Co‑Founder / Content Lead

Remote | Ideally based in Shanghai or Hong Kong | Flexible, autonomous role

This is a remote role, though we’d ideally like someone based in Shanghai who understands the city, its neighbourhoods, dining scene, expat life, and local practicalities.

About the project
Shanghai Directory is a new, founder‑led lifestyle and expat platform for Shanghai. We’re building a go‑to online directory and content hub for things to do, places to eat and drink, neighborhoods, events, and practical guides for locals and visitors.

This is a 0→1 opportunity: you’ll help define the voice, editorial direction, and content engine that will drive traffic, brand, and future revenue.

The role
We’re looking for a Co‑Founder / Content Lead who will:
• Write at least 2 high‑quality, SEO‑aware articles per week (guides, features, lists, neighborhood spotlights, etc.).
• Own the content side of the website: strategy, calendar, topics, voice, quality, and performance.
• Brainstorm and form strategy with the founder on product, growth, monetization, and partnerships.
• Manage website information and operations related to content and listings (CMS updates, basic on‑page SEO, internal linking, metadata, etc.).

This is a player‑coach role: you will both set direction and do a lot of the writing and editing yourself, especially in the first 6–12 months.

What you’ll be responsible for:

Content creation
• Research, outline, write, and publish 2+ long‑form or high‑impact articles per week tailored to expats, travelers, and locals in Shanghai.
• Develop recurring content series (e.g., neighborhood guides, “best of” lists, new openings, hidden gems, practical how‑tos).
• Ensure all content is accurate, up‑to‑date, and aligned with our brand voice and audience.

Content strategy & ownership

• Define and evolve the content strategy: what we publish, in what order, and why.
• Build and maintain an editorial calendar that supports SEO, launches, and key seasonal moments.
• Identify high‑value topics and keywords for Shanghai lifestyle/expat searches and shape briefs around them.
• Track content performance (traffic, rankings, engagement) and iterate based on data.
Managing Editor duties (early stage)
• Create and maintain a style guide (tone, formatting, fact‑checking standards).
• Brief, edit, and QA work from freelance writers and contributors as we scale.
• Ensure consistency across articles, listings, and site copy.

Website info & operations
• Keep directory information accurate and fresh (venues, neighborhoods, tags, maps, etc.).
• Implement basic on‑page SEO: titles, meta descriptions, headers, internal links, image alt text.
• Coordinate with the founder on any technical changes that affect content (templates, categories, filters, etc.).

Strategy & partnership
• Act as a true thought partner to the founder: challenge assumptions, propose experiments, and help prioritize.
• Contribute to decisions on monetization (ads, partnerships, sponsored content, memberships, etc.).
• Represent Shanghai Directory externally when needed (with venues, partners, media, community).

What we’re looking for
Must‑have
• Proven experience writing lifestyle, travel, or city‑guide content (portfolio required).
• Strong understanding of SEO basics and how content drives organic traffic.
• Ability to own a content function: plan, execute, and iterate without constant direction.
• Excellent editing skills and an eye for detail; comfortable acting as a Managing Editor.
• Comfortable operating in an early‑stage, ambiguous environment and helping shape direction.
• Based in or deeply familiar with Shanghai (neighborhoods, food & drink scene, expat life).

Nice‑to‑have
• Experience launching or growing a content‑led website or media brand.
• Background in digital publishing, lifestyle media, or expat guides.
• Basic familiarity with CMS tools (WordPress, Webflow, etc.) and analytics (GA4, Search Console).
• Interest in community building and partnerships with venues/brands.

Benefits
• Co‑founder / partner status: meaningful equity and a real say in the direction of the business.
• Opportunity to build something from 0 and shape the (soon-to-be) leading English‑language Shanghai lifestyle platform.
• High creative freedom: direction is intentionally flexible at this stage; your ideas will define the product.
• Broad experience: you’ll touch content, SEO, product, operations, and strategy in a small team.

(Compensation: initial focus is on equity + upside)

Success metrics (first 6–12 months)
• Consistently publishing 2+ high‑quality articles per week.
• Growing organic traffic and search visibility for target Shanghai lifestyle queries.
• Building a repeatable content workflow and a small bench of reliable contributors.
• Helping define and test at least 1–2 monetization experiments (e.g., sponsored content, partnerships).

How to apply:

Send the following to apply:

1 A short note on why this role and project excite you.
2 Your CV or LinkedIn.
3 1–3 writing samples (ideally Shanghai/China/lifestyle/expat related).
4 (Optional) Any links to sites or projects you’ve helped build or grow.

Cheers!