👋🏽 Doors Opening

Hey! Welcome to Creator Economy NYC — the premier place for all things creator economy in the Big Apple.

Happy Valentine's Day! 💛🧡💙

Made some creator economy-themed cards for the occasion. Share 'em with your creator or brand crush. Who knows, it might lead to something...

Now, onto today's newsletter: we're diving deep into LinkedIn and why it's becoming one of the most exciting platforms for creators in 2025. I sat down with creator Jayde Powell to break down exactly what's working right now.

And speaking of love... we're hosting a February Mixer on the 25th to close out the month! Details below 👀

Let's dive in.

✍️ City Spotlight

The LinkedIn creator playbook: what's actually working in 2025

I've been saying this since 2022 (probably earlier): LinkedIn isn't just another social platform — it's becoming one of the most powerful spaces for creators.

And I'm not just theorizing here.

In the past 12 months, I've grown my own LinkedIn presence from 2,000 to 8,000 followers (182.47% growth!), built a thriving creator community, and landed partnerships with major brands like Notion, AG1, beehiiv and more — all through intentional content creation on what Jayde Powell cleverly calls "the briefcase app."

If we’re not connected already - connect with me on LinkedIn here!

If you've been to any of our recent events, you know LinkedIn keeps coming up on every panel as a place to be creating. It's become a redundant takeaway!

Why LinkedIn matters right now

Here's what I've learned building a presence here: there are significantly more people consuming content than creating it.

While other platforms are oversaturated with creators fighting for attention, LinkedIn offers something unique — an audience actively seeking valuable content but not enough creators delivering it.

The proof? When I share behind-the-scenes content about our community's growth or breakdowns of our event strategies, the engagement isn't just higher than other platforms — it's more meaningful.

Comments turn into conversations, conversations turn into connections, and connections turn into real opportunities.

Redefining "professional" content

This week, I sat down with Jayde Powell, a Queens-born creator with BK roots, who's built an impressive presence of 24K followers on LinkedIn.

She's partnered with billion-dollar brands like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and Notion, making her one of the most successful creators in our community.

Together, we broke down exactly what's working on the platform right now.

"I wanted to be very anti-corporate on LinkedIn because that's how I am in real life," Jayde shared. "Even when I'm working in corporate, I'm very anti. So I wanted to take this lens of redefining professionalism."

This resonated deeply. Some of my most successful posts have been when I've broken away from traditional "professional" content and shared authentic insights about community building, the creator industry, and yes, even my failures.

What's clear in 2025: "professional" doesn't mean what it meant in 2020. Your LinkedIn presence can be professional AND personality-driven.

The no-BS guide to LinkedIn success

The biggest barrier to success? Overthinking it. (Remember what we discussed last week — underthink more, overthink less. Thx Erin).

Stage 1: Getting started

Your profile needs to work for you:

• Pick a good-lookin' headshot. Something clear and smiley

• Make your headline reflect who you are: "Community Builder" or "Content Creator and Brand Builder", maybe even add your city

• Update this headline routinely based on your focus (Jayde treats this like SEO), and think of searchable terms: what would dream brand partners look for?

Your first posts should be dead simple:

• Text posts under 4 lines (Jayde's approach) OR longer value-packed posts with one sentence per paragraph (my style)

• Attach a photo of yourself - the feed absolutely eats up personal images (not sure why, but it works lol)

• Write like you're texting a friend, not drafting a memo

Stage 2: Building momentum

Content that actually works:

• Behind-the-scenes content of your work and growth (eg. if you post something to IG, maybe share the process on LinkedIn)

• Share both wins AND losses, focus on learnings

• Day-in-the-life content

Growth strategies that matter:

• Create an "ownable" franchise (Jayde turned Creator Tea Talk from a series into a brand)

• Repurpose content but adapt it for LinkedIn's audience

• Share YOUR take on industry news — tap into your inner Stephen A Smith. Position yourself as an industry expert

Stage 3: Monetization

Jayde's built a $40K/year LinkedIn revenue stream through:

• Brand partnerships (starting at $1,500 per post)

• Content creation / freelance work for brands

• Speaking gigs

Simply being visible leads to opportunities. Spread your luck surface area.

Think beyond posts:

• Host events (virtual or IRL) and use them for content

• Create original content series

• Build genuine partnerships and tag people who inspire you

The F*ck It, Create It challenge

The opportunity on LinkedIn right now reminds me of early TikTok — there's still plenty of blue ocean for creators willing to stake their claim.

So here's an idea for a next move: Take this newsletter (or any content that inspires you) and share YOUR take on LinkedIn. What resonates? What's your experience? What would you add? Just get started.

And remember: No one's going to care about your content as much as you care about what they think about your content. In fact, you just might inspire them to start posting too.

Tag me and Jayde when you post. We'll be your supporters.

See you on the briefcase app 😉

—

P.S. If you missed our last event, you can now view the FULL panel on our YouTube channel here.

 🎪 City Happenings

Creator Economy NYC’s ‘Snowball Soirée’

WE’RE BACK. Join us for an exclusive Snowball Soirée at Maxwell Social on Feb 25, where top creators, marketers, and brands come together for an evening of meaningful connections and industry insights.

Whether you’re building, collaborating, or just looking to meet the industry’s finest — this is the room to be in (as always).

Proudly supported by Select Management Group, Teachable, and Siftsy, who are shaping the future of the creator economy in their own ways.

Limited space available — RSVP now to get on the waitlist!

 🤝 Save the Date

Our first conference is coming — CONNECT.

One full day where the creator community comes together to build what's next.

No PowerPoint marathons or awkward small talk. Instead, you'll experience:

• Insightful panels with creators who are building right now

• Hands-on workshops where you actually create

• Meaningful connection that spark real ideas and collaborations

Mark your calendar: May 10th, 2025 in NYC

Ready to join us? Get on the waitlist for first access to tickets.

P.S. If you’re interested in speaking (at the conference or any CENYC event), fill out this form. And if you’re a brand that wants to get involved, email me here.

 👌 Picks & Perks

Recommended tools for the modern creator & marketer

Start a newsletter: It’s time you own your audience and start a newsletter. Get 20% off your first 3 months on any beehiiv paid plan. Snag it here →

Understand audience sentiment: Siftsy analyzes comment sections to uncover sentiment and trends, helping you improve performance and prove ROI. Discover more here →

Get shareable clips in seconds from long form: I’ve been using OpusClip to easily create high-quality clips from our panels. Try it out here →

📚 Resources

FREE resources to accelerate your creator growth

I recently shared with you two free resources to help supercharge your creator journey in 2025. If ya missed it, you can download both right here:

The Creator Goal Setting Guide: A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2025.

The Creator Accountability System: Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2025 (I’m using this now to send one newsletter a week!)

✌🏽 Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Please

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you thought by replying back here!

And before I go, I want to give a lovely shoutout to my real valentine — my girlfriend and partner — Ally. She’s been on this CENYC journey with me since day 1, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her by my side. And now that this newsletter is sent, she gets my attention for the remainder of the day!

See you next week,

Brett