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Dear LinkedIn…

By Jackie Gordon •  Updated: 04/15/24 •  8 min read
Sales & Marketing

Dear LinkedIn,

If I said I’d even been lurking around you LinkedIn, my nose would grow like Pinocchio’s. The truth is I’ve been pretty much ignoring you for years.

When I started writing this post, I looked back at my stats. I’ve been on Linkedin for over fourteen years and posted a total of five times.

And those were from when I was running social media and leading a workshop on building your email list for a conference in 2012.

LinkedIn Did Not Feel Like A Fit

I didn’t think LinkedIn was for me… for people like me.

I’m a super creative person who has had my hands in many different business pots, literally, and figuratively. 

I didn’t go to college. I went straight to work. 

I’ve never held what I’d call a real job. I created opportunities out of thin air. 

I‘m a self-starter and serial entrepreneur. I vehemently resisted being pigeonholed. 

I built community, connection, and income on Twitter (before it was X), Facebook and Instagram. And that’s the problem. 

No, not those social media platforms, me! 

The list of things I do and have done makes for curiosity building and yet confusing networking chat. 

When the kids coined the phrase “EXTRA AF”, I finally felt seen. 

I’m a:

And that’s just some of the stuff I’ve gotten paid for. Let’s not go into my self-taught skills, crafting, and other hobbies for now. EXTRA AF!

Who Resists Picking A Niche?

People have been beating me over the head to pick a niche for many, many years. In response,  I tried every which way to wriggle and wiggle my way out of it even though not picking one has continually COST ME TONS OF MONEY. Not to mention time.

But I can’t say I haven’t had FUN… 

Finally, during the pandemic, I thought I’m freaking doing it. Shove me in that pigeonhole, right now!

I thought about two things: 

What’s the common thread that connects everything I do?

What’s a financially viable niche that I can really help others with?

COMMON THREAD

What’s the thing you’re an expert at that sets you apart from others, especially those in your niche? 

I have always excelled at combining being of value to audiences with being entertaining.

I used to think that I missed out or messed up by not taking the higher learning route.

Now, I believe it turned out to be my secret sauce.

It made me scared to mess up lest it be blamed on my lack of proper schooling. I

t drove me to learn a lot on my own and to make sure anything I presented in the world (for free or for sale) generated curiosity, delivered value, and brought DELIGHT!

I’ve done some cool stuff:

I invented being a singing chef and produced numerous “eatertainment” shows like “The Fried Chicken Theory According To Jackie Gordon”, “Say Cheese” and “Chocabaret”, that combined food, music, and humor to entertain and educate audiences across the globe. TEACH about food but make it FUN!

I devised more effective, less anxiety ridden ways for people to network through both my Six Degrees Of Connectivity and Let Me Connect You workshops. TEACH how to promote and grow your business but make it FUN!

I produced sponsor and advertiser supported food influencer events like Chinese New Year Potluck and Pie Party Potluck Live!. CREATE events that resonate with bloggers so they show up because they’re FUN and delicious! 

I have always strived to be valuable and be entertaining, always. 

FINANCIAL VIABILITY

Pick a niche with an audience that knows they have a problem and are willing to pay to solve it.

I’ve been coaching speakers, creative content creators, and entrepreneurs for decades on multiple subjects including networking, branding, business strategy, storytelling, marketing, content creation, delivery and I’ve noticed two things: 

One, many speakers struggle to get paid because they’re not:

This is very common amongst people who have to address audiences. The good news is it’s fixable.

Two, in the public speaking world there has always been a bit of mystery about how speakers get paid. 

Yes, there are a comparatively small number of speakers at the top of their game who earn a lot of money from speaking. 

On the other hand, there are many experts and content creators who struggle to monetize. They don’t have a successful strategy for growing revenue streams to sustain their full time speaking business or create a lucrative side hustle. 

There are many people who teach how to speak, but there was a definitive room in the market to help speakers get paid.

As a self starter, I combine old-school ways I learned years ago and the many new revenue streams opportunities that have grown with the internet and social media.

Are Your Videos Falling Flat?

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What About Toastmasters?

I’ve been in the Toastmasters world since 2010. They do a pretty good job at helping people develop and hone their speaking skills, but they don’t teach speakers how to market and sell.  

I meet many speakers who want to get paid or or earn more money but get squirmy about having to do marketing and sales. At times, I’ve been squirmy too! This is a definitive problem that I’ve faced and solved that I help people solve.

The cool thing is the game has completely changed and ANYONE who is an expert on ANY subject that SOLVES A PROBLEM that people are willing to PAY TO SOLVE can GET PAID!

Once you decide what you’re selling and to whom, there’s a host of channels to help you reach them and generate streams of income for sharing your expertise.

Here’s my pigeonhole. I created Speak Up. Get Paid. a platform dedicated to helping speakers get paid by strategically solving their audience’s problems in an entertaining manner. I bring all my skills and experience to this platform and I even learned some new stuff along the way.

And that brought me back to you, LINKEDIN.

QUICK TIP: When you pick a financially viable niche where you can share your expertise and skills  and people pay you, you have to be where your audience gathers. 

Do you know where the people in your paid speaking niche gather?

For Speak Up. Get Paid, LinkedIn is the predominant social media platform where my paid speaking niche audience gathers.

So I’m here!

♥️♥️♥️ASK the Public Speaking Answer Lady!” LiveStream

For my first act of Linkedin LOVE, I’m hosting my “ASK the Public Speaking Answer Lady!” LinkedIn LiveStream debuts this Tuesday, May 14th at 6pm EST and repeats every Tuesday. You can pick my brain with your most burning questions about public speaking, engaging your audience, getting paid to speak… ANYTHING!

LINKEDIN… Have You Been Working Out?

And look at you, LinkedIn! My, how you’ve changed a lot in my absence…

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “I really should get in the game on LinkedIn” and then had a look at the platform and thought, “I really don’t know where to start” and left.

Don’t Fumble Around By Yourself

Thankfully, I had a guide. I took Justin Welsh’s very helpful course, “The Linked In Operating System”, in order to find my way around and learn how to present myself to make money on LinkedIn.

It gave me strategies and tools to begin to navigate and present myself on Linked In.  (I’m an affiliate. Please use my link if you’re interested in his course and he will pay me.) 

QUICK TIP: One way to get paid as an expert is to be an affiliate for products and tools that you use yourself.

Let me end by saying I’m sorry I’ve been absent and I’m looking forward to connecting here. 

I’ll be sharing lots of fun and helpful content for people who want to make more money as public speakers and content creators. 

[CUE the voice of Lurch in the Addams family – why yes, I am dating myself.)] Follow me. Let’s connect!

XXXOOO,

Jackie

P.S. If you don’t know what I mean when I say paid speaking niche audience or you want to figure out yours, you can use my “Find Your Paid Speaking Niche Cheat Sheets” to figure it out.

Jackie Gordon

I've been creating outside-the-box ways to get paid for speaking and performing since 1998 and even won awards! I've been coaching speakers to speak more effectively for years. Now I want to help them get paid for it.
Are Your Videos Falling Flat?

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