I really hope your meeting schedule relaxes a bit. It’s mid-December—we need to be in wrap-up mode, not panicking to double down (unless you’re at an agency, then hey, get that money).

I’ve got something to share that I’m incredibly proud of. Poured a lot of blood, sweat, and energy drinks into this thing (boxing up 15 years of social strategy knowledge into one product is notttt as easy as I thought it’d be).

But first, let’s talk about why you need to start posting on LinkedIn.

—Jack Appleby

Why every marketer should actually post on their personal LinkedIn

I had a panic moment at my first advertising job.

I’d been at that agency for 5 years. I worked with my best friends, loved working on Microsoft & Rock Band & Community (#sixseasonsandamovie), but I realized I didn’t know anyone in advertising who didn’t sit next to me.

So, socially-awkward me turned to Twitter. I wasn’t terrible comfortable with IRL networking at the time, but I’d made close friends through social networking. Figured if I shared my social & advertising thoughts online, I could make some industry friends, maybe impress a boss or potential client?

Writing some tweets and LinkedIn posts changed my life.

• I sent a DM that turned into me moving to New York to work for R/GA.

• I received a DM from my future boss at Twitch, asking me to interview.

• Morning Brew DMed me, asking if I’d wanna write this newsletter.

• An organic comment on LinkedIn turned into a six-figure sponsorship.

That’s not counting tweeting with my heroes, generating millions in new biz for my agencies and all other sorts of social mediating. And that’s all long before I became a content creator—I was just an advertiser writing things online.

There are so, so many career advantages if you’re willing to take some time to post online. Let’s get into the numbers, the advantages, and how you can post yourself.

A long list of statistics about LinkedIn

• There are over 1 billion users on LinkedIn (source)

• 8 people are hired ever minute via LinkedIn (source)

• 80% of leaders in decision-making jobs use LinkedIn (source)

• 84% of recruiters use social media for recruitment (source)

• 67% of recruiters say LinkedIn-hired pros are higher quality (source)

LinkedIn is a social-network, that’s tied to your resume, that’s the most searched place for both job postings and candidates, with one of the strongest content distribution algorithms, all while very few users make content.

The opportunity is immense. LinkedIn is 20 years old, but it’s got that feeling of early 2000s Facebook reach, or being one of the original YouTubers. The supply isn’t even sort of hitting the demand right now.

Networking works. Cold applying doesn’t.

When I chat with young jobseekers, they often share the number of jobs they’ve applied for as a show of their dedication. That’s great, and you certainly should apply for the jobs you want, but you’ve submitted for 50+ roles and aren’t getting nibbles, it’s time to shift focus towards meeting new people.

I liked this quote from an NPR interview on job searching.

You don’t even have to go to networking happy hours anymore (though I do recommend them). By simply posting on LinkedIn and Twitter, commenting on interesting content, and messaging people you’d like to meet, you can 10x your relationship building from your desk at home.

So what should you post on LinkedIn?

There’s a painless, easy system I recommend everyone try out for themselves. Each week, just make 3 posts:

• Something you learned at work that week

• Work you’re proud of + your personal contribution

• Work from someone else that you admire

Right there, you’re covering 3 outta 5 business days a week while sharing your taste through your accomplishments and other work. It’s an easy win.

But if you want to build a proper personal brand, that truly converts and could change your career, I’ve got something exciting to share…

How to build a personal brand that’ll get you jobs

I’ve always wanted to help people learn how to share their stories, but consulting calls don’t scale. Publishing materials is nice, but it lacks the rigor of exercise + the community support to succeed. So I partnered with my friends at Teachable to build something special.

I’m so proud to share The Personal Social Strategy, a program I’ve built to help you start sharing that amazing career of yours through a strong personal brand.

I waited a long time to announce this thing because I really wanted to get it right, and boy, we ended up with a whole lot of material. The program includes:

• 40+ lessons & exercises, covering personal brand strategy, how to create content true to you, building your unique value proposition, and a lot more

• Monthly Group AMAs with Jack, answering every question you have

• Community Access, where students can chat & support each other

• The Deep Dive Self-Interview exercise, essential for making truly unique content that builds real rapport

• How to succeed with writing, video, or any content type! We'll focus on honing in on your favorite creative skill

• How to create content that's actually valuable: the tools to make sure you're not just curating, but sharing your brain power

• The Daily Approach Exercise: a guide to turning your daily life into easy, same-day content

• The Year-Long Brainstorm: an exercise to help you plan a year of content in advance

• The 12 Takes Strategy: making sure you create a major high-value piece every month

• How to pick a platform: Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, newsletter, podcast?!

• Writing headlines & bios that convert: there's a method to the madness.

I’ve worked so hard on this thing. I genuinely believe I can help you advance your career through content, find personal fulfillment from sharing your thoughts, and get your brain in front of all the right people.

The program is 50% off right now during the December pre-sale, and comes with some extra goodies if you sign-up early. I’ve designed the calendar to align with the new year, since I really hope being more open is on your resolutions list.

You can sign up for The Personal Social Strategy right here. And hey, have any questions? You can reply right to this email. Can’t wait to teach you all about you.