Jayde Powell started her social media career over a decade ago, working for wellness brands and big name companies like Delta Airlines. She later shifted towards LinkedIn after noticing other creators moving away from X.com, formerly known as Twitter. She started posting observations from her experience in corporate America on the job search platform, and within a year, her posts started gaining traction. A sponsored post opportunity from Sprout Social for $1,000 was a light-bulb moment for Powell as she realized she could leverage her skills to create content as herself on LinkedIn.
Powell, who runs her Atlanta-based social media strategy agency, The Em Dash Co., has made $27,000 so far this year from posting content on LinkedIn as Jayde I. Powell. This additional income has proven to be helpful in paying her bills and offsetting business expenses while she grows her company. The combined income from LinkedIn, The Em Dash Co., and other social media content has exceeded what she earned solely from her agency last year, and is slightly higher than the median annual salary for social media managers in the U.S.
Powell’s success on LinkedIn is attributed to her ability to marry corporate content with a conversational tone, injecting enough personality to make people feel like they are engaging with a real person. This authenticity has resonated well with her audience, leading to her becoming a LinkedIn influencer. She actively seeks out clients for her personal page in the same way she found corporate clients for her agency, by making a list of tools she uses as an influencer and reaching out to them.
The rise of influencer marketing has made platforms like LinkedIn a valuable space for creators to connect with brands and audiences. Powell believes that the income from her LinkedIn side hustle could soon surpass what she earns from her solo agency, as businesses are increasingly seeking out real people to represent them. Despite the challenges of running a business and a side hustle by herself, the flexibility and potential for growth keep Powell motivated to continue building her personal brand and audience on LinkedIn.
Powell’s next goal is to hit 100,000 followers on LinkedIn by the end of 2025, as she considers shifting her focus towards her personal content and potentially becoming a full-time LinkedIn influencer. She has found success by taking the platform seriously and adapting her content to fit trends and issues that resonate with young professionals. Her journey is a testament to the power of leveraging personal branding and authenticity to attract and engage with audiences on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
