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

Honestly? These 10 resolutions could change your career.

1. ASK A DIFFERENT COWORKER TO COFFEE 1X A MONTH
Get to know your team. Bonus points if they're not in your department. You'd be amazed which relationships end up changing your life.

2. APPLY FOR ONE JOB PER MONTH (EVEN IF YOU'RE HAPPY)
Wanna know the best time to get a new job? When you don't need one.

3. COMMIT TO ONE WEEKLY AFTER-WORK ACTIVITY YOU NEVER MISS.
For me, it's kickball. I don't care what work fire comes up, I refuse to miss that time each week. We all need a built in boundary. 

4. WRITE ONE LINKEDIN POST A WEEK
I'm begging you, start showing off how you think online. It's the easiest way to get more eyeballs on your career and resume.

5. TAKE ONE COURSE OR CERTIFCATION
One of the easiest ways to signal to companies you're invested is to keep learning.  And I bet your company will pay for it. 

6. SEND ONE EMAIL THANKING A TEAM MEMBER PER MONTH
CC their boss and say all the things you appreciate about them.

7. BE THE FIRST PERSON TO SHOW UP TO MEETINGS
Don't be the late guy, and enjoy the small talk before everyone shows up. Great place to deepen relationships, too. 

8. FIND A MENTOR (OUTSIDE YOUR COMPANY)
We all need someone with a little wisdom and perspective to guide us.

9. KEEP A RUNNING DOC OF WINS
Easy route: slack screenshots to yourself of praise or results!

10. ASK YOUR BOSS WHAT YOU NEED TO IMPROVE TO GET PROMOTED
Ask for specific feedback, then track that feedback throughout the year

You trying any resolutions? Any of these you think you'll try? Lemme know!

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.

"Follower count doesn't matter anymore!"

Uh... Followers absolutely matter. Here's why:

Now that we're in the For You Page era, a very popular take I see in the Creator + Social Media world is that "followers don't matter anymore!" Anddd that's just silly and dumb.

YES, social media is more of a meritocracy than ever before! Great content can go viral no matter how many followers you have! It's genuinely the best time ever to become a creator or invest in social media marketing for that exact reason—great content can win, whether you have 0 followers or millions.

But uh... it's still better to have followers than to not have followers. OF COURSE IT IS. Who WOULDN'T want to have more followers for their business or personal brand?

(Also I swear if something comments here with "but you want the RIGHT followers" as if that's some enlightened thought, yes, of course you want targeted followers).

But here's a list of reasons why Followers still matter

1. FOLLOWERS ARE STILL THE CLOSEST THING TO OWNED DISTRIBUTION.
They’re the first people who see your post, the first engagement signal the algorithm reads, and the reason you’re not starting from zero every time you hit publish. Discovery is powerful, but distribution compounds.

2. FOLLOWERS RAISE YOUR FLOOR. 
A real follower base means fewer total flops and more consistent performance over time. One big pop feels great. A strong baseline is how brands actually grow. I see everyone talk about the value of community—you can't have community without followers.

3. FOLLOWER COUNT IS STILL SOCIAL PROOF. 
It influences brand deals, partnerships, speaking gigs, hiring conversations, everything. It influences consumers! If you're gonna spend your hard earned money on a brand, you probably are choosing the more popular brand.

4. FOLLOWERS ARE A SIGN OF INFLUENCE AND SUCCESS
If a person or brand has a bunch of followers, it's because a bunch of people thought they were worth following. Now yes, you should make sure their content still gets views and engagement, but followers are a sign of success!

Let's be honest—the "followers don't matter" narrative mostly comes from... well... people and brands without followers. And there is SOME truth to it, because great content can succeed no matter your follower count! But I've seen wayyy too many people mutate this take into demonizing follower counts, as if having followers is a bad thing. It's not. You should try to get more followers. It matters.

VP, Marketing at Teal | Using brand strategy, social media, and content marketing to empower others in their careers

Hi, there. 👋 

I'm Lia—a marketing leader with 15+ years of experience driving brand awareness, content strategy, social media, and community engagement at hyper-growth, early-stage startups like WeWork and Teal. 

With proven success in leveraging organic social media, influencer marketing, and executive thought leadership to scale audience reach and revenue, I'm passionate about storytelling and human-first team management while driving brand affinity, engagement, and growth across the education, entertainment, and future of work verticals.

Throughout my career, I've grown social audiences by over 1MM+, increased ARR from $0 to $3MM in two years, and built high-impact brand strategies that resulted in a 500%+ engagement increase across platforms. 

I'm also a writer—a title I'm just learning to embrace in 2025, though it's always been who I am at my core. I'm currently working on a young adult (YA) novel about theater camp and building out a Substack called "the recharge." (Link in my bio to learn more.) 

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of LinkedIn. Looking forward to connecting!

Lia Zneimer

In a crowded career advice space, it's tempting to listen to the loudest voices—but often it's the quieter ones that are most impactful. 

Enter Mary Jantsch, someone whose insights and frameworks I've admired since my time at Teal. 

I've been fortunate to get to know Mary better over the past few months, both through Substack and IRL, and am constantly in awe of how she thinks about career growth as a living ecosystem that can evolve seasonally. 

In this week's edition of the recharge, Mary reflects on: 

🌱 Why she left her $165k/year job for a $15/hour job
🌱 What surprised her about burnout (and what she wishes others knew)
🌱 Being brave enough to change course
🌱 5 questions to ask yourself before quitting your job
🌱 What to do if you’re piecing together a life that doesn’t fit in a job title
🌱 How to build a “contrary” career

… and so much more. 

I hope you get as much out of this conversation as I did. (I wanted to highlight every other sentence.)

Writer | Author | Marketer | Using brand strategy, social media, and content marketing to empower others in their careers

Open article: 🔌 For anyone quietly reconsidering their work by open.substack.com

🔌 For anyone quietly reconsidering their work

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The Battle

Jack Appleby

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