Engaging audiences with creative copy

Carrie Blazina

A lifelong communicator thriving at the intersection of audience engagement, social media, content strategy, news and communication. Experienced at keeping audiences informed on tight deadlines. Based in Cambridge, MA.

Experience

Online News Association (remote; Organization is based in Washington, D.c.)

Communications manager

January 2023-October 2023

• Kept ONA community informed by suggesting content strategy and providing editorial support, including handling many priorities for ONA’s 2023 conference; promoting events; writing press releases; writing and sending email and social media campaigns; and writing newsletters.

• Pitched and wrote blog posts, such as gathering takeaways from learning sessions, conducting Q&As with community members and explaining or highlighting available programs and events.

• Refreshed engagement strategy by starting new social media accounts, customizing content on each channel, creating a career-focused newsletter on LinkedIn and growing the ONA Slack community.

• Provided three months of leave coverage for director of communications.

• Analyzed email and social media analytics to learn what the audience found most impactful.

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Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (hybrid)
Digital producer

2020 - 2023. Promoted from associate digital producer to digital producer in June 2021.

• Produced and published daily blog posts featuring the Center’s data analysis and research. Helped manage editorial calendar and timing of projects, liaising with every research team.

• Pitched, researched and wrote blog posts, using social media and analytics to look for topics.

• Managed institutional Twitter accounts by writing and sending tweets. Wrote and project-managed social media campaign using short video loops, callouts and quizzes.

• Fact checked posts, ensuring data was used accurately, proper context was given and research descriptions were correct. Worked with writers to implement feedback.

• Composed a weekly email newsletter rounding up the latest published content.

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The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass.
Multiplatform copy editor

2017-2019

• Edited breaking news stories and longer features, often at least a dozen a day, for correct grammar, spelling, style, and accuracy, and produced them for BostonGlobe.com. Wrote engaging headlines for stories, added related content, sent social media posts and news alerts, and updated the BostonGlobe.com homepage.

Copy editor

2014-2017

• Copy edited stories for mechanics, accuracy and style. Wrote headlines, prepared display type, proofread pages and sometimes laid out newspaper pages.

Skills, Platforms

• Audience engagement

• Editorial content strategy

• Communications strategy

• Email newsletters

• Social media posting and strategy, primarily on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Threads

• Writing

• Email marketing

• Workflow management

• Digital production

• Copy editing

• AP style

• Proofreading

• Fact checking

• Headline writing

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Webpage layout

• WordPress (for web production and layout)

• Basecamp

• MailChimp

• Slack

• Buffer

• Parse.ly

• Google Analytics

Activities

• Served on the Center’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Council for 2.5 years, improving the digital accessibility of editorial products and scheduling training on managing workplace stress.

• Appeared as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” on Dec. 20, 2018.