Thank you to the 1900+ amazing people that signed up for this newsletter. This newsletter is for Talent Acquisition and HR professionals interested in growing their brand.

1. Each week, I’ll be interviewing a talent/hr/people leader that is doing a great job with their content.

   From Tiktok Influencers to Podcasters, bloggers to video superstars. Each episode will include a short video where they share how building their brand has impacted their career and their life.

2. I’ll then break down how you can use their same strategies to build your brand, so each week you’ll learn and be inspired to create content.

I’ve already lined up some fan favorites and I’m super excited to continue to learn from the best in the industry.

^{About the Author: Joel Lalgee has built a social media following of almost 400,000. In 2019 he started creating content on Linkedin and since then he has expanded to Tiktok and Twitter. He’s also hosted 2 successful podcasts. His content has been viewed over 500,000,000 times and he now coaches recruitment teams on how to create content successfully to win on social media.}

If you’re interested in sponsoring this newsletter - or working with Joel to get in front of 2,000,000 people a month reach out to [email protected] for collaborations.

This week I’m featuring a creator, recruiting leader, and another friend and huge supporter the one, the only, Bonnie Dilber!

Bonnie Dilber - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-dilber

Bonnie is a former educator and dog/toddler mom who is passionate about equity. She is a recruiting leader at a growing tech startup Zapier. (Also an amazing automation tool)

She’s been featured in publications including Huffington Post, Fortune, Business Insider, Forbes, and Time as well as on numerous podcasts and speaking events. Her newsletter has over 50k subscribers. Teach me Bonnie!!! Lol!

Bonnie is a Linkedin Top Voice with 284k followers on the platform. She doesn’t hold back with her content and has built up a valuable voice for many to follow. She’s also very active on Tiktok with 16k followers and has received almost half a million likes on her content!

This is her content Journey.

Joel: How long have you been creating content? Why did you start creating content? What channels/platforms do you focus on?

Bonnie: I started creating content in November 2021! I was new to Zapier and it was my first job in tech and I wanted to seem more credible to candidates so I started posting on LinkedIn. I got a great response so I kept going with it, and expanded to talk not just about my job, but other topics around workplace culture.

In addition to LinkedIn, I also have a TikTok and newsletter. I also have a Twitter that I use pretty much solely to share open jobs i'm seeing, and I just started Threads but not sure what to do with that yet. I also manage a curated job board - if you're hiring, post your jobs and hire from the amazing people in my community!

Joel: You're a LinkedIn top voice now, how did that happen?

Bonnie: I'm not entirely sure! I got an email one day letting me know that I'd been selected as a Top Voice and a blue badge popped up! From what I understand, Top Voices are less about follower count and more about the quality of the content - specifically, being credible and offering meaningful advice, perspectives, and thought leadership.

Joel: How has being a LinkedIn top voice changed or impacted your strategy?

Bonnie: I'll be honest that I don't think I'm very strategic. I'm not really selling anything (although I do work with brands) but my goal is the same goal I've had from day 1: to do something I really enjoy (which is writing and sharing my ideas and point of view with the world) and to establish my credibility. There are a lot of things that I see people doing to juice their engagement or play the algorithm, but I've tried to keep my approach authentic and share my genuine thoughts, ideas, and advice. You won't see me copy/pasting the same content just because it's worked for me before or asking people to comment and share just so I can get my numbers up - even when brands ask for this, I refuse because I care a lot more about sharing quality ideas and engaging with people's thoughts than I do about the numbers. (And I think the fact that I've steadily gained followers and have over 45M impressions in the last year shows that you don't have to game the system to be successful).

Joel: How does your company view your content?

Bonnie: I am lucky to feel very supported. They recognize that my social media is mine and do not ask me to post (anything I share about my employer are my genuine thoughts).

We do have social media guidelines and I have had a few conversations with leadership to make sure I'm operating in alignment. If I'm unsure about posting, I ask. I've seen so many people say they had no idea who Zapier was before finding my content so I think there are real benefits for my employer.

In general, I find that my company is supportive and encouraging of people using social media to talk about work as long as they aren't revealing any confidential information or posting content that could reflect negatively on the company.

Joel: What tips would you give someone that might be dealing with an employer that doesn't want them to create content?

Bonnie: I'm always so surprised that this is even a thing - it can be such an advantage and I'd encourage companies to work with content creators to create guidelines so they can play by the rules vs banning it altogether. But if I were in this situation, I would:

1. Work to really understand the rules - like maybe you can't post about work, but you can post about other topics of interest. Talk with them to understand what's behind the "no" and see if you can work around that.

2. Make a case for why you think posting would be impactful. Share examples of other people posting about work and what the benefits are. Help them see what's in it for them.

3. Start slow. Offer to have them review your content and give feedback. Show them the impact you're seeing and how it's helping employer brand or pushing the product. Then expand from there.

