Audience Intern

Hearst • Houston, TX

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Houston Chronicle is seeking a curious and versatile student journalist for its summer 2027 Audience internship. Audience journalists help determine how journalism reaches readers and what encourages them to return. The intern will work with editors, reporters and audience strategists to shape coverage, craft headlines and social posts, engage readers across platforms, and use data to understand audience interests.

The role provides hands-on experience at the intersection of journalism, storytelling and digital strategy. Work may include packaging breaking news, promoting enterprise reporting, building newsletters, identifying search opportunities, analyzing reader behavior and developing ways to connect with audiences. The internship is 40 hours per week for 10 weeks, from early June through early August, at $15 per hour. Interns work Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend coverage based on news demands, and are assigned a newsroom mentor. The intern must secure housing in Houston and work in the Chronicle office at least three days per week.

Requirements

• Be a junior, senior or recent graduate.
• Have prior experience at a college news publication or professional news organization.
• Have a personal laptop and Wi-Fi or hotspot access.
• Obtain housing in Houston and work in the Chronicle office at least three days per week.
• Submit a portfolio of five audience-related clips, a resume and a one-page cover letter addressed to the recruiting committee.

Responsibilities

• Monitor real-time analytics and identify patterns in what readers are viewing, sharing and returning to.
• Help editors and reporters frame stories for clarity, relevance and impact.
• Write and refine headlines, social copy, push alerts and other promotional language, considering SEO and news value.
• Create social posts and contribute to strategies for platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit.
• Assist with newsletter planning, writing and audience-focused story selection.
• Help package stories for the homepage and other digital platforms.
• Research search trends, audience interests and emerging platforms.
• Pitch ideas for reaching new audiences and deepening connections with existing readers.
• Collaborate across the newsroom to translate Chronicle journalism into useful, compelling digital experiences.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed