Laura Miller

Experience

• 

  Times-Delphic

  Aug 2008 - May 2010

  Features/News Writer

  The Times-Delphic is Drake's semi-weekly campus newspaper.• Wrote several articles, including event coverage reports, profiles, and features• Conducted interviews with students, staff, and community members

• 

  Drake Magazine

  Aug 2008 - May 2012

  At this bi-yearly campus print and online magazine, I wrote shorter articles describing products and current trends as well as feature-length stories for web and print. As the recipient of a particular scholarship, I worked 4 hours per week in the Magazine Center on Drake's campus. Tasks I completed included:• Creating a database system of alumni.• Organizing and submitting journalism contest entries.• Running the Center's Facebook page.• Designing and updating visual displays. DUH Magazine is a yearly news and intellectual magazine print magazine out of the Drake University Honors department. My responsibilities there included: • Editing stories and giving guidance on writing techniques and research• Overseeing writing, editorial, and design staff of 20• Developing story ideas and magazine themes• Writing articles, including a historical story and an entertainment piece

  • Staff Writer

    Jan 2009 - May 2012

  • Student Assistant

    Aug 2010 - May 2011

  • Senior Editor

    Aug 2008 - May 2010
• 

  The Messenger

  May 2009 - Aug 2009

  News Correspondent

  The Messenger is a daily newspaper out of Ft. Dodge, IA, that reaches 42,000 readers in 11 counties.• Wrote news, entertainment, event, and profile stories• Four of my articles were front page stories• Conducted numerous interviews with community members• Took event and profile photos to accompany my stories

• 

  Freestyle Public Relations

  Feb 2010 - May 2010

  Public Relations Intern

  • Wrote pitches to local and national media• Produced press releases for several clients including Dwolla• Researched and tracked media placements for clients

• 

  Meredith Corporation

  May 2010 - Apr 2011

  Meredith's apprenticeship program is an intensive and hands-on internship that spans the academic year. I was one of five Drake students selected for an editorial apprenticeship in 2010. During my apprenticeship, I accomplished the following:• Created photo slideshows, including writing text and editing photos.• Wrote feature stories for web and print, including 3 cover stories, many of which required deciphering technical jargon.• Researched new trends in country living and machinery to develop stories for web, print, and radio. Show less

  • Apprentice - Living the Country Life

    Sept 2010 - Apr 2011

  • New Media Marketing/Social Media Intern, Parents.com

    May 2010 - Aug 2010
• 

  Reader's Digest Association

  Jun 2011 - Aug 2011

  ASME Intern - Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine

  I was one of 31 interns selected for the ASME program during the summer of 2011. My responsibilities at Every Day with Rachael Ray included:• Researching information for articles across the EDWRR brand, including food, lifestyle, and travel.• Scouting for new products and trends and representing EDWRR at 10 showcase events throughout Manhattan.• Interacting daily with PR reps to call in the latest products and coordinating 3 staff food tastings based on those products.

• 

  Urban Plains

  Aug 2011 - Dec 2011

  Social Media Manager

  Urban Plains magazine, the Magazines major senior capstone, is both an aggregate website and an iPad magazine app. While there, I:• Wrote and organized multiple social media posts daily to promote original and aggregated web story content.• Tracked analytics for social posts and grew Facebook fans by 36 percent and Twitter followers by 34 percent.• Wrote region-specific stories for both web and iPad edition.

• 

  Lexicon Content Marketing

  Aug 2011 - Aug 2012

  Custom Editorial Content Intern/Freelance Writer

  • Wrote articles for various companies’ custom publications, including Hy-Vee and State Farm, that both served the audience and furthered the brands’ missions and goals.• Fact-checked and copy-edited publications with varying style guidelines.• Part of a two-person team that developed a social media strategy for one of our print publication clients.

• 

  Meredith Corporation

  Jun 2012 - Aug 2012

  Web Content Assistant

  • Implemented responsive web design content for site redesigns, including Midwest Living, using Drupal, an open-source CMS. • Conducted user experience and site functionality testing on a variety of platforms.

• 

  Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

  Aug 2012 - Sept 2014

  Communications Specialist

  • Edited and created audience-focused content for INHF’s quarterly magazine and monthly e-newsletter, both of which were redesigned during my tenure.• Strategized to refocus brand to appeal to a younger audience and those with varying levels of familiarity with conservation via implementing many entry points.• Planned and executed communication and outreach about Iowa By Trail app launch, including a week-long RAGBRAI campaign.• Managed the INHF website, blog, and 4 social media accounts, which saw total followers increase by 300 percent in 2 years. Show less

