Your New Role...The Digital Content Strategist for CNN Underscored is responsible for creating high-impact, social-first content designed to drive reach and shares across TikTok and Instagram. This role will help us engage users actively seeking to make informed decisions on how they buy, use or own products. Content must translate complex reviews, testing insights and product tradeoffs into clear, useful and trustworthy social storytelling that helps our audience evaluate options and build confidence in decisions. This role focuses on constant ideation and pitching of new formats, angles, and concepts, then rapidly evolving those approaches based on audience insights and performance data. The strategist partners cross-functionally with social, editorial, video, and commerce teams to develop, package, and publish content that aligns with Underscored's brand voice and its service-driven, decision-support mission. Success in this role requires balancing creativity with clarity, crafting content that is engaging as well as useful and actionable.
Your Role Accountabilities...- Social Strategy & Execution: Drive TikTok and Instagram reach and engagement through content that simplifies decisions, highlights product tradeoffs and delivers clear, actionable value to a high-intent audience.
- Independently produce 4-5vertical video and graphics weekly, programming and posting in-feed across both platforms.
- Create daily content for our Instagram story series, translating social first and editorial pieces into high-performing posts.
- Maintain a forward-looking content calendar in partnership with the Social Lead.
- Continuously test and refine hooks, captions, thumbnails, and structure to improve performance.
- Creative Development & Pitching: Proactively pitch a steady stream of new content ideas, product angles, and franchise concepts that directly support Underscored's brand and KPI goals.
- Own and spot timely content opportunities, quickly turning them into relevant social content.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with editorial teams to turn articles and reviews into clear, social-first concepts that preserve the integrity of our testing, expertise and recommendations while making them engaging and immediately informative.
- Data & Reporting: Monitor shifts in design, audio, editing styles, creator strategies, and platform trends, then share clear insights and next steps with the team.
- Track and analyze monthly performance metrics, turning data into actionable recommendations that inform future content and strategy.
Your Qualifications & Experience...- Content Background: 3+ years of experience independently ideating, creating, publishing, and optimizing social-first content across Instagram, TikTok, or other digital platforms.
- Strategic Thinking & Pitching: Ability to connect creative concepts to KPI goals and articulate why an idea will perform, using data, insights, or past results.
- Audience Intent Awareness: Strong understanding of high-intent, utility-driven audiences and an ability to create content aimed at driving action and supporting decision-making rather than passive consumption.
- Proactive problem-solving: Instinct to explore solutions independently before seeking guidance. Approach challenges with a solutions-first mindset, thinking through questions and possible answers or paths toward resolution.
- Adaptability & Ownership: Self-starter attitude; able to anticipate needs, solve problems proactively, and pivot quickly when priorities shift.
- Independent Content Creation: Comfortable producing vertical video and social-first content independently, from ideation to scheduling. Confident adapting to platform best practices and shifts in strategy.
- Copywriting: Strong ability to craft platform-specific hooks, captions and framing that quickly communicate value, differentiate options and guide users toward clearer understanding.
- Trend Monitoring: Ability to identify early platform trends and translate them into actionable and relevant content ideas.
- Data Analysis: Comfort reviewing analytics, diagnosing performance, and turning data into clear recommendations.
- Proficient in Adobe Premiere, Canva, Microsoft Office and various social scheduling tools (Dash Social, Sprout Social).
How We Get Things Done...This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.
