Substack is building a new economic engine for culture, giving the brightest, most interesting, and most creative people on the internet the power of their own publishing platform. Substack empowers independent writers, artists, videographers, podcasters, and creators of all types to create, share, and make a living off their work through subscriptions, while offering them creative freedom, ownership, and a direct connection to their audiences.
We’re looking for a Head of Social to own how Substack shows up on external social channels, and turn social into a driver of consumer discovery, creator growth, and cultural credibility. This is a leadership role on the Brand & Communications team. You will set the vision, hire and develop a small team across social strategy, creative, and community, and stay close enough to the work to shape what ships each day.
The ideal candidate is a creative thinker with deep fluency across social platforms. This person will define Substack's social vision and platform-by-platform strategy, tied to company goals for creator growth, reader acquisition, and brand perception. They will partner with the editorial, partnerships, and product teams to determine which channels make sense for amplifying which moments, in service of promoting creator stories and positioning Substack as the home for great culture.
This role will sit on the Brand & Communications team and will report directly to the Head of Brand & Communications.
Core responsibilities
Lead the team and the work. Hire, manage, and develop a multidisciplinary social team, and set a high bar for craft and judgment.
Manage proactive storytelling. Turn the brand’s positioning into a consistent point of view across daily posts. Build and execute larger social moments as part of major brand campaigns.
Build a rapid response strategy. Build systems and a perspective on rapid response, so the team can effectively move fast and weigh in on stories relevant to the brand.
Turn creators into heroes. Partner with the Partnerships & Editorial teams to spotlight the writers, podcasters, and video creators who make Substack distinctive.
Product storytelling: Work with product and growth to turn launches and features into stories that travel on relevant social platforms.
Measure what matters. Define the metrics that connect social to business outcomes, and report on them to leadership. Use data, testing, and audience insight to decide what to make more of, and what to stop.
About You
8+ years in social media. Including 3+ years leading teams, ideally at a media, publishing, creator-economy, or consumer technology company.
Exceptional Audience Building. A track record of building a recognizable voice and growing an audience on social platforms.
Strong editorial instincts. Know what makes a post worth sharing, and you can say why a draft isn't there yet. Move quickly, while holding a high bar for excellence.
Fluency in Platforms. Deeply familiar with how platforms work today, from short-form video to text-first feeds, and have the judgment to know which stories can cut through.
A data-literate approach: Set clear goals, test, and report honestly on what worked. Leverage data to inform strategy, and adjust when things aren’t working.
Exceptional Writer and Communicator. Sharp, clear communicator with a strong sense of the voice and tone for the brand.
Substack Literate. A genuine interest in independent media and the culture around it. Being a Substack creator is a plus.
Substack offers a competitive compensation package that includes salary, equity, and exceptional benefits. The salary range for this role is $180k-$240k with final offers based on experience and expertise.
Substack is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status), age, national origin, veteran or disability status. We’re seeking people passionate about enabling independent expression and building a better business model for creators. If you want to see what media, communities, and content can become when unmoored from advertising models, and you have the skills and experience to contribute, we’d love to meet you.
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Skills Required
- 8+ years of experience in social media
- 3+ years of experience leading teams
- Experience at a media, publishing, creator-economy, or consumer technology company
- Track record of building a recognizable voice and growing an audience on social platforms
- Strong editorial instincts and ability to evaluate shareable content
- Deep fluency across current social platforms, including short-form video and text-first feeds
- Data-literate approach, including goal setting, testing, performance reporting, and audience insight
- Exceptional writing and communication skills
- Genuine interest in independent media and creator culture
- Being a Substack creator
What We Do
Substack lets writers connect with their audience on their own terms and earn money doing it. We make it simple for writers to publish to an email list that they own, get discovered on the web, and charge for subscriptions. More than 500,000 people pay to subscribe to writers across the Substack network, and the top writers make millions of dollars a year. Substack’s model depends on the success of writers using Substack – we only make money when they do. “Substack makes it dead simple to start a newsletter and get paid for it.” – Judd Legum, author of Popular Information "Substack gives me a way to connect with my audience on my own terms.” – Lyz Lenz, author of God Land and Men Yell At Me Make something that matters Great writing is valuable. It respects readers' time, their intelligence, and their trust. It helps us make sense of and change the culture we live in. At Substack, we're building a business model that enables great writing to thrive. Learn more about our opportunity and mission. We are a small but growing team, and there is more to build than we could ever imagine. That’s why we need you. We aim to take pragmatic approaches to problem solving while shipping high-quality products that allow the writing on Substack to take the spotlight. Every person at the company participates in customer support. We do this to build empathy with our users and enable us to build better products. We believe that a diverse team will help us build a product that best serves the needs of a wildly diverse ecosystem of writers. So whatever your background or perspective, we’d welcome your input to help build the best possible version of Substack.
