How to Build a Magnetic Personal Brand on LinkedIn (a.k.a. The Briefcase App) with Jayde I. Powell

PodcastMarketing

Jul 1

Episode 965: Show Notes

Forget everything you thought you knew about LinkedIn. Jayde I. Powell is here to flip the script and blow your mind! A powerhouse creator and the brilliant mind behind standout campaigns for global brands like Netflix, Timberland, and Coca-Cola, you might know her as the vibrant voice behind Creator Tea Talk, or from her refreshingly real, fun, and magnetic presence on LinkedIn, the app she affectionately renamed The Briefcase App.

During this conversation, she gives us her absolute best insights on how to build a magnetic personal brand, attract dream opportunities, and transform your LinkedIn presence from boring to binge-worthy. Whether you’ve slept on LinkedIn or you’re ready to level up, Jayde’s energy, expertise, and no-BS approach to social media is going to leave you buzzing, inspired, and ready to post. Let’s dive in!

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Jayde’s Journey to LinkedIn and the Choices Behind Her Success

After 12 years in advertising and marketing, Jayde was so inspired by the brands she worked for, that she added ‘content creator’ to her title, alongside social strategist. She started with Instagram and Twitter, before seeing her audience migrate there from Twitter, when she started leveraging LinkedIn. She has since been paid more than $80,000 posting there. LinkedIn isn’t just a place to post achievements and job listings anymore, but instead, it’s reflecting the way the world of work has changed, and how differently people are showing up there post-pandemic. Authenticity has been a key choice for Jayde, and it has fueled her success. Her goal is to be so real on social media, that people who hire her know exactly what they’re going to get.

The One Thing Behind All of Jayde’s Thumb-Stopping Content

The majority of Jayde’s income on LinkedIn comes from partnerships. When she started, brands were paying her to post about their products online, almost like a beauty influencer would do with a makeup brand. Along the way, this has taken different forms. During Adweek Social Media Week, she became an on-site brand ambassador for Sprout Social. Since then, she hosted a dinner for 20 LinkedIn influencers with Sprout and Creator Tea Talk, her community for creators. Her content is geared towards professionals, but she also thinks outside of the box, like the time she designed her nails in Canva and posted the process on her profile! Her focus is always on creating thumb-stopping content by going beyond what’s expected and thinking about her own content like a creative director would.

The Ratio That’s Fueled Her LinkedIn Creator Career

Jayde’s content is 60% organic and off the cuff, and 40% produced ahead of time. Most importantly, she only creates when she feels inspired to do so. I asked Jayde if there’s a principle you need for every LinkedIn post and she says it’s one thing that’s the same across platforms — you have to create value and offer someone something that’s of interest to them. She is always asking herself if what she’s talking about is of interest to her audience, even when it’s a brand partnership. You, as a business owner, are in service of your consumer, and you may not think about it that way, but that’s what you’re doing. They’re the priority! It’s a relationship, and if you want them to buy what you’re selling, you have to think about what’s beneficial for them.

One Unnecessary Thing People Keep Doing Wrong on LinkedIn

Take your marketing hat off when you’re posting on LinkedIn, and remember you are talking to people. Be conversational and talk to your audience the same way you would talk to friends in real life. The sweet spot creators should be aiming for right now? Jayde calls it a tie between text-only posts and text with photos or graphics. Currently, she’s testing both formats, where she repurposes a video into a graphic with text, spreading them out over a couple of weeks with intention. Notion is her preferred software, but her ideas started on the Notes App long before that. But IRL connection has been crucial to her success. The internet can be a great place to make genuine friends! Her Creator Tea events are also a key part of how she’s built this.

Where LinkedIn Has Surprised Jayde the Most

She didn’t set out to become a LinkedIn influencer! That’s because she has always considered herself a marketer first. Five years ago, she hated the platform. Today, she has a LinkedIn show, she’s attended events on behalf of huge organizations, and made a lot of money. From a personal brand perspective, her advice is to speak about what you actually are excited to talk about, and not what you feel like people are expecting you to talk about. While you want to cater to your audience’s needs, you also need to be genuine in the content you choose to cover. Jayde is genuinely passionate about tools and solutions that help you to be successful at work, and that’s why her content has been so well received. She also advocates for boundaries, in work and online, to put your mental health first and say no to the trap of comparison.

To connect with Jayde, find her on Jayde I. Powell on all social media platforms, and if you start posting on LinkedIn, tag myself and Jayde. We’d love to hear from you!

Quote This

Think about what you actually are excited to talk about, and not what you feel like people are expecting you to talk about.

-Jayde I. Powell

Highlights

Jayde’s Journey to LinkedIn and the Choices Behind Her Success [0:01:13]

Secrets to Creating Thumb-Stopping Content [0:11:28]

The Ratio That’s Fueled Her LinkedIn Creator Career [0:19:40]

One Unnecessary Thing People Keep Doing Wrong on LinkedIn [0:24:52]

Where LinkedIn Has Surprised Jayde the Most [0:35:19]

OUR GUEST:

Jayde I. Powell

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Jayde I. Powell is a creatorpreneur and marketing expert with over 12 years of experience. She leads The Em Dash Co, a creative agency serving brands like Netflix and LinkedIn, and hosts #CreatorTeaTalk, a community for creators. Known for her witty presence on LinkedIn, she champions Black, brown, and queer creatives.