Thank you to the almost 2,000 amazing people who 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 who is doing a great job with their content. (Internal recruiters, Agency recruiters, HR leaders…)

   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, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram… yeah everywhere. 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 working with Joel to get in front of 2-3 million people a month reach out to [email protected] for collaborations.

This week I’m featuring a creator that not only has grown a following of over 20,000 on Linkedin. He runs Talent a Startup and has a rich background in agency and in-house recruitment.

What I love most about his content is the value he brings to the recruiter community.

Andrew Lewis

Here is his story.

FROM ANDREW’S LINKEDIN PROFILE:

At my core, I am a strategic thinker, innovator, leader, and educator who sees life through an entrepreneurial lens. To me, there is nothing more exciting than helping bring people together to solve big problems. And that is why I thrive in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition.

Bringing together my love for relationship-building, marketing, sales, and strategy, I strive to build talent brands that are always innovating, always improving, and most importantly - always seeking to provide a better experience for job seekers.

To me, the Talent function goes far beyond simply filling jobs. A strong system has many layers and requires the right framework, strategy, network, and tools. Utilizing this infrastructure, my main objective in everything I do is to build talent processes that are equitable, efficient, and scalable.

Joel: How long have you been in recruitment?

Andrew: I just celebrated my 8th year in Recruitment. I first started (more like stumbled) into my first Recruiting role in August of 2015.

Joel: Why did you start creating content?

Andrew: I started creating content for a few different reasons. First of all, I wanted to use myself as a case study and prove that creating a strong personal brand could directly impact hiring success from a company standpoint. I also had the long view in mind and wanted to build a reputation as a trusted recruitment leader for any future opportunities that I may want to pursue. I had seen a few of my early mentors build and leverage strong personal brands, and I wanted to ensure that I was putting myself in a position to do the same.

Joel: What channels/platforms do you focus on?

Andrew: At this point, LinkedIn is the primary channel that I focus on. I have dabbled in TikTok and Twitter (X), but LinkedIn has always been #1.

Joel: You’ve built a successful LinkedIn following, How long did it take to do this?

Andrew: I have built my following of almost 20k followers in just over a year. Keep in mind that I have never been a part of any pods or communities, or leaned into any growth hacking methods. My philosophy has always been: Building strong and steady > building fast and fragile.

Joel: You recently launched a podcast, What inspired you to do this?

Andrew: For me, podcasting was a natural next step in the content that I was already creating. I believe that great video content can be a true differentiator, especially for Recruiters. Those who can demonstrate both domain and industry expertise to a targeted audience via video content, are giving themselves a huge advantage.

Joel: What has surprised you about podcasting?

Andrew: How well-received it has been, and how interested people are in hearing about my perspective. I find it to be both humbling and exciting.

Joel: What has worked well for you in starting the podcast?

Andrew: I think podcasting can be relatively simple when you focus on your area of expertise. Start by discussing topics that you face in your everyday life, or problems that you are solving regularly, and see how your audience resonates with it. Start simple and adjust as you go.

Joel: How has your brand led to career opportunities and business opportunities?

Andrew: Thankfully, I have not yet had to leverage my network for new job opportunities, and I have not launched any business ventures. But I think where I have seen the most benefit has been in the credibility it has built within my network and with the stakeholders in my organization. I have been able to build great relationships with key decision-makers at different organizations, and have been invited to participate in various podcasts and speaking engagements. I also have built a high level of credibility within my own team, and am able to help lead the charge when it comes to strategic conversations around talent, content marketing, culture enablement, and overall brand development.

Joel: What advice would you give to people thinking about starting on Linkedin?

Andrew: Launch ugly. In other words, don't overthink it - just commit to posting content regularly in whatever cadence works for you (daily, 3x week, etc.) and contribute to other people's content on your feed as much as you can. Your LinkedIn activity will start to snowball over time and it will become much easier to manage within your daily work activities.

Joel: What are the most important elements for quality LinkedIn content?

