Please email all editorial pitches to contribute@okayafrica.com, all job applications to jobs@okayafrica.com and all intern applications to interns@okayafrica.com. Please include the job you're applying for in the subject line. Click here for more information on what to pitch us.

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Summer Editorial Intern (United States Based)

About the Position

We’re looking for aspiring journalists based in the United States to join our editorial team.

Responsibilities:

Our intern program is an intensive immersion into the world of online publishing and cultural journalism and will benefit applicants planning a career in media. The pay is $15/hour and you must be an active college student eligible to receive academic credit.

• Assist in the creation and outward promotion of purpose-driven content while passionately upholding and growing the OKA brand.
• You will participate in everything from editorial planning and reporting to social media posting.
• Curating and maintaining editorial calendars.
• Proofread, audit, and fact-check
• Researching consumer interests and identifying trends via social media and other outlets.

Requirements:

• An interest in learning how audiences consume news, music, art, politics and culture across platforms, with a good eye for spotting trends on data.
• Experience with publishing, journalism, content marketing, or digital media
• Strong fact checking skills
• Strong grasp of grammar and AP Style
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• You must be based in the United States
• To be eligible for the program students MUST be able to commit to the full 8 weeks and MUST be a full-time student in either an undergraduate or graduate program.

To apply for OkayAfrica’s Editorial Internship position, please send links to three writing samples, a short cover letter explaining what you’d like to get from the internship and your Resume/CV to interns@okayafrica.com.

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TikTok On Camera Content Creator (Africa Based)

About the Position

OkayAfrica is seeking an Africa-based, on camera journalist to help launch OKA’s TikTok account. The ideal candidate is passionate about the brand, has a journalistic background, and on-camera experience (please be prepared to showcase a reel.) This is a part-time, freelance position.

The TikTok correspondent will be working closely with the acting Editor-in-Chief and Social Media Manager to launch a new content vertical for the brand. The ideal candidate will be expected to make content that ignites conversations among our highly engaged and vocal audience, plus increase our social footprint on TikTok and Instagram.

Responsibilities

• Be the face of OkayAfrica’s TikTok, recording 3-5 TikToks or Reels a week.
• The right candidate will be expected to be familiar with TikTok and its tools, know the platform, and help assist with the best posting practices.
• Ensure that all content is on-brand, relevant, timely, aligned with editorial/marketing strategy, consistent in terms of style, quality and tone of voice, optimized for search and user experience, executes the agreed-upon marketing strategy, and is up to the standard of the OkayMedia/OkayAfrica brand.
• Pitch stories around timely events and produce one or more in depth TikTok stories per week.
• The candidate would also be required to write scripts and be involved with all aspects of the TikTok creations.
• Must be able to conduct interviews with artists, influencers and relevant personnel to create original content.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS; journalism, photography, television, news, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Minimum of 2 years experience
• Proven experience as a digital video storyteller with strong camera and editing skills
• Experienced with Adobe Creative Suite: Premier, Photoshop, Canva
• Demo reel is required
• A consistent voice that is true to the brand, detailed and a stickler for grammar
• Ability to prioritize and address multiple projects with varying production timelines
• Experience in shooting footage using a cell phone
• Must be a highly-motivated self-starter, able to work well alone and be a team player
• Ability to mine and use social data to develop content quickly against social trends
• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Social Media Coordinator (Africa Based)

About the Position:

OkayAfrica is seeking a motivated Africa-based Social Media coordinator to help assist with audience development and engagement across OKA's digital platforms. The ideal candidate is passionate about our brand and has a vision for how to best promote our content in a crowded and competitive marketplace.

This is a part-time, freelance position, with the potential to become full-time work. OkayAfrica places enormous value on our social media channels. We are counting on this individual to ignite conversations among our highly engaged and vocal audience, plus increase our social footprint across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more.

Responsibilities:

● Help build social media content calendars across all platforms and social media channels.

● Schedule and post original stories as well as editorial stories on all of OKA’s social media platforms.

● Increase the visibility of OKA's feeds, content, and messaging through organized and intentional social media planning.

● Keeping up with breaking news from around the world.

● The ability to take trends and viral moments and package it for social media in a way that’s engaging and relevant to the audience.

● The ability to find new, innovative ways to package editorial content for a social media audience.

