BBC Studios is seeking a travel staff writer to join the features team on BBC.com. They will be responsible for writing travel articles that range from quick reactions to the news, to regular columns, and longer form destination guides. Candidates should have a strong background in digital lifestyle journalism, a solid understanding of SEO best practices, an insatiable appetite for the trending stories of the day and a knack for getting in (or starting) those conversations.
This person will help deliver on BBC Travel’s mission to help our readers fall in love with the world, by providing stories that inspire, inform and entertain. The ideal candidate for this role will have experience delivering work that is as engaging as it is editorially rigorous, and the ability to find and connect with sources around the world. Quick, clean copy is a must.
It is important to note that this role will not require constant globe-trotting, as you’ll mostly be reporting on the travel trends happening in real time around the world, alongside a team based in New York. Additionally, the BBC’s stringent editorial guidelines prevent anyone on this team from accepting press trips or other freebies to which some travel writers may be accustomed.
Key Responsibilities And Accountabilities:
- Daily pitching, reporting on and writing travel trend and human interest stories that go beyond reporting on the news and into analyzing, contextualizing and making conversation-fodder out of it.
- Contributing to and delivering on SEO strategy to fill an always-on editorial calendar with planned pieces that complement coverage of timely, trending topics.
- Potential occasional editing of colleagues’ work.
- Upholding BBC’s rigorous editorial standards and journalistic best practices.
- Collaborating across a multimedia team, including occasionally contributing text for videos, social media posts, or BBC News live blogs.
- Helping drive the growth and reputation of BBC.com with new audiences and demographics, with topical, sharable stories that inform and entertain.
- Reviewing and responding to analytics to understand story performance and pivot coverage accordingly.
- Maintaining a collaborative, team-player mentality, working toward collective goals alongside a very talented group of colleagues.
- Above all else be a creative, engaging writer, who’s crafty with a headline and always looking for their next great story.
Knowledge, Skills, Training & Experience:
- 8+ years professional writing experience, preferably in digital media
- You are a strong communicator and eager to collaborate across a global team of engaged journalists, editors, and video producers.
- You are an enthusiastic storyteller, tapped into the trends and triumphs in travel, with experience reporting in (or at least on) destinations all around the world.
- You have a passion for news and culture and like the challenge that comes with moving conversations forward.
- Open and receptive to feedback, eager to teach your colleagues as well as learn from them.
- Ability to write creatively in an engaging manner, with accuracy, clarity and style to produce impartial journalism that stands up to journalistic rigor.
- Multilingualism is a bonus.
- Keen editorial judgment in developing ideas for an international, primarily North America-based audience.
- Experience working within a Microsoft Office environment and using a CMS.
- Experience of using analytic tools and data to evaluate story performance.
Compensation: The anticipated annual base salary for this position is $80,000 to $90,000.
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