Funny how everyone on LinkedIn uses the Summary portion as a buzzword garden - you've got the whole experience section for that.

But hey - I've got 15+ years working in agencies, with a heavy emphasis on social, content, influencers, and campaigns. As a Director of Creative Strategy, I've lead Social AORs and campaigns for Microsoft, Beats By Dre, Verizon, Spotify, Minecraft, Bethesda, Rock Band, and a slew more - a bunch of details on all of that below.

Besides that? Huge NBA fan who plays ball 4 days a week, vinyl record collector, colossal music fan, and guy who Postmates far too much. Let's make something cool.

Jack Appleby

Okay, I’ve identified seven ways to know if someone’s using AI to write their LinkedIn:

I actually haven’t, I just think it’s ridiculous that anyone cares. If the content in front of your eyes is good, enjoy it! If it’s not good, scroll on right past. But there’s nothing more silly spending time wondering who’s using AI or having emotions about it.

Social Media / Creator Consultant | Work: Microsoft, Beats By Dre, Verizon, Twitch, Morning Brew, Rock Band, Community (six seasons and a movie!) & a slew of video games.

Should your brand only hire Social Media Managers who have their own personal brand and social following?

OF COURSE NOT. It's okay if social's just a job to them. Not everyone needs to build a personal brand in their free time. Does it help? Sure! Can it help show how someone thinks? Yes! But should it be a determining factor? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

“Industry experience required.”

Easily the dumbest, most self-sabotaging phrase in hiring.

If I'm hiring a social media manager for a shoe brand, they don't need five years of footwear experience—they need to understand marketing. They need to get storytelling, and community, and human emotion, and how to make engaging content.

MARKETING IS A TRANSFERABLE SKILL, FOLKS. What, are we in a post apocalyptic society where whatever task you're assigned in the zombie wasteland is your new career for life? Come. On. 

None of your industries are special snowflakes, folks. Yeah, there will be some industry specific things; maybe it's legalities, or demographic preferences, or who knows what. Any half decent marketer can learn that stuff in 30 seconds. Stop pretending like your field is rocket science. 

What's funny is I benefited from this silly way of thinking! Check my LinkedIn—over half my jobs are in the video game industry because once I had gaming experience, those companies kept on calling me. Funny thing? I wasn't allowed to play video games as a kid. And honestly? I don't think my ~gaming experience~ is what made me good at those jobs—it was my social experience.

So uh, hiring managers and companies? Maybe we get a littleee more creative and a littleee less lazy with how we hire people, yeah?

Welp, I did it. I built a 2nd media business around my 🏀 passion, that’s now a 2nd major income stream.

This is the TikTok payout for How To Hoop Forever last month. That's not counting brand deals or in-kind trades.

I'm being paid to play basketball.
You can follow along: https://lnkd.in/eFHFcG_s

ChatGPT can now turn off em-dashes.

What will the LinkedIn AI Police who wanna scream about "I CANT BELIEVE PEOPLE USE AI" complain about now?

Every. Single. Brand. Should. Post. YouTube. Shorts.

Here's 3 very simple reasons why ↓

YOU CAN LITERALLY JUST REPURPOSE YOUR REELS + TIKTOKS
Short-form vertical video is short-form vertical video. These platforms are the sameeee. You've already made the content, so why not just post the content on another massive social network?

YOUTUBE IS THE 2ND LARGEST SEARCH ENGINE
We've heard a lot about the importance of social SEO—Gen Z loves to search YouTube and TikTok the way us millennials usually google things. Getting your social content on YouTube ensures you're in the mix for searches

YOUR BRAND'S YOUTUBE IS PROBABLY DUSTY
Let's be honest, you probably just dropped old TV spots onto your brand's YouTube. Shorts suddenly give that channel purpose, AND will give your next commercial better lift when you inevitably toss it on this channel!

Why isn't your brand on YouTube shorts? What's stopping you? Lemme know in the comments.

I’m super proud of this week’s newsletter.

I’m writing about moving SLOWER in social.

Why speed doesn’t get us anything, how we’ve held ourselves to a reactionary standard that’s honestly not worth much, and why slowing down and being more deliberate are what get you the best social media results. 

Sub here to get it tomorrow: Futuresocial.beehiiv.com

BIG NEWS: my newsletter Future Social just hit 80k subs, and we've kept a 39% open rate!

I'm so proud of this thing. I've never spent a dime on advertising—Future Social has solely grown from readers sharing my articles & encouraging other to subscribe. Hell, I don't even promote it very much, but I really pride myself on writing strategies & case studies that help our beloved social media industry to keep getting better.

If you're not subbed yet, would love to see ya:
https://lnkd.in/eCGxAWpJ

What are your Social Media Predictions for 2026?

I'm gonna feature my favs in the newsletter!

Here's a list of areas to challenge your thoughts—just drop a comment here with your predictions!

- What’s one big social platform shift you think everyone’s underestimating?
- Which social network is due for a major glow-up… or a major collapse?
- What’s one content format you think is about to explode?
- What’s a trend we’re all obsessed with right now that won’t survive 2025?
- How will AI realistically change the day-to-day job of a social media manager?
- What’s one new feature Instagram/TikTok/YouTube WILL roll out next year?
- What’s the biggest skill social pros will need by 2026?
- What’s a type of content brands should immediately stop making?
- What’s the next “For You Page” evolution? (More personalization? More curation?)
- What’s one creator behavior you think brands should steal?
- What’s a metric that will matter way more than it does today?
- What’s a metric we’ll all stop caring about?
- Will Threads actually become a thing? (Or… lol no?)
- What do you think the TikTok algorithm will look like post–ownership change?
- What’s one consumer behavior shift we’re all sleeping on?
- What’s a category of brands that will win big on social in 2026?
- What’s a hot take about the future of paid social?
- What’s your prediction for UGC creators in 2026?
- What new job title will emerge for social teams next year?
- What’s one way social media marketing will look completely different 18 months from now?

Or pick your own!

There's one major mistake I'm seeing brands make over and over in their Influencer Marketing efforts ↓

Brands are giving influencers unreasonably short timelines to create the content, then giving themselves what feels like eons to approve the content... then turning back and asking the creators for edits within 24 hours.

Influencer partnerships are just that—partnerships. It's gotta be a team effort on both sides. You're immediately alienating influencers when you ask for impossible deadlines, or when your brand doesn't deliver timely feedback after asking influencers to drop everything to make content.

Like, think about it. If you've identified an influencer as someone who can successfully drive business for your brand, you probably wanna do everything to make sure they have a great experience, because the last thing you want is them no longer supporting you!

The solves are simple:
- Be realistic in timelines, for both creators and approvals
- Have a clear approval process on the brand side
- Suggest timelines to influencers, but specifically ask them to feedback on the timeline and see what works for them.

Pink Instagram backgrounds now exist!

Buttt you can’t get them. The details ↓

So Instagram started a very exclusive awards program called Rings—basically the Oscars for Insta. Only 25 creators were selected worldwide for the honor.

Two of the benefits of winning Rings:
- creators get custom background colors
- your IG stories ring turns gold (example on left)

Personally, I don’t love the colors look (it’s hard to read & at a glance, it’s impossible to know why they have colored backgrounds when no one else does), but would you want the option to change your color?

No alternative text description for this image

Hot take: your brand’s social will fail if it’s all trend content.

You need to make real, original IP. Unique content!

Your social strategy can’t just be reacting to whatever’s new and hot on the For You Page. The celeb memes and popular songs you’re using? Yeah, those are copyrighted.

YOU DON’T NEED TRENDS. Your brand is interesting all on its own, I promise! And really, your content should constantly pay off the EMOTIONAL BENEFIT of your product, which really doesn’t need any ~culture~ (oh, I’m yelling again, sorry).

If you want relevance year-round, you need content that’s recognizable, repeatable, and uniquely yours. This is cliche, but the best brands in the world don’t join trends, they leverage social insights to start them.
So, I partnered with Hootsuite to create a simple checklist to help you build evergreen content that’ll do numbers without ever checking what’s trending. 
👉 Head to Hootsuite’s LinkedIn page for the full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/eSa3qpNS

#HootsuitePartner

Brand partnership • Social Media / Creator Consultant | Work: Microsoft, Beats By Dre, Verizon, Twitch, Morning Brew, Rock Band, Community (six seasons and a movie!) & a slew of video games.

Can we stop trying to reboot Vine?

TikTok and Instagram have already won. You don't even want Vine back—you just don't realize it.

The nostalgia for the app is cute, but here's what'd happen:
- you'd log in on day 1 out of curiosity
- you'd love the shortest videos ever again
- by week 2, you'd forget its on your phone as your habits go back to Instagram (where your friends and creators are) and TikTok (where the best algorithm in the world knows what content you want).

VINE 2 IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN STOP IT!!!

If you get upset when your brand's social media comments turn negative... you've probably put too much of your identity into your job. 

You're not the company your work for, or the product, or even the social media content you make for the company. It's all work. And sure, you should be proud of when the work does well! But when it doesn't? Or when the company's under fire for some reason that has literally nothing to do with you? That shouldn't bother you.

But I see farrrr too many social media professionals (especially young ones) tie their self-worth to their social media jobs. That's always a recipe for disaster. 

