Role Overview
Time Out Hong Kong is looking for a Social Media Lead to make our channels a daily destination for discovering the city. You’ll own the local social strategy, publishing calendar and audience growth, with Instagram as the priority. You’ll work with Editorial, Creative, Video and Commercial to turn local stories into original social content and build sponsored campaigns that audiences want to watch.
This is a hands-on lead role. You’ll set priorities, brief contributors and sign off on work, while regularly getting out into the city to report, shoot and edit your own content.
Key Responsibilities
1. Social Strategy & Publishing
· Channel Strategy: Set the local growth plan and targets with regional content leadership across all current channels including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube plus test and experiment with new platforms where relevant.
· Publishing Calendar: Own the mix of original social, editorial distribution and sponsored posts. Set a sustainable cadence, space sponsored content and make timely decisions about what goes live, when and where. Plan cover for leave and major events.
2. Social Storytelling & Production
· End-to-End Production: Pitch, report, script, shoot, edit and publish mobile-first content, including Reels, carousels, Stories and feed posts. Write sharp hooks, captions and on-screen copy, and brief creative, video and freelance contributors when a story calls for a larger production.
· Editorial Quality: Sign off on facts, tone, captions and subtitles, rights, accessibility and sponsor disclosure. Work with the local editorial team on stories that benefit from both social and website coverage.
· Local Coverage: Cover openings, pop-ups, cultural moments and neighbourhood stories quickly, with same-day or next-day publishing where appropriate. Decide when a story needs English, Traditional Chinese or both, and develop Cantonese-led video and bilingual subtitles where they serve the audience.
3. Branded Content & Commercial Collaboration
· Campaign Planning: Work with Sales and Branded Content from pitch to wrap. Shape Reels and feed packages, and agree formats, timelines, publishing slots, boosting budgets and success measures before committing deliverables.
· Campaign Delivery: Oversee approvals and publishing, protect editorial standards and report organic and paid results separately. Use those findings to improve the social offer and demonstrate its value to clients.
4. Audience Insights & Community
· Performance & Testing: Review results weekly and turn changes in audience behaviour or platform features into practical tests. Report monthly on net follower growth, non-follower reach, saves, shares, video retention and referral traffic where relevant.
· Community & Relationships: Set moderation and escalation standards, turn audience questions into story ideas and build relationships with venues, publicists, creators and organisers. Attend selected evening or weekend events for on-the-ground coverage, with coverage agreed in advance.
· Cross-Market Collaboration: Share learnings with the Singapore lead and coordinate regional campaigns, using consistent reporting definitions and confirming local capacity before committing deliverables.
Skills & Experience
· Channel Ownership: Experience leading social channels for a publisher, lifestyle brand, agency or creator-led business, with examples of measurable growth and clear personal ownership.
· Hands-On Production: Strong editorial judgement and practical skills in scripting, smartphone shooting, editing and publishing. Able to run a shoot independently, give clear feedback and make sound publishing decisions under deadline.
· Commercial & Analytical Skills: Experience delivering sponsored social, working with commercial stakeholders and translating platform analytics into clear decisions.
· Local Knowledge & Language: Deep familiarity with Hong Kong’s food, culture and lifestyle scene. Strong written English and Traditional Chinese for Hong Kong audiences, plus spoken Cantonese for local reporting, interviews and video.
What Success Looks Like
· Audience Growth: More people discover and follow Time Out Hong Kong on Instagram, and original formats consistently earn saves, shares and repeat engagement.
· Editorial Quality & Reliability: Timely, accurate coverage in Time Out’s voice, with a dependable publishing schedule and clear cover for time-sensitive stories.
· Commercial Delivery: Campaigns go live as agreed, with clear disclosures and reporting that distinguishes paid and organic performance.
· Continuous Improvement: Weekly reviews lead to concrete changes in the calendar and a clearer view of which formats to repeat, refine or retire.
Culture & Core Values
At Time Out, we foster an open, inclusive and collaborative culture.
· Curious & Innovative: Explore the city, test new formats and bring fresh ideas to editorial and commercial work.
· Connect & Collaborate: Work across editorial, commercial and creative teams to produce work we’re proud to publish.
· Integrity & Respect: Uphold accurate reporting, transparent sponsorship and inclusive coverage.