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!

Undisclosed

Greet and welcome all guests 

Maintain, track, and organize walk in freezer and liquor storeroom inventory, optimizing layout according to sales volume and ease of access

Stock bar with alcohol, glassware, napkins, and garnishes, create batch cocktails, maintain dated labels for all perishable inventory, create new garnishes peeling and slicing fruit, operate juicer to create fresh juice for in-house craft cocktails 

Monitor crowd for attempted underage or excessive drinking, check IDs to enforce alcohol compliance as needed 

Engage in and guide entertaining guest conversations, recommend menu items, take patron orders, take group pictures for guests, and mix, measure, and pour drinks

Barback & Bartender

Maxed Out Solar

I help smart remote workers turn roofs into paychecks to stop stressing money, get battery backup power to protect your home business from outages, charge your EV at the best possible price, and get prepared for the future. Dozens helped, over $1M saved.☀️ 

Develop lead funnels, build partnerships, secure earned media, and table live events. 

Write blog and social media posts, email and SMS blasts, and video scripts

Manage all SEO and social media operations

Coordinate and hold discovery calls, conduct market research to evaluate suitability of rooftop solar panel installation for clients

Cohosted dozens of educational events as well as sales presentations, both in-person and online 

Remotely manage cold calling operations 

Maxed Out Solar installs home solar panels in these locations: 👇

Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Massachusetts
Maryland
North Carolina
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia

And Puerto Rico! ⚡️ 

Fully Independent Powur Dealer
Powur PBC - Powur Public Benefit Corporation

Solar Consultant

Repeater Digital

Collaborated with cofounders to design and execute brand positioning strategy.

Conducted market research to uncover key insights and opportunities for clients. 

Authored case studies, ghostwrote social media posts, and created written proposals. 

Provided brand marketing, copywriting, and marketing analysis services, resulting in client acquisitions.

Marketing Analyst

CASA IN ACTION

Opened 2 offices in York and Harrisburg 
Keyholder, team leader, key decision maker 
Lead and managed over 2 dozen canvassers
Provided door-to-door training and coaching 
Collectively knocked 30k doors, making goal
Delivered campaign victories for 2/3 candidates

Lead Field Organizer

Clean Water Action

Canvassed residents door to door 
Surveyed public regarding clean water policy
Collected high value electoral intelligence
Influenced ad spend and strategy, in real time

Canvasser

FieldWorks

Engaged and registered hundreds of voters
Targeted voter outreach equitably
Conducted location based canvassing

Electoral Organizer

Sustainable Energy Systems, LLC

Conducted opening and closing operations
Loaded work van with supplies and equipment 
Installed fall protection systems 
Carried solar panels up ladders 
Used cable management techniques to ensure fire code compliance 
Used climbing harnesses, helmets, and other PPE
Used hand tools and power tools to install solar panels
Perfect safety record

Solar Installer

National Battery

Conducted opening and closing operations 
Communicated via phone and email  
Maintained inventory 
Conducted all shipping operations  
Assembled, weighed and tested batteries 
Assisted on a traveling UPS installation job
Operated forklift and 26’ box truck
Perfect safety record

Warehouse Clerk

I’m a heist architect. I help homeowners max out financial freedom, taking cash from utility monopolies and giving it to the unsung working class heroes. That’s you. ☀️🏠 

But there’s no point going on a heist if you ain’t gonna get your cut.

This is 100% legal.

The biggest payout we’ve ever hit is $264,000. A few times we’ve gotten over $100,000.

But most people don’t see results like that. 
Most people who move forward see a cut (read: savings) of $26,000.

I offer lucrative incentives if you submit solar install referrals, and 5-6 figure savings for solar customers who move forward.

Home solar is an important long-term equity building financial asset, hedge against energy inflation, and a heroic act of decarbonization.

But I'm not the hero in the story, dear reader. You are.

I'm not the kind of guy you want to ask for my wallet in a dark alley at 2 am.

All I’ve got are a few &^#$ left to give, and I don’t even have much of those.

Statistically speaking, there's a good chance one of us is getting rekt.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten my ass kicked before.

It’s not too bad.
I haven’t died. Yet.

I'm a bad dude.

I'm lazy.
I lack skills, talent, and general ambition.
I have thrillseeker tendencies.
And I'm a terrible influence on others around me.

In short, I am a dangerous cult of personality and someone you should probably avoid.

But the best part of all this?
I get paid to absolutely wreck shop on other worse bad dudes.

Bad dudes who deserve to have a bad day.

And if you like reading that and feel a little sick and twisted, that's okay.

Most of us have antisocial tendencies to some degree.
But a lot of us lack the self-awareness or humility needed to acknowledge ‘em.

Anyway, the bad dudes I get paid to fight are commercial real estate (think of your least favorite demagogue) and the fossil fuels industry (climate criminals and the "F-the-world" wealthy)

Every time a remote worker goes solar, many bad dudes are gonna get kicked in the pants repeatedly.

And the underdogs are gonna have our day. ⚡️

Together. *Cue the music*

Wanna help?

50% deaf since birth, I know what it’s like to struggle.

If you’re tired of struggling with high energy costs, you need to DM me.

Due to my life’s unique journey, I have recognized the need for an inclusive, welcoming, and explicitly anti-racist community in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and now Washington DC.

Connect for a free roof assessment or to refer someone you know. Join me and fight climate change, get prepared for a less stable world, and own your energy to become more financially free.

Maxwell Neely

Bartender: 

Alright man, you’ve had enough, I’m cutting you off 

Me, 6 neat double rye whiskeys deep: 

No, you’re wrong!

Creating a solar rebellion, one roof at a time ☀️💰

Donald Trump appears confused and bewildered as he normally looks 

I’m proud to have Alex as a solar client. Being values aligned sealed the deal for him. He’s an absolute badass, and a great guy. Go follow him on all socials. 👇

[she/her 🏳️‍⚧️⚧️🏳️‍🌈 they/them] Neurodivergent Scholar-Activist: ⟨Quantum Foundations of Physics | Philosophy, Cosmology, & Consciousness | Holistic International Higher Education | Decolonial JEDI@STEAM⟩ ⚛️ ♾ 🇵🇸

Tesla vehicles have the highest fatality rate for auto accidents. Tesla is a meme stock running purely on hype and name recognition. 🚨

Open to Work | Focused on energy and the just transition.

If I owned TSLA, I'd sell it all immediately. No CEO is worth $1 trillion. Nor even a billion. Get a grip.

Open article: Tesla Approves Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Package by forbes.com

Tesla Approves Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Package

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The Battle

Jack Appleby

Maxwell Neely

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The Battle

Jack Appleby

Maxwell Neely

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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