Maybe I'm lucky—my social career began on 3 hated products. I worked community management for some EA video games: Battlefield, Need For Speed: The Run, and Mass Effect 3... also known as a massive game that launched with major glitches, the most hated rendition of a beloved franchise, and the long-awaited trilogy ender with an ending blasted by fans. All 3 got tonssss of negative comments, and I knew up front that those comments weren't a reflection of me.

So please, make sure you're not tying too much of yourself to your brands. Touch grass, as they say.

graphical user interface, text, application

Yeah, you could post memes & lols on LinkedIn...

Anddd it'll do truly nothing to help your career.

I loved a LinkedIn post I saw from Shannon Kelly Ash this morning. She ran a little experiment on her personal account:

"I posted a bunch of unhinged nonsense daily and gained 1,500+ followers and 400,000+ impressions in just over a month. Sounds pretty neat on paper, right? 

Except … visibility ≠ opportunity.

When I used to post polite content tips [3 likes], my inbox was full of job offers and freelance opportunities. Now? With exponentially more reach? Nothing."

This is the number one mistake I see people make in content. We think all engagement is good engagement. We think being the funny guy means we'll get attention... but it's not the attention you want.

You want to be an authority! You want to appeal to bosses & budget holders, not be one of those LinkedIn people who complains about the industry or pokes fun at things. That doesn't get you noticed by the right people.

So please, use LinkedIn, but if you're here to better your career? Share content that shows off that big ol' brain of yours.

And hey, if you need an easy way to start? I've got a $5/month thing I built that gives you daily LinkedIn writing prompts meant to mine your brain for thinking & ideas that are specific to YOU. Give it a look over here if you like: https://lnkd.in/gTTZVf4e

What's the best piece of advice you'd give to someone who wants to work in social media?

Black F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶
Black F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶W̶e̶e̶k̶
Black F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶C̶y̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶d̶a̶y̶
Black F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶E̶x̶t̶e̶n̶d̶e̶d̶
Black Existence

Reply with your take, I'm gonna feature a bunch in my newsletter!

Accenture Song

Led the U.S. launch of the new Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Defender 130.

Newsweek's World's Greatest Auto Disruptors: Marketing Campaign of the Year 2021 for Land Rover Defender Above & Beyond Service Awards

Formally Spark44 now Accenture Song: Land Rover - Social Media, Brand/Campaigns & Retail
–Lead the Land Rover USA account team in charge of social media, plus retail and brand digital marketing.
– Manage the day-to-day ownership, development and nurturing of client relationship from briefing, strategy, creative to execution & evaluation.

Associate Account Director – Social, Brand, & Retail Marketing

Self Employed

– Previous clients include: Geoff Sykes Racing, Adventure Drives, Oceanside Motorsports, BMW Car Club of America, BMW CCA - San Diego Chapter, The Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen
– Gale Partners: Helped guide CRM content strategy for BMW USA by providing extensive BMW product and customer knowledge.
– Adventure Drives: Planned and executed a social media strategy in a short time frame which saw a 116% increase in Facebook likes, almost 100,000 Twitter impressions, and grew their Instagram follower base by over 130%!
– Oceanside Motorsports: Managed all social media channels, promoted events, contributed to the design, creation, and implementation of all branding and marketing materials including logo
design, website layout, advertising, and promo videos.
– Red Bull Global Rallycross Driver and Sony Actioncam Athlete Geoff Sykes: Manage social media accounts during races to engage fans and provide content creation ideas and strategy between events.
– BMWBLOG: Content contributor for the leading BMW news website, reviews and every other little bit of interesting information from the BMW world.
– Canon Professional Services Member
– Ben Carufel Photography: As a photo assistant for Ben Carufel of Insite Architectural / Ben Carufel Photography, I have worked on photo shoots for TS Restaurants, Hard Rock Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, and Grand Pacific Resorts.

Digital Marketing, Content Strategy & Social Media Consultant

Shift Digital

– Managed Tier 3 digital marketing efforts for BMW of North America centers in Western Region Market 38 (Pacific Northwest).
– Areas of focus included: paid and organic social media, search engine optimization and marketing, website design and layout, plus customer relationship management.

BMW Digital Marketing Consultant

rpc - The Retail Performance Company

Digital Marketing Consultant

– Plan, create, and execute content strategy for BMW Group University's media channels which promote training for 35,000+ BMW, MINI, and Motorrad Center employees.

