Social Media Manager & Content Strategist for Music/Lifestyle Podcast

Social Media Manager & Content Strategist Brand: Grooves & Embers Platforms: Instagram, TikTok & Facebook Engagement: Freelance / Contract — Initial 90-Day Engagement About Grooves & Embers Grooves & Embers is a lifestyle and culture podcast built around music, meaningful conversation, storytelling, and the atmosphere surrounding cigar culture. Our tagline is: “Good music. Great conversation. One smooth burn.” We have established branding, long-form podcast episodes, short-form video clips, photography, and active social media accounts. We are looking for an experienced Social Media Manager & Content Strategist to help organize our social presence, develop a consistent content strategy, increase engagement, and build a sustainable posting system across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. What We Need We are not simply looking for someone to post content. We want someone who can evaluate what we currently have, organize it, develop a strategy, and manage a consistent social media presence that builds the Grooves & Embers brand and audience. 1. Social Media Audit & Account Optimization Review our existing Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts and recommend improvements, including: * Bios and profile descriptions * Profile and cover images * Links and calls-to-action * Instagram Highlights * Pinned posts * Reel/video cover consistency * Overall feed presentation * Brand consistency across platforms * Opportunities to improve discoverability We want someone who can tell us what should be kept, changed, reorganized, archived, or improved. 2. Social Media Strategy Develop a clear strategy for how Grooves & Embers should use each platform. The strategy should define: * Target audience * Content pillars * Recommended posting frequency * Platform-specific strategy * Short-form video strategy * Engagement strategy * Hashtag/keyword strategy * Calls-to-action * Audience growth opportunities Potential content pillars include: * Podcast episode promotion * Guest highlights * Short-form podcast clips * Music discussions * Vinyl/music culture * Cigar and lifestyle content * Behind-the-scenes content * Host personality/perspective * Quotes and conversation starters * Community engagement We are open to additional recommendations based on your experience. 3. Monthly Content Calendar Create and maintain a rolling 30-day social media content calendar. The calendar should identify: * Date * Platform * Content type * Topic * Video/photo/creative asset * Caption * CTA * Hashtags/keywords where appropriate * Posting time * Status * Associated podcast episode or campaign The goal is for us to know exactly what is being published, where it is being published, and why. 4. Publishing & Content Management We prefer someone who can manage the publishing process rather than simply provide recommendations. Responsibilities may include: * Scheduling/publishing approved content * Writing or refining captions * Selecting the strongest available podcast clips * Creating platform-appropriate hooks * Organizing existing content assets * Repurposing content across platforms * Recommending additional content we should capture * Coordinating content around new episode releases Basic graphic design and short-form video editing skills are a plus. 5. Community Engagement Help us build an engaged community by: * Monitoring comments * Recommending/responding to appropriate engagement * Identifying conversation opportunities * Encouraging shares, saves, comments and follows * Identifying relevant creators, brands, guests, music communities and cigar/lifestyle communities for potential engagement 6. Analytics & Optimization Provide a simple monthly performance report covering: * Follower growth * Reach * Impressions * Video views * Watch time/retention when available * Engagement * Shares * Saves * Comments * Top-performing content * Underperforming content * Recommendations for the following month We expect the content strategy to evolve based on actual performance. Ideal Candidate We are especially interested in someone who: * Has managed social media for podcasts, creators, media brands, or lifestyle brands * Understands Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Facebook * Understands short-form video storytelling * Can identify compelling moments from long-form conversations * Understands hooks and audience retention * Has strong copywriting skills * Understands branding and visual consistency * Can create and manage a content calendar * Is organized and dependable * Understands analytics and can explain what is working and why * Can work independently and bring recommendations rather than waiting for instructions Experience with music, culture, podcasts, men’s lifestyle, premium lifestyle brands, or cigar culture is a plus. Initial 90-Day Objectives First 30 Days * Complete social media audit * Optimize profiles * Organize existing content * Establish content pillars * Develop platform strategy * Build first 30-day content calendar * Begin consistent publishing Days 31–60 * Analyze initial performance * Test different hooks, formats, posting times, and content categories * Increase consistency and engagement * Refine platform-specific strategy * Identify highest-performing content pillars Days 61–90 * Optimize based on performance data * Establish repeatable monthly content workflow * Recommend next-stage growth strategy * Present 90-day performance summary and recommendations How to Apply Please provide: 1. A brief introduction and description of your social media experience. 2. Examples of Instagram/TikTok/Facebook accounts you have personally managed. 3. Examples of short-form content you helped develop. 4. Experience working with podcasts, creators, or lifestyle brands. 5. How you would approach the first 30 days with Grooves & Embers. 6. The tools you use for content calendars, scheduling, analytics, and project management. 7. Your monthly fee or proposed 90-day project fee. 8. Approximately how many hours per week you would dedicate to the account. Please do not send only a generic portfolio. Include a brief explanation of one thing you would evaluate first when taking over an existing social media presence and why. Success Looks Like At the end of 90 days, we want Grooves & Embers to have: * A polished and consistent presence across all three platforms * A clearly defined social media strategy * A repeatable monthly content calendar * Consistent publishing * Better organization of our content library * Measurable audience and engagement growth * Clear insight into what content our audience responds to * A scalable process that can support the continued growth of the Grooves & Embers brand