Media Buying and Monetization Specialist

Role Description

Are you a seasoned media buyer and growth marketer who knows how to build a massive audience, deepen engagement, and turn attention into revenue? Do you thrive on identifying scalable opportunities for list growth, retention, and monetization — and do you have the track record to prove it? Are you someone who can operate at a strategic level, challenge assumptions, influence decision-makers, and still roll up your sleeves and execute? If so, we want to talk to you.

This is not a role for someone looking to manage a team and delegate the hard work. There is no dedicated team waiting for you. You will be the engine.

• You’ll have resources at your disposal — creative support, tools, data, and access to internal stakeholders.
• You need to be the kind of person who can operate independently, move fast, and drive results without a fully-staffed team behind you.
• You’ll work directly with strong, opinionated leaders who value directness, push back when they disagree, and hold the bar high.
• This is an environment that rewards intellectual confidence.
• You’ll need to be comfortable advocating for your strategy, pushing back when something isn’t right, and managing up effectively.

What You’ll Do

You’ll lead the media buying strategy for Money & Megatrends, overseeing the full subscriber journey from acquisition to engagement to monetization. Your mandate: build a large, high-quality audience and maximize its long-term business value.

• Media Buying & Acquisition
  • Own and execute media buying across paid channels — native, display, social, and search.
  • Develop and manage acquisition funnels across paid, organic, affiliate, partnership, and internal channels.
  • Continuously test and iterate on creative, copy, targeting, and landing page variables to improve conversion rates and reduce CPA.
  • Identify and capitalize on new channel opportunities before they become obvious to the market.
• Strategy & Growth
  • Own key growth metrics: subscriber growth, opt-in conversion, engagement, revenue per subscriber, earnings per click, and downstream paid conversion.
  • Shape the growth strategy for Money & Megatrends and actively contribute to decisions around positioning, audience development, and monetization architecture.
  • Think beyond acquisition — connect list growth to engagement strategy, retention, upsell paths, and long-term franchise value.
  • Challenge assumptions, bring data-driven points of view, and push the strategy forward.
• Execution & Operations
  • Partner with creative teams on landing pages, email campaigns, lead magnets, onboarding sequences, and promotional assets.
  • Leverage AI tools, automation, and modern marketing systems to increase speed, reduce manual lift, and improve testing velocity.
  • Analyze performance data with rigor, identify what’s working and what’s not, and translate insights into clear next steps.
  • Be willing to get into the weeds — pull data, build reports, QA campaigns, and own the details while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

Qualifications

• Deep, hands-on experience in paid media buying across multiple channels.
• A strong track record in managing significant media budgets and optimizing toward subscriber acquisition or lead generation KPIs.
• Fluency in media buying platforms (Meta, Google, native networks, etc.) and a sharp eye for testing creative and offer combinations.
• Experience in direct response or performance marketing environments where ROI accountability is king.
• Proven experience building and scaling email lists through a mix of paid and organic acquisition strategies.
• A clear understanding of how to monetize audiences through conversion funnels, upsell paths, and retention strategy.
• Fluency in testing and performance optimization across landing pages, opt-in funnels, onboarding sequences, and email campaigns.
• Strong instincts around messaging, audience psychology, and what drives conversion at scale.

Requirements

• An analytical mindset: you live in the data and use it to drive decisions.
• Intellectual confidence: you push back, challenge assumptions, and advocate for your point of view.
• Entrepreneurial self-sufficiency: you don’t need a team to execute, and you’re comfortable being hands-on across multiple workstreams.
• Creative curiosity: you think outside the box, bring fresh ideas, and look for angles others miss.
• Excellent collaboration skills: you can work cross-functionally with editorial, copy, analytics, and acquisition teams.
• Comfort with high expectations: this is a high-performance environment with direct, candid feedback.
• A deep understanding of financial markets and investment publishing is a strong plus — but not required.

Benefits

• Real ownership and visibility in a high-impact growth role.
• A highly collaborative environment with elite talent across editorial, copy, and marketing.
• An entrepreneurial culture that values speed, initiative, creative thinking, and performance.
• Access to AI tools, modern marketing systems, and strong internal resources.
• Competitive salary range starting between $130,000 - $170,000, commensurate with experience, performance bonuses, and meaningful long-term career growth opportunities.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k match, and 12 paid company holidays.
• Remote flexible environment for candidates outside the Baltimore-DC area.