Content Strategist – BMW Group University

BMW of North America Customer Experience Content Manager
– Managed the planning, creation and management of the BMW Genius How-To videos that are featured on the BMW USA YouTube channel, website, emails, apps, and various other customer touch points. Since I have taken over, total views have increased by 249% and total view time by 247%, with a projected total YouTube view count of almost 9 million for this year.
– Was in charge of all product content in the BMW Genius app available on the Apple iTunes App Store and Google Play Store. The app is used in all BMW North America dealerships by the BMW Genius Team and is available to the public for a quick reference to BMW information.
– Managed all content in the BMW Relay App which is available to all BMW of North America and MINI dealerships. This internal app provides guidance and product information to BMW and MINI Geniuses to help them provide a premium vehicle delivery experience.
– Created and edited quick reference cards which are included in every new BMW to help customers with key information about how to best operate their new vehicle.
– BMW B0, B1, & B2 License Certification

Content Manager – BMW of North America

BMW Car Club of America

The BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) boasts more than 75,000 active members within the United States, making it the largest BMW owner/enthusiast organization in the world.
– Editor for the club's Roundel Weekly newsletter that summarizes stories from the BMW CCA website (www.bmwcca.org) and from around the internet covering the entire BMW brand and lifestyle. Currently the newsletter gets distributed to over 42,000 members.
– Digital Content Manager in charge of planning, creating, and scheduling of quality content for the BMW CCA website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram.
– Worked on marketing campaigns with Intercontinental Hotels Group, Shell, and Michelin.
– In my first year of managing the Club's social media channels: 
	- Increased Facebook Page likes by 88% and weekly reach by 315%
	- Increased Twitter followers by 44% and average engagement by 221%
	- Took a fledgling Instagram account to a thriving follower base!

Editor, Digital Content & Social Media Manager

Michelin

– Michelin Certified Tire Specialist
– Featured in the Michelin Pilot Experience for the Pilot Sport 4S launch.
– Involved with the Michelin 25th Hour launch event for the Michelin Pilot Super Sport ultra-high performance tire.   Blog Post Link: goo.gl/39Ywg
– Due to my great word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing for the Pilot Super Sport launch, “promoted” to Key Influencer where I help spread the word about Michelin products and events via social media, blog posts, newsletter articles, and WOM including the worldwide launch of the new Michelin Defender in January 2012 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
– Involved with the New Tire. New Track. New Orleans. launch event for the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 all-season ultra-high performance tire.
– Guest blogger for the Michelin USA Instagram and Google+ social media pages during the 2013 North American International Auto Show.  Produced over 50 posts for each account over 2 days.
– Guest blogger for the BFGoodrich Tires Instagram and Google+ social media pages during their BFGoodrich Rival max performance tire launch at NOLA Motorsports Park. Successfully created an Instagram account which immediately grew to a large follower base.

Brand Ambassador (not an employee)

BMW of North America, LLC

As a BMW Genius, I was responsible for delivering comprehensive product information and a delightful customer experience throughout the sales process. My goal was to improve the efficiency of the sales department through my product knowledge and technical support. By being the pinnacle resource of information for the client, I ensured that they got the most out of their BMW by understanding the benefits of the features on their Ultimate Driving Machine.

- Consistently one of the top-ranked dealerships for Encore Delivery Takerate.

BMW Genius

BMW CCA San Diego Chapter

– Advertising Manager: In charge of all advertising for the club's newsletter, website, and events. Increased yearly advertising revenue by over 20% in first 6 months. 
– Social Media Manager: In charge of planning, creating, and scheduling of quality content for the chapter's Facebook page and Twitter account.
– High Performance Driving Instructor

Advertising & Social Media Manager

COBRA PUMA GOLF

– Responsible for handling a high call volume while simultaneously utilizing systems to retrieve information like order history and shipment tracking, enter incoming orders, and setup of returns.
– Utilized expertise in golf product knowledge while communicating with golf professionals, sales associates, and customers.
– Daily order entry of hard and soft goods for green-grass and off-course retail shops.

Customer Service Representative

Callaway Golf

– Responsible for the integration, calibration, test procedures and data acquisition for Golf Ball Research and Development testing equipment.
– Participated on marketing teams that lead to the launch of new products.
– Worked with market research teams that studied customer’s buying habits. 
– Training and supervision of intern team that produced results for the legal team.
– Optimized systems by developing Macros to consolidate and format data, improving efficiency. 
– Set-up and interfaced test equipment with company computers and networks.
– Managed aerodynamic testing in the Indoor Test Range (ITR).
– Developed and implemented an RFID tracking system for test samples.
– Lead test development projects for optimization of testing systems.
– Analysis of statistical data and reporting.
– Developed Standard Operating Procedures for robot, laboratory and aerodynamics testing.

Research and Development Systems Engineer

There are two types of engineers in this world: those that calculate and those that figure out how things work. With good calculators, you give them a computer and let them do their thing. I fall into the latter group, and have used my skills to develop successful digital marketing strategies across multiple platforms and channels. 

taplio

The Battle

Jack Appleby

Nate Risch

Followers

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Performance ScoreJack Appleby's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Jack Appleby

Nate Risch

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jack Appleby's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreJack Appleby's LinkedIn Performance