Skills and Experience:

● Degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Journalism or related field.

● A passionate interest in African affairs, hip-hop culture, entertainment, and African news.

● At least 1 to 3 years of professional experience with social media management, writing and editing.

● An understanding of how editorial content lives on socials and how it differs from the greater brand needs.

● Deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for social media trends and internet culture within the African diasporic space.

● Fluency in social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more is a must.

● Experience with Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Canva and other common tools of the trade.

Social Media Director for OkayAfrica and Okayplayer

Social Media Director Job Description

OkayAfrica & Okayplayer are seeking a motivated Social Media Director to lead audience development and engagement across OKP & OKA's digital platforms. The ideal candidate is passionate about our brand and has a vision for how to best promote our content in a crowded and competitive marketplace.

The Social Media Director is a full-time position, that will work with the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor on a daily basis to manage and establish traffic-generating partnerships. Okayplayer & OkayAfrica (OKP & OKA) places enormous value on our social media channels. We are counting on this individual to ignite conversations among our highly engaged and vocal audience, plus increase our social footprint across Twitter, Facebook (+Live), Instagram, YouTube and more.

Responsibilities:

● Develop and oversee social media content calendars across all platforms and social media channels.

● Lead platform partnerships, and work with our leadership team to develop, maintain, and hone style guide for all social media platforms.

● Increase the visibility of OKP & OKA's feeds, content, and messaging through organized and intentional social media planning.

● Execution of media plans.

● Tracks progress of each project against goals, objectives, approved budgets, approved timelines. Reports status and variances. Creates action plans to meet objectives, budget and schedule providing weekly wrap-ups and recaps as needed.

● Train and develop staff to manage and assist as needed while establishing a sustainable process and system.

● Develop strategies that drive traffic back to the OKP & OKA website.

● Keeping up with breaking news from around the world.

● Attend and live-capture events for dispersion on social media networks.

● Oversee the development of emerging social platforms (i.e. TikTok).

● Oversee direct reports/freelancers in content planning, content production, community management, copywriting, metrics reporting & optimizations, and boosting strategy.

● Develop and grow influencer engagement with our social media platforms.

Skills and Experience:

● Degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Journalism or related field.

● A passionate interest in African affairs, hip hop culture, entertainment and music.

● At least 4+ years of professional experience with social media management, writing and editing. A portfolio is a must.

● A deep understanding of how editorial content lives on socials and how it differs from the greater brand needs.

● Deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for social media trends and internet culture within the African diasporic space.

● Fluency in social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and more is a must.

● Some experience in running social media accounts for publications.

● Experience managing a team and handling budgets.

● Understand native social insight tools and Iconosquare.

● Familiarity with WordPress, Google Docs, and other content management systems is essential. Knowledge of RebelMouse is a plus.

● A proven track record of innovation on social media and a willingness to experiment and learn new platforms.

● Experience with Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and other common tools of the trade.

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Writing for OkayAfrica

Here are the general formats we'd like for stories:

Interviews

We want your interviews with the world's best and brightest. We want the as long as they're being asked real questions. No puff pieces please.

Service Journalism

"Listicles" and "how-tos" get a bad rap but if done well they're a joy to read and super informative as well. Take us on a food tour of Mozambique or give us a guide to Maghrebi techno. Whatever. Be informative. Be authoritative. Write it in a fun and accessible way.

Opinion Pieces/Personal Essays

Be edgy and be honest or you can be totally evasive, it doesn't matter. Either way you've got to have a unique voice and a fresh perspective. This is not a space for opinions you heard from a cable news pundit or on a daytime talk show. Extra points if the opinion is topical. Make it urgent.

Short Features

A good short feature should be about something our readers need to know about RIGHT NOW. Must have multiple points of view—real reporting.

Longer Features

These are stories that need space for in-depth reporting and multiple perspectives. A good pitch will include a vision for how you intend to report this story. Who do you have access to? Who don't you have access to? We work together to make these happen.

Video/Photo/Socials

We're open to all kinds of pitches on this front. Let us know what you're about and we'll discuss on this end the best way to move forward.

We pay.

Please send your pitches to contribute@okayafrica.com. Unfortunately, because of the high volume of inquiries we cannot respond to all emails but we do read them all.

Here are some helpful tips to crafting a good pitch.

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