About Stripe Publishing
Stripe’s Publishing team makes books and magazines about economic, social, and technological progress. Our two main brands are Stripe Press, which sold over 300,000 books last year, and Works in Progress, an online magazine. Later this year, Works in Progress will launch a full print magazine with paid subscriptions. Stripe Press will begin selling its entire catalogue of books directly on its website, allowing for more experimentation in pricing, bundling, and reader engagement. While many of the ideas we explore are somewhat timeless, we are very much a startup operation: growing rapidly, experimenting and iterating, and holding high aspirations for what we can build.
What you’ll do
Your primary goal will be to grow the reach of Works in Progress and Stripe Press: a new and highly entrepreneurial role, with no preexisting gameplan. This includes growing Works in Progress’s audience online, selling Stripe Press books and Works in Progress print subscriptions, and maximising the reach of other outputs like short films and podcasts. You’ll develop and execute a growth strategy across both brands, identifying the right mix of paid and organic tactics, strategic partnerships, and novel channels. Whether it’s getting mentions in top-tier newsletters, building a high-performing referral program, or running partnerships with conferences, you’ll be responsible for designing what works and delivering results—while upholding and strengthening Stripe Publishing’s distinctive taste
Responsibilities
- Run growth, partnerships, and marketing for Works in Progress and Stripe Press.
- Produce and implement a clear growth plan that covers who we want to reach, which channels we’ll use, how much we’ll spend, and how we’ll judge success.
- Experiment with different channels (events, newsletters, paid ads, podcast appearances, SEO and LLM search, etc.) and optimise spending over time based on whatever proves most effective.
- Develop and implement a social strategy designed to increase reach and audience share with thoughtful posts in line with our overall taste.
- Seek out and run partnerships—such as conferences, newsletters, or joint campaigns—that put our books and magazines in front of new readers.
- Run launches and special offers, including price tests, limited‑time deals, and cross‑promotions between the magazine and the books.
- Track results and share updates and lessons after each big push.
- Maintain basic marketing tooling (email platform, ad pixels, analytics tags) and keep data clean for reliable reporting.
- Set up renewal and retention efforts, like welcome emails, auto‑renew flows, merch and other perks, to keep subscribers and repeat book buyers.
- Create a simple referral program so happy readers can share and earn rewards, and track how it performs.
- Make sure our articles, book excerpts, and interviews rank well in search and keep drawing organic traffic.
- Prepare and manage the yearly marketing budget, adjusting month by month as results come in.
- Find, recruit and manage any external contractors or agencies required for all of the above.
Who you are
We need someone who has experience in growing the online audience of media brands that are similar to Works in Progress and Stripe Press, as well as selling things on the internet in creative ways. Experience in the book publishing industry is not essential. But we are open-minded about what the right skillset looks like: someone with experience in marketing and business development for a fast-growing consumer-focused startup may have the right skills and experience, if they know how to apply them here. You should know when to trust your gut and when to look at the data, and be able to lead this workstream by yourself.
We're looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. If you meet these requirements, you are encouraged to apply. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.
Minimum requirements
- 5+ years experience in a senior growth-focused role for a startup, ideally (but not necessarily) in media, with a strong track record.
