About the Position
We are looking for one or two digital marketing intern(s), dependent on applicant qualifications, for an opportunity to assist with our content marketing through digital/social media engagement and search engine optimization (SEO) during the Spring 2023 semester or Summer 2023. The interns(s) in this paid position will support a business objective of increasing reach and engagement among young people in our 12-county coverage area. This is a unique opportunity to combine interests in marketing and journalism.
The internship is 10-15 hours a week during normal work hours (9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) in the Spring 2023 semester or summer 2023. Depending on the intern(s)’ needs and goals, these tasks described below could be performed by the same intern, or by different interns.
What You’ll Do During the Internship
Specifically, you’ll work under the direction of the Digital Marketing Specialist and other Courier staff to help us expand our audience reach and engagement through social media marketing/web content strategy efforts. This could look like:
- Assist with running reader engagement and user-generated content campaigns.
- Produce marketing content for social media and/or web that serves as a supplement to support and drive interest in our regular news and feature coverage.
- Write simple news-style stories to appear on the website/email marketing/print.
- Assist in developing a measurement strategy for evaluating these efforts.
We’re also looking for an intern who wants to dive into the world of search engine marketing to assist us with such SEO-related tasks as:
- Analyzing industry search trends, including keyword and audience trends research
- Writing and entering effective metadata (descriptions, focus keyphrases, and more) for website news content to help attract readers
- Assisting with regular updating of website calendars
- Requesting backlinks and similar related SEO tasks
What You’ll Gain from the Internship
- Hands-on experience and an opportunity to influence our digital marketing efforts.
- Exposure to the world of content marketing and SEO in the context of supporting local journalism.
- Possibility of bylined, published articles on news site(s), dependent on interest and abilities.
- Experience working with industry-standard SEO tools such as Moz Pro and Yoast.
- Experience reporting marketing success metrics and explaining how your efforts impact organizational strategy.
What You Should Bring to the Table
- Currently pursuing a bachelor’s in Communication, Journalism, Marketing, Business, or a related field from an accredited four-year college or university.
- Strong writing skills with an ability to create concise, professional content.
- Understanding of how to tailor communication for various objectives and audiences.
- Ability to take direction, work autonomously and use critical thinking.
- Creativity, resourcefulness, detail-orientation, organization.
- Prior exposure to basic search engine optimization/search engine marketing principles.
- Familiarity with religious terminology, especially of the Catholic Church.
Nice to Have
- Short-form video creation skills
- Ability to speak, read, and write Spanish
- Knowledge of AP Style and willingness to quickly learn Catholic News Style
- Some experience using such digital marketing tools as Google Ads, Moz Pro, and WordPress
To Apply
Submit a résumé and cover letter indicating your current experience and qualifications to Heidi Huntington, Courier digital marketing specialist, at Heidi.Huntington@catholiccourier.com. You may also contact Heidi with questions about the internship or your qualifications.
About Us
The Catholic Courier and El Mensajero Católico provide award-winning journalistic coverage of the people, ministries, issues, and life of the Diocese of Rochester and of the local Hispanic community, respectively. Founded in 1889 the Catholic Courier’s print edition reaches over 92,000 Catholic families — more than 171,000 readers — in a 12-county area of New York state plus 40,000+ monthly visitors to CatholicCourier.com and ElMensajeroRochester.com. At a time when news outlets are increasingly centralized, the Catholic Courier and El Mensajero provide the kind of community-level news coverage that is hard to find elsewhere but is so vital for strengthening communities.
