About the role
About Us
Haystack News is the leading news streaming platform, connecting 40+ million viewers to local, national, and world news. We’re redefining how people consume news—personalized, free, and on-demand—across mobile, web, and connected TVs. We partner with hundreds of broadcasters and are expanding into premium experiences that combine innovation, trust, and convenience.
We’re looking for a Head of Marketing to lead Haystack’s next phase of growth—building awareness, deepening engagement, growing our new subscription business, and shaping our story across platforms.
About the Role
This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role for a creative and analytical marketer who thrives in startup environments. You’ll define and drive Haystack’s marketing strategy across performance, brand, lifecycle, partnerships, and PR. You’ll lead a small but mighty team to develop campaigns that attract new audiences, scale our Premium subscription business, and strengthen loyalty among millions of viewers.
This is a player-coach, hands-on role. You’ll own everything from paid acquisition and lifecycle marketing to messaging, creative, and comms. You’ll shape our story, measure what matters, and move fast.
Key Responsibilities
- Marketing Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute a holistic data-driven marketing strategy that integrates awareness, performance, and retention channels across mobile, CTV, and web.
- Brand & Consumer Marketing: Build and evolve Haystack’s brand identity as the most trusted and personalized way to watch the news. Oversee storytelling across all touchpoints, from social to product messaging.
- Performance & Growth Marketing: Lead campaigns to drive installs, engagement, and subscriptions on web and mobile using paid, organic, and partnership channels.
- Affiliate & Influencer Programs: Launch and scale a creator-driven affiliate program that engages journalists, podcasters, and news influencers.
- Public Relations & Thought Leadership: Shape Haystack’s industry voice through earned media, events, and thought leadership around FAST, local news innovation, and AI personalization.
- Data & Insights: Partner with analytics and product teams to define marketing KPIs, optimize creative performance, and measure LTV across campaigns.
- Team Development: Build and mentor a small, nimble marketing team capable of executing across creative, performance, and comms.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of marketing experience, including leadership in consumer growth, performance, or brand marketing (preferably in streaming, media, or DTC).
- Proven experience building campaigns from 0→1 reaching millions of users with limited resources and high creativity.
- Strong analytical skills with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding CAC and RoAS targets.
- Strong understanding of both brand storytelling and data-driven marketing.
- Experience with mobile attribution tools (MMPs) and analytics platforms.
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with experience pitching and managing press or agencies.
- Startup or small-team background highly preferred; thrives in hands-on environments.
Why Join Haystack
- Lead marketing at a top-ranked streaming app transforming how people consume news and information.
- Build and scale the team and playbook from the ground up.
- Work with an experienced leadership team that values experimentation, autonomy, and creativity.
- Be part of a mission-driven company championing trusted journalism and smarter news consumption.
Who Should NOT Apply
- Big-Company Marketers: If you need large teams, big budgets, agencies on speed dial, or six-month approval cycles to get anything done.
- Brand-Only Storytellers: If you focus solely on storytelling without grounding your strategy in metrics, payback periods, and performance insights.
- Hands-Off: If your default mode is delegation over doing, and you’re not excited to roll up your sleeves.