[Hiring] Staff Writer @Starnes Holdings

Role Description

We’re looking for a reliable freelance writer to produce consistent business and events content across our publications. This is recurring work with predictable deadlines.

• Business Happenings:
  • Short announcements (100-175 words) covering new business openings, closings, expansions, relocations, anniversaries, and notable achievements in our communities.
  • Full-length business features each month of around 500-700 words.
• Event Previews:
  • Blurbs (50-100 words) giving readers the key details on upcoming community events: what it is, when, where, cost, and what to expect.
  • Occasional full-length event features (300-500 words) telling the story behind significant community events.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with the Birmingham metro area, particularly the over-the-mountain communities (Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Trussville).
• Clean, concise writing in AP style.
• Ability to meet recurring monthly deadlines without reminders.
• Comfort using AI tools to assist with research and drafting (we are an AI-forward company — if you don’t use AI at all, this isn’t the right fit).
• A genuine interest in local business and community life.
• Responsiveness to email and Slack communication.

Requirements

• A journalism degree (though it’s welcome).
• Experience covering hard news, politics, or crime (we don’t publish those).

Benefits

• Competitive freelance rates, discussed during interview.

Company Description

Starnes Media is an award-winning hyperlocal media company serving six communities across the Birmingham metro area. Our publications are The Homewood Star, Hoover Sun, Vestavia Voice, Village Living, 280 Living, and Cahaba Sun. We reach more than 110,000 households through monthly print editions and many more through daily email newsletters, websites, and social channels. We’ve earned hundreds of Alabama Press Association awards, including General Excellence, Story of the Year, and Advertising Sweepstakes.

Our tagline is “We Connect People,” and we mean it. We tell the stories of the businesses, events, and people that make Birmingham’s communities worth living in.