About the position
An opportunity to join an exciting, well-funded and fast-growing creator economy business. Electrify is a dynamic new digital media company that invests in and scales creators with an established YouTube presence. We have invested in various leading channels and [Channel name] is one of the leading channels in our portfolio. fern is a fast-growing, cutting-edge digital outlet for political and social topics with nearly 5 million subscribers. Our work has received national and international recognition, including the Shorty award for Best Documentary, DAfFNE award, the NYT TV & Film award, and nominations for the prestigious Rudolf Diesel medal and the German Environmental Media Award. We focus on investigative research, video essays, and documentaries for a curious, engaged audience that always seeks deeper answers. Now, we are expanding our vision: fern is launching a dedicated email newsletter to bring our signature journalistic quality directly into our audience’s inboxes — with exclusive reporting, behind-the-scenes context, and fresh insights into the stories behind our videos. Come and build the future of media with us! About the role The Newsletter Writer is responsible for researching, writing, and shaping a regular email newsletter for fern that gives subscribers something they can’t get on YouTube: exclusive reporting, behind-the-scenes context from our investigations and productions, and fresh insights into the process and thinking behind fern’s videos. Working closely with editorial and production teams, you will translate diverse complex topics into clear, engaging written stories designed for email — building a distinctive voice that deepens our relationship with the fern audience between video releases. This is a light-touch role for now (a few days per month), focused on producing sharp, well-researched newsletters that build a high-trust community around fern’s original journalism.
Responsibilities
- Research, write and edit a regular email newsletter aligned to fern’s editorial focus.
- Produce exclusive reporting and behind-the-scenes pieces that complement — rather than repeat — fern’s YouTube output.
- Develop fresh angles and insights on the videos fern publishes, surfacing details, sources, and context that didn’t make the final cut.
- Craft strong, scroll-stopping subject lines, opening hooks and tightly structured stories optimised for open rates, read-through and engagement.
- Translate complex topics spanning true crime, geopolitics, history, science, technology, and society into accessible, compelling written storytelling.
- Work from briefs, internal research, and existing long-form content to create original newsletter editions and adaptations where relevant.
- Collaborate with Editors, Researchers and Producers to ensure newsletter stories reflect fern’s journalistic standards and visual storytelling.
- Iterate on editions based on feedback and performance insights (open rate, click-through, subscriber growth).
- Stay up to date with newsletter trends, formats, and email best practices.
- Contribute to occasional branded content ideation where required.
Requirements
- English language proficiency (essential).
- Background in journalism, documentary, or factual storytelling.
- Proven experience writing high-performing written content — ideally newsletters, longform digital journalism, or features.
- Strong understanding of subject-line writing, pacing, and reader-retention strategies for email.
- Ability to simplify complex topics without losing accuracy or nuance.
- A genuine interest in true crime and geopolitics, alongside curiosity across history, science, technology, and society.
- Strong research skills and attention to factual accuracy, including sourcing, fact-checking, and handling sensitive subject matter responsibly.
- Ability to work efficiently and deliver high-quality output within a limited time allocation.
- Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with remote teams.
- Experience writing for or producing investigative, educational, or documentary-style content.
Nice-to-haves
- A passion for fern’s content and mission, and familiarity with fern or similar documentary-led channels (desirable).
Benefits
- Work from anywhere
- Flexible hours
- Employee referral program
- The opportunity to work in a fast-paced, vibrant, dynamic, and innovative environment where you can learn and grow quickly
- A supportive, inclusive and collaborative team