• 

  Meredith Corporation

  Sept 2014 - Jun 2015

  Associate Editor - Better Homes & Gardens Refresh magazine

  Refresh was a Better Homes & Gardens quarterly special interest publication that focused on great home design that empowers readers with energy, enthusiasm, and know-how to tackle quick decorating and remodeling-lite updates. We helped readers repair the relationship with their home so the two of them could fall in love again. Started in 2013, the magazine's final issue was released in July 2015.• Served on new team hired to increase frequency of magazine and to develop new columns and service-focused content.• Kept magazine on trend by tracking the latest in home design, maintaining PR rep connections, attending product previews, and keeping tabs on Pinterest and competitors.• Developed story and set ideas; wrote and produced front-of-book product features; and enhanced content through sidebars and call-outs.• Researched and vetted 50 home tour locations to identify those that match the magazine’s point of view. Coordinated photo scheduling and propping with field editors.• Ensured magazine remained on schedule by tracking stories’ statuses, writing contracts, and inputting costs and other data into budgets.• Edited copy through both big-picture and small-detail lenses to provide readers with useful, concise information. Show less

• 

  Self-Employed

  Jun 2015 - now

  Freelance Writer/Editor

  • Write project and produce how-to’s, home design articles, profiles, product guides, and news stories for a variety of national and local publications, including Do It Yourself, Living the Country Life, Secrets of Getting Organized, and others.• Maintain relationships with brand and product PR reps to stay up to date on the latest products, retail information and imagery assets.• Kept tabs on the latest in pop culture, food, sports, and health to write social news engagement content for NBC Universal’s/NBC News’ Ncredible smartphone app. Show less

• 

  Two Rivers Marketing

  Feb 2016 - Mar 2021

  • Manage and develop monthly editorial calendars and content plans for over 150 pieces of monthly content across print, social and digital channels for international manufacturing B2B client and its customer, dealer and internal audiences to support audience needs and business objectives. Present plans to client.• Produce content marketing strategies based on the client’s unique business model, campaign objectives, and new product launches using analytics, content audits, competitor monitoring, marketing and industry trends, and audience knowledge. Provide insights and recommendations based on marketing results. • Moved up primary keywords for client from 50+ ranking to first page of SERP results for blog and .com content and have increased pageviews by 41% over two years. Social channels consistently achieve 3–6% engagement rate across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.• Review and provide editorial and proofreading direction to 10 writers and designers on over 150 pieces of content per month, reviewing for tone, SEO, visual attractiveness, brand strategy, channel objectives, and editorial guidelines. • Supervise two writers to ensure they develop professionally and meet goals. • Drive conversions, including a campaign that reached 165% of its click goal in the first two promotions, by developing copy, video, and interactive pieces, to create cohesive storytelling that engages and moves customers along buyer journey across multiple channels.• Direct content on three-issue-per-year loyalty customer magazine with 1.2 million impressions that highlights customers, dealers and products to engage audience between purchasing cycles. Collaborated on a redesign proposal.• Launched dealer social media channel marketing tool and lead its content planning, which has seen 45% dealer engagement level compared to 32% industry average, to support client’s business goals and dealer needs on a local and regional level. Show less • Coordinate 10 content gathering trips per year throughout U.S. and Canada, including identifying and interviewing client customer features, coordinating photographer and video vendors, creating shot lists, planning all travel details, and providing on-the-ground project management.• Direct customer story lead process and content gathering needs required to meet client’s content strategy by managing over 150 story leads at any given time from client, dealer, and social sources. Oversee story angles and uses of content.• Track and provide insights on competitors in the client’s industry to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the marketplace and opportunities for the client.• Develop and write customer personas for client contacts and agency writing team to better understand buyer and audience viewpoints, challenges, and opportunities.• Identify target customers for the client’s content materials; monitor their preferences, customer buying journeys, expectations, and needs to deliver relative content.• Follow content marketing and design trends across social, digital and print channels to implement innovative practices.• Build and oversee project workflows in Asana and Monday.com to organize, track and manage content development process. Show less

  • Strategic Communications Supervisor

    Nov 2018 - Mar 2021

  • Content Creator

    Feb 2016 - Nov 2018
• 

  Dotdash Meredith

  Mar 2021 - now

  • Co-launched a new team focusing on performance content and lead generation/eCommerce content, growing the team from 3 to 7 full-time staff in eight months• Oversee content across a variety of verticals, including health, food, parenting, pet, and home topics, for 19+ Meredith brands, like Real Simple, Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Health• Grow evergreen article revenue by an average of 80% MoM through content strategy and SEO tactics• Train, manage, and mentor 4 writers to grow their skills and achieve goals• Track keyword ranking, revenue, sessions, and more metrics to make strategic growth decisions and optimization recommendations• Keep tabs on industry, eCommerce, seasonal, and competitor trends to create editorial calendar• Maintain relationship with content agency and provide their editorial leads with edits and style guidance, reviewing hundreds of articles across verticals• Craft templates and testing methodology across verticals to ensure content meets reader needs, will outperform competitor pieces, and integrates SEO keywords• Develop article assignments for freelancers and handle invoicing Show less

  • Commerce Editorial Director, Home

    Feb 2024 - now

  • Associate Editorial Director, Commerce at Better Homes & Gardens

    Apr 2023 - Mar 2024

  • Senior Commerce Editor at Better Homes & Gardens

    Jan 2022 - Apr 2023

  • Editor and Strategist, Performance Content

    Mar 2021 - Jan 2022