Hot takes on 3 content gifts from LinkedIn, Lifetime and Peloton

LinkedIn offers creatives the gift of streamlined live video and newsletter creation. Lifetime spoils viewers with an Olay-sponsored mini-episode starring Monique Coleman. And a Peloton employee gives the company a season in the spotlight.

LinkedIn is expanding creator mode functions for videos and newsletters

LinkedIn is expanding its new creator functions to include live videos and newsletters. According to Search Engine Journal, the company plans to provide access to the new features later this month for people who enable “Creator Mode” (which can be found in the “Resources” section of your profile).

Anyone with a LinkedIn profile can activate Creator Mode (and deactivate it at any time). As SEJ reports, once you have Creator Mode on, people will only have the option to follow you (not connect with you), only your number of followers will be shown on your profile and your original content will be shown at the top of your profile page.

(For more information on how to use the newsletter and live video features, see this LinkedIn Pulse post.)

HOT TAKE: If you’re new to LinkedIn’s Creator mode, now may be the right time to do it. Hannah Szabo, a member of the CMI Slack community, recently announced that her employer’s CEO has been receiving a LinkedIn newsletter for about a year and it’s a great channel to connect with their audience.

Of course, you can use the new Creator mode to expand your own fan base. But remember to follow Hannah’s example. Encourage your executives to enable Creator Mode (if your audience is on LinkedIn). