided: CRM access, email sending domain/infrastructure, ideal client profile (ICP) and starter research resources
Requirements
CRM expertise — top priority. Demonstrated hands-on skill running a CRM (e.g., HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce or similar) as the system of record for prospecting: entering and organizing new prospects, managing pipeline stages, and keeping data clean as records move through the funnel. This is the most important qualification for this role
• 2+ years of SDR, business development, or growth marketing experience in a professional services or agency environment
• Proven track record researching and identifying right-fit prospects and running email outbound campaigns — not cold-call metrics
• Strong, clean writing; you can sound like a person, not a template
• Comfort with a long, relationship-driven sales cycle and the patience to nurture prospects over months, not days
• Self-directed — you'll be managing your own targeting, pipeline, and cadence with light oversight
• Bonus: experience selling public relations, marketing, or communications services, or an understanding of how communications agencies pitch new business
Skills Required
- Hands-on CRM expertise (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce or similar) for prospecting, pipeline management, and data hygiene
- 2+ years of SDR, business development, or growth marketing experience in a professional services or agency environment
- Proven track record researching and identifying right-fit prospects and running email outbound campaigns (email-first outreach)
- Strong, clear writing and ability to craft personalized, human email copy
- Comfort managing and nurturing long, relationship-driven sales cycles over months
- Self-directed with ability to manage targeting, pipeline, and cadence with light oversight
- Ability to commit ~8-12 hours per week (fractional/contract, 1099)
- Experience selling public relations, marketing, or communications services, or understanding of agency new-business processes
What We Do
An unparalleled platform providing independent reading and information services to K-12 professionals and library leaders in the US.
