Paid Media Strategist

Praytell
Chicago, IL

Praytell is a creative communications agency built by strategic minds and spirited hearts who believe original storytelling, unexpected ideas and an instinctive recoil from anything remotely boring can shape culture and make people… well, give a sh!t. We partner with brands to create timely, integrated and headline-worthy campaigns across social, earned, digital, experiential and emerging platforms, all rooted in smart strategy, creative excellence and a deep understanding of what’s resonating right now.

We’ve been doing this for just over a decade and have picked up some pretty cool awards along the way, including PRWeek’s Best Place to Work (8x and counting), Agency of the Year and even a few your mom might recognize - even if she doesn’t fully get what you do for a living.

Our work is collaborative, fast-moving and driven by curiosity, grounded in how we show up for our clients and for one another. If you’re looking to join an ambitious, deeply supportive team that’s focused on doing great work with great people and doesn’t take itself too seriously, we’d love to hear from you.

The Opportunity

Praytell is looking for our next Paid Media Strategist to support our growing team! This role will play a key part in developing, executing and optimizing paid media campaigns across platforms, partnering closely with strategy, creative and account teams to deliver smart, performance-driven work for our clients. We’re looking for someone who is equal parts analytical and creative - a strategic thinker who can translate insights into action, manage campaigns end to end and continuously refine performance to drive measurable impact, all while staying current on platform updates and best practices to keep our work fresh and effective.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Develop paid media plans for Praytell clients that include detailed breakdowns of audience targeting, ad products, creative formats, budgets and timelines
  • Work cross-functionally with the creative, account, strategy and influencer teams to develop brand and creator-led paid campaigns
  • Build, manage and optimize paid media campaigns across key social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube
  • Manage campaign budgets, billing reconciliation and pacing to ensure efficient spend and accurate financial tracking
  • Develop A/B tests and other opportunities to continuously optimize campaign performance
  • Develop campaign reports that provide clients with performance analysis, learnings and actionable insights and recommendations for future campaigns
  • Own day-to-day client communication for paid media workstreams, including status updates, reporting walkthroughs and performance recommendations
  • Oversee the work of paid media intern(s) and junior staff, guiding them through trainings and ensuring they develop working knowledge of key digital ad platforms and reporting, starting with social media
  • Support new business efforts through paid media recommendations, budget modeling and pitch participation
  • Extend Praytell’s paid media offering to additional digital advertising channels including programmatic, search and podcasts
  • Stay up to date on the latest social media platform trends, paid products and features, serving as a subject matter expert for Praytell clients and internal stakeholders

About You

Experience you have:

  • 2-3 years of hands-on paid media buying experience with strong working knowledge of major social media ad platforms including Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube
  • Experience supporting influencer paid campaigns including whitelisting, branded content ads and Spark ads, with an understanding of how paid and creator strategies work together
  • Proven ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines and stakeholders simultaneously with strong attention to detail and QA rigor
  • Experience managing monthly budgets across multiple platforms with strong pacing discipline and accurate budget reconciliation
  • Working knowledge of campaign setup including audience creation, pixel implementation, UTM structure and basic conversion tracking
  • Comfortable working cross-functionally with account, creative, strategy, influencer and project management teams to ensure paid media is integrated into broader campaign plans
  • Confident in client-facing settings, including written reporting and live presentations, with clear and professional communication skills
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to pull insights from platform dashboards, GA4 and reporting tools and translate data into actionable recommendations
  • Advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets including formulas and pivot tables, using data to inform optimizations and improve workflows
  • Naturally curious and proactive about staying up to date on platform updates, new ad products and emerging trends in the paid and social landscape

Equally important, you are:

  • Ambitious and entrepreneurial
  • Flexible and adaptable
  • Meticulous and well-organized
  • A creative problem solver
  • Inquisitive and eager to learn
  • Collaborative and team-oriented
  • Honest and ethical in all work
  • Committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace

Benefits

We offer a growing list of benefits and perks, including:

  • Salary: $65,000 - $75,000 (This range reflects the minimum and maximum compensation. We typically offer salaries within the 25th to 75th percentiles and cannot exceed the listed maximum. Final offers depend on experience, skills and qualifications.)
  • Comprehensive health care (Medical, Dental, Vision)
  • Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) with annual shares of Project Worldwide, our parent company
  • Traditional and Roth 401(k) options with an annual employer contribution based on company performance
  • Flexible Time Off (FTO), company holidays and mental health days
  • Flexible work locations within the US - remote is a-ok! We also have physical hubs and offices in LA, SF, Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York
  • Flex Fridays, designed to keep Fridays meeting-free for focused work and to give you space to support your personal wellbeing while delivering great client service
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with mental health, family, career, legal and financial support
  • Paid parental leave and fertility support
  • Training and team-building programs
  • Camp Praytell, our company offsite (eligibility based on start date)
  • Employee Resource Groups (BEACON, Compañeros, elevAsian, Herizon and Prism)
  • And more!

Interview Process

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, while we’re incredibly grateful for your interest, we’re not able to respond to each one individually. We’ll be in touch with candidates we’re moving forward with. We know how hard it can be to wait and wonder, especially in today’s job market, so if you don’t hear from us within 5 business days , it means we’ve moved forward with other candidates for this role. We truly appreciate the time and care you put into applying and will keep your application on file for future opportunities.

Our interview process typically takes 4-6 weeks, and here’s what you can expect along the way:

  • Submit Application
  • Phone Screen w/ Head of Talent (30 Mins)
  • Team Interview (30 Mins - 1 Hour)
  • Leadership Interview (30 Mins)
  • TBD: Short, Client-Agnostic Take-Home Test (Paid via Electronic Gift Card)
  • Offer (Target Start Date: March 2026)

Who We Are

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all people and do not discriminate - period. All qualified applicants will receive consideration in accordance with federal, state and local laws. We prohibit any form of workplace harassment based on any protected class and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace in every location where we operate.

Posted 2026-02-26

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