Andrew: I'm sure there are many bigger creators who would have a different opinion, but for me, it's always come down to authenticity. I try to share my authentic thoughts and perspectives, in my authentic voice. It can certainly be helpful to draw inspiration from other creators and their styles. But at the end of the day, people follow you and stay with you because of YOU.

Joel: What was the most challenging part about creating content on Linkedin?

Andrew: The most challenging part for me has been keeping a fresh slate of content ideas. I am not as sophisticated as other creators; most of my content is not automated or highly planned out. I do keep an open notepad on my phone where I jot down high-level ideas or concepts, and then I go back to them later and break them down into posts.

Joel: How have your employers viewed your LinkedIn content?

Andrew: Very favorably. Because I have used myself as a case study, and have shared much of the data with our team, many within our organization have been able to see the power of personal branding and how it directly impacts hiring.

Joel: How do you maintain your authenticity?

Andrew: I don't allow myself to be bothered by other creators, their strategy or success, or any other vanity metrics. I only focus on providing value to my followers and engaging in discussions around important topics within the industry.

Joel: How do you balance quality vs. going viral?

Andrew: Truthfully, going viral is terrible (at least for me). I have had 3 posts get over a million impressions, and it led to endless notifications, tons of unsolicited messages, and lots of extra spam. If your goal is to build a meaningful network, I suggest quality over surface-level content every time. There's nothing wrong with sharing a funny meme or a light-hearted post, but the goal should always be to continue to build trust and authority with those who follow you.

Joel: How have you built relationships offline with your Linkedin presence?

Andrew: A strategy that has worked well for me is to take regular inventory of your engagement. Figure out who engages with your content regularly, and send them a thank-you message. I even like to invite them to a 30-minute coffee chat, and I have never had anyone turn me down. This has even led to some real-life meetups and hangouts, which is incredible. By the way, being someone who engages regularly in other peoples' content is another great way to start building genuine relationships.

Joel: Who are some creators that inspire you?

Andrew: This changes for me regularly, but some people who have been long-time inspirations: You (Joel Lalgee), Josh Fullmer, Brent Orsuga, Amy Miller, Bonnie Dilber, Vanesa Cotlar, and Alden Pennington.

Joel: How have you remained so consistent?

Andrew: At some point, I believe that your LinkedIn strategy has to become a part of your daily workflow. Once it does, it's hard to NOT be consistent with LinkedIn.

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

Andrew: I'm looking ahead to sharing some much higher-quality video content, perhaps even launching a solo podcast. Fun times ahead!

Joel: What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out from day 1?

Andrew: Don't compare your day 1 with someone else's day 100. Comparison is the thief of joy...just focus on getting a little better every day with your content, and your audience will naturally build around you.

Joel: What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in your journey as a content creator?

Andrew: I'm not sure I can nail down one particular thing, but some of the negative comments/messages that you receive as you start to become a more prominent figure on LinkedIn can be quite hilarious.

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

Andrew: The best place to reach me is on LinkedIn

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:

_{My tip is simple this week…}

Don’t Compare.

“Don't compare your day 1 with someone else's day 100. Comparison is the thief of joy... just focus on getting a little better every day with your content, and your audience will naturally build around you. I just spoke to someone today who admitted they stopped creating content because of my content.“ - Andrew Lewis

They didn’t want to follow my style, just to go “viral”… and when they posted they would only get 8 likes… So they STOPPED.

The truth for so many creators is comparison is so hard not to do and it can really get in your head.

Great ways to stop this:

1. Unfollow - If someone isn’t adding to you, then unfollow them… Yes even ME

2. Monitor Time - If you’re spending hours and hours scrolling and “checking out” other people, stop. I spend less than 1 hour a day on most of my platforms and it’s helped A LOT!

3. Take a break - It’s okay to take time away from these platforms. Consistency is about a long game, not a short game. Take time off when you need a break for your mental health.

Thank you for reading this episode:

If you are looking for additional help with your content I’m providing 1 on 1 coaching, corporate 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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