The posting
Inc42 Media is looking for a Social Media Manager to own and scale D2CX by Inc42 — our fastest-growing IP and India's most credible voice on building consumer brands.
The mandate is simple to state and hard to execute: make D2CX the single best source of content on D2C and consumer brand building in India, and get every meaningful stakeholder in the D2C and ecommerce ecosystem — founders, operators, investors, agency and enabler teams, category managers, and aspiring brand builders — following us.
You will own Instagram as the primary growth engine, build and scale our YouTube channel from strategy to publishing cadence, and set up the social playbook for new IPs Inc42 launches in this space. This is a builder's role, not a scheduler's role — you'll decide what gets made, why it will travel, and how it compounds into audience.
Our ideal candidate is a creative, obsessive, insight-led social professional from a modern media brand, a content-first startup, or a creator-led business — someone who watches a reel and instinctively knows why it worked.
About Inc42 Media
Inc42 is India’s #1 startup media & intelligence platform that informs, educates and empowers startup & business leaders through its incisive reporting, insightful reports, curated events & communities, and industry-leading executive courses & programs.
Since launching in January 2015, and having risen to become the authoritative voice on India’s startup economy, we've moved markets, gotten the early scoop on billions of dollars of transactions and told you what's happening deep inside some of the fastest growing startups & industries alike. Our stories have been followed by the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, TechCrunch and other major outlets hundreds of times.
We also track over 50,000+ startups and provide market research and intelligence through our in-depth research reports, and we organise some of the most sought-after conferences and events for startup & business leaders across India.
The Inc42 Impact
- Inc42 stories reach over 50 Mn+ people monthly
- Published more than 55,000 stories
- Successfully conducted 150+ events
- Launched 100+ research reports
- Receives 500+ startup applications monthly
- Worked with 350+ brands
What winning looks like
- D2CXbyInc42 becomes the default follow for anyone building or backing a consumer brand in India — measured on follower growth, reach, saves, shares, and share of voice in the category.
- A real YouTube channel, not a dumping ground — with defined formats, a publishing rhythm, and watch-time and subscriber growth that compounds month on month.
- A repeatable content engine where every D2CX session, cohort, event, report, and founder conversation converts into multi-format social output without extra lift.
- Social becomes a demand channel — driving qualified applications and enrolments into D2CX programs, not just vanity reach.
- Every new Inc42 IP launches with a social playbook ready on day one.
Primary Responsibilities
Instagram — Own & Scale D2CX
- Own the end-to-end strategy, calendar, and growth of the @d2cxbyinc42 handle across Reels, carousels, Stories, collabs, and broadcast channels.
- Define the content pillars that make D2CX the authority on D2C — brand decodes, category breakdowns, founder playbooks, operator insights, data drops, and myth-busting.
- Set the format mix and publishing cadence, and hold the line on it.
- Build a hook-and-retention discipline: study drop-offs, iterate on openers, kill formats that don't travel, double down on the ones that do.
- Drive collaborative posts and cross-posting with founders, brands, creators, and partner handles to expand reach beyond our own audience.
- Own comments, DMs, and community engagement as a growth lever, not an afterthought.
YouTube — Build The Channel
- Build the YouTube content strategy from the ground up: channel positioning, format architecture, long-form vs Shorts mix, and publishing cadence.
- Design repeatable formats — founder interviews, brand teardowns, category deep-dives, session cuts, and explainers — and run them as series, not one-offs.
- Own packaging: titles, thumbnails, hooks, chapters, descriptions, and end screens; A/B test relentlessly.
- Own YouTube SEO and discovery — keyword research, tagging, playlists, and Shorts-to-long-form funnel design.
- Track watch time, retention curves, CTR, and subscriber conversion, and use them to shape the next slate.
Content Strategy & Production
- Convert D2CX's raw material — cohort sessions, Basecamp and Runway conversations, events, DataLabs reports, founder interviews — into a high-volume, high-quality social pipeline.
- Write and direct scripts, hooks, captions, thumbnail copy, and carousel narratives in the D2CX voice: founder-to-founder, tactical, no fluff.
- Work with design, video, and editorial to run production sprints that keep the calendar full without dropping quality.
- Maintain and evolve the D2CX content and design system so output stays instantly recognisable across formats.
- Build a repurposing engine — one session should yield reels, shorts, carousels, quote cards, newsletter blocks, and a long-form cut.
New IP Launches
- Build the go-to-market social playbook for every new IP Inc42 launches in this space — positioning, handle setup, content pillars, launch calendar, and first-90-days growth plan.
- Set up measurement, reporting, and iteration loops for each new handle from day one.
- Codify what works on D2CX into templates other IPs can run with.
Creators, Founders & Partnerships
- Build and manage a network of D2C founders, operators, and creators who contribute to and amplify D2CX content.
- Plan and execute influencer and creator collaborations, takeovers, and co-created series.
- Deliver on brand and sponsor social commitments across D2CX programs and events without diluting audience trust.
Analytics & Reporting
- Own weekly and monthly reporting across Instagram and YouTube — reach, engagement, saves, shares, follower growth, watch time, retention, and traffic/conversion contribution.
- Run structured post-mortems on top and bottom performers, and turn findings into the next content bet.
- Benchmark against category and competitor handles in India and globally, and bring the best ideas back.
- Share clear, decision-ready performance reads with founders and key stakeholders.
Professional Traits
A. Mandatory Skills:
- 3+ years of experience in social media, content marketing, or creator-led content, with hands-on ownership of a brand or IP handle.
- Demonstrated growth on social platforms — you can point to handles you scaled and explain exactly what drove it.
- Strong Instagram craft: short-form video instincts, hook writing, format design, and an actual read on why things go viral.
- Working knowledge of YouTube growth — packaging, retention, SEO, Shorts strategy, and channel building.
- Sharp writing skills in English, with a natural feel for Hinglish where the audience calls for it.
- Comfortable with numbers — able to read analytics and change the plan because of them, not despite them.
- Experience with social and scheduling tools (Meta Business Suite, YouTube Studio, Later, Buffer/Hootsuite, or equivalent) and analytics platforms.
- Genuine interest in D2C, consumer brands, retail, and ecommerce — and in the Indian startup ecosystem broadly.
- Creative mindset with an eye for detail; heavy consumer of content across social, OTT, newsletters, and creator media.
B. Preferable Skills:
- Experience at a modern digital media brand, content-first startup, D2C brand, or creator-led business.
- Hands-on with editing and design tools (CapCut, Premiere, Canva, Figma) enough to prototype without waiting on a queue.
- Exposure to performance marketing, email/WhatsApp lifecycle, and community-led growth.
- Experience launching a new social handle or content IP from zero.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with multiple IPs running in parallel.