Joel: You're growing on Tiktok now, what inspired you to start?

Bonnie: A couple of things:

1. I saw people like you doing well on the platform and thought it could be a fun and different way to post. I realized I really like content creation and it gave me another platform to play around with.

2. I realized how fleeting one audience or platform could be. What happens if my LinkedIn account gets shut down? It's nice to build a different audience.

Joel: How do you stay consistent with content?

Bonnie: Content creation comes really naturally to me. I sit down and it just comes out with no real planning or preparation. So I just make time to do it when I have free time. If i'm not in the mood, I don't do it. I was sick once and didn't post for a week and I had so many people checking in wondering where I was. It's OK to take a break, and better than than to create low quality content because then you'll lose your audience.

I think you need to pay attention to your working style. I have friends who plan out their content in advance. For me, I've very reactive to what I see happening around me. I like to respond to things - a post that sparks a new idea, something in the news, etc. There's no right or wrong way - it's just what works for you and makes it fun for you.

If this ever stops being fun, I will stop.

Joel: Who are some creators that inspired you when you start?

Bonnie: I'm not even sure to be honest. I have some cousins who were early YouTubers and I used to always think about how that could be fun but the idea of being on camera or posting pictures scared me. So discovering LinkedIn as a platform that played to my strength (writing) was really exciting. I remember early on following some of the big names like Adam Karpiak and thinking I could do that too!

Joel: What has been the biggest challenge for you with creating content?

Bonnie: Keeping it fresh. It can be easy to get repetitive - that's why I find responding to the news to be a good way to keep things current.

Joel: How has content helped your business/career/personal life?

Bonnie: It's been life changing! I've gotten paid speaking engagements, brand deals, been featured in lots of major news publications, done podcasts. I even got invited to be on Dr. Phil (I ultimately didn't do that one). I make 4 and even 5-figures a month off of this without charging my audience which has a really meaningful impact on my life and makes it worthwhile to put time in content creation.

At work, I know it's helped drive great people to consider working at my company which makes it a lot easier to fill roles. 

Joel: What is next for you in your content creation journey?

Bonnie: I'm thinking about a website or an Instagram next...just continue to knock out platforms and try a different focus on each. But mostly I'm just enjoying figuring out and growing the platforms I'm on, and seeing where that takes me!

What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out?

Don't be afraid to try something new! Video scared me, and now I'm finding it really fun!

Also, don't feel like you need to have everything figured out. I had no idea where this was going when I started (and didn't even intend to be a "content creator" but I just follow where things are going and try to take advantage of the opportunities I see. I didn't have a branding or a catchy name. I record most of my tiktoks by holding my phone in my hand. Just do what feels natural to you - you can always evolve!

Last year, someone reached out - I recognized the name but was convinced it was going to be a sales call. Instead, he shared a partnership opportunity and that's what unlocked the world of brand partnerships to me. So just stay open-minded and see what's out there for you.

Finally, recognize that often, you don't own your own platform. This is why I have a newsletter - that's actually the only platform where I have complete control over my audience, people fully opt in to seeing my content, and you know exactly who sees your content. I wish I'd started this earlier as I've connected with so many people yet could lose those connections if a platform shuts down.

Joel: Where can people find you/connect with you?

Bonnie: I've got all my platforms here

Each week I am going to give you a few tips if you want to get started on creating content based on the conversation I’ve had:

Creating on multiple channels is a challenge - Start with one

I should know, I create content on Linkedin, Tiktok, Twitter, Instagram, Livestream, Podcast, Youtube shorts, Facebook… Yeah, it’s a lot. Oh, and this newsletter!

What I love about Bonnie is her approach to one platform at a time. She started with Linkedin, then Tiktok, then her newsletter…

I recommend researching where your candidates/clients/target market spend time and starting there. I would imagine Linkedin is the starting place for most recruiters.

Linkedin is great because you can explore: Text, Images, Newsletters, Livestreams, and Video.

Focus on your natural strength first - For example, Writing or video, and then start to branch out.

Here are 3 tips for staying consistent early on:

1. Done is better than perfect, just post something. Your first post will likely NOT go viral. That can be helpful until you become more comfortable.

2. Have Fun: Bonnie mentioned several times that she has a lot of fun creating content. It’s easier to create when you have this mentality. If it feels like hard work, it will be hard work.

3. Pay attention to your company guidelines: DON’T put your job at risk unless you plan at being a full-time influencer/content creator. (It’s hard work if you take this path lol)

Thank you for reading this episode:

If you are looking for additional help with your content I’m providing 1 on 1 coaching, team workshops/training, and ghostwriting and advising services. Want to work with me?

You can book a quick call here: https://calendly.com/humanheadhunter/quick-meeting?back=1&month=2023-06

Until next time!

Joel

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