Role of a Chief Meme Officer
A Chief Meme Officer develops meme content for a company or team. The work can include choosing formats, writing captions and reviewing posts against a brief. Start by defining the audience, deliverables and approval process.
The title alone tells you little about the job. A team may advertise it as a paid role or use it as a nickname for someone who already makes its memes.
What does a Chief Meme Officer do?
Two dated examples show how employers and teams have used the title.
In a March 2023 recruitment post, StockGro’s Ajay Lakhotia sought a Chief Meme Officer who understood social trends and could communicate finance topics to its audience.
Read StockGro’s March 2023 recruitment postIn a January 2023 Thomasnet interview, Xometry writer Joel Schadegg described Chief Meme Officer as a nickname colleagues gave him after he started making work-related memes. He discussed finding a format for a message and creating humorous posts for the company’s social channels.
Read Joel Schadegg’s account of the roleDefine the work you need
When writing a job description or freelance brief, decide who will handle each part of the work.
Audience and message
Choose the reader, the situation they recognise and the point of the post. Give the creator product context and examples of the brand’s voice.
Caption and format options
Develop a few directions, choose an image that carries the joke and explain the selection. Leave room for revisions.
Review and approval
Name who checks product wording, image use and the finished post. Give the creator a way to ask questions before publication.
Publishing and response review
Agree who posts the image and handles replies. Review the responses available on the platform against the goal you set.
The meme marketing guide covers campaign audience, message and review in more detail.
Skills to look for in a Chief Meme Officer
Ask candidates to explain their choices, as well as show the finished image.
Audience judgment
Can they explain who the joke is for and what that reader needs to know? Ask which part of a brief they would clarify before writing.
Format choice
Can they connect the image’s reaction or character roles to the message? Ask why they chose that format and which alternative they considered.
Caption writing and revision
Look at the drafts. Ask what they shortened, what changed after feedback and whether the revision still fits the scene.
Readable delivery
Check the exported image at its intended sharing size. The text should be readable while leaving the reaction or important labels visible.
Working with a team
Ask how they would handle an unclear product claim, conflicting feedback or a joke they think the brand should skip.
For caption practice and a portfolio entry you can explain, use the meme creator guide.
The template-choice guide shows how different images change the meaning of the same situation.
Work from a brief: a team-calendar app
This example gives a creator something specific to respond to. It is a proposed task, not a published campaign.
Hypothetical brief
- Audience
- Busy team leads who schedule short catch-ups.
- Situation
- The team calls it a quick meeting, then talks beyond the time everyone set aside.
- Tone and channel
- A friendly joke about our own meeting habits on the app’s company feed. Keep individuals and customers out of the punchline.
- Goal
- Invite a relevant discussion about meeting habits. Decide which replies would help you understand the audience’s experience.
- Deliverable
- Two caption directions, a proposed format and a short explanation of the selected direction.
- Approval
- The marketing lead reviews product wording, image use and the final post before publication.
Review the draft against those fields. Check that the image carries the meeting joke and stays readable at feed size. Verify any product-feature claim against what the app actually does before posting.
Suggested input to explore another caption direction
Busy team leads calling it a quick meeting, then running past the time everyone set aside.
If you already have the exact words, place them with the manual meme maker and check the downloaded file.
When to assign someone to the role
Start with the workload. If meme content is a recurring part of your plan, give someone responsibility for the brief, revisions and review. That work may sit with an existing social team, a freelancer or a dedicated creator.
Agree the channels, deliverables, review owner and deadline. Discuss whether the role includes publishing and replying, or ends at an approved image. Ask for a current pay range and clarify the employment or contract arrangement.
Keep a hiring exercise focused
Start with an existing portfolio entry. Ask the candidate to walk through the brief, intended reader and revision. Clearly labelled self-directed practice can show these decisions too.
- If you add an exercise, give candidates the same limited fictional brief and agree the expected effort in advance.
- Ask for two caption directions and the reason for choosing one. Discuss what they would check before publishing.
- Agree how submissions may be used. Commission work for a real campaign separately from the assessment.
Assess how the person handles the work you need. A memorable title does not define the responsibilities for you.
Chief Meme Officer FAQs
Is Chief Meme Officer a real job title?
Employers have used it in recruitment, including StockGro’s March 2023 post. Teams have also used it informally, as Joel Schadegg described in his January 2023 interview. Read the duties and terms in the specific role rather than assuming the title defines them.
What skills should a hiring team assess?
Review caption writing, format choice, audience context and readable delivery. Ask the candidate to explain a draft and a revision, including how they handled feedback or a claim that needed checking. Match the assessment to the actual brief.
Does every company need a dedicated Chief Meme Officer?
Decide whether the amount of work needs a dedicated role. An existing social team or freelance creator may handle occasional posts. Recurring work still needs a brief, an approval owner and a plan for publishing and replies.
How much does a Chief Meme Officer earn?
Ask the employer or client for the current pay range and the work it covers. Clarify employment or contract terms, deliverables, revisions and whether publishing or responding to followers is included. This title alone does not establish a pay rate.
How can I prepare for this kind of work?
Build a small portfolio that explains the audience, brief, caption options and final revision. Label self-directed practice and name your role in team projects. Include publication results only when you have the records, and explain what you would change next time.
Written by
Sanjeev NCCo-founder of Supermeme.ai. Building the default meme generator of the internet since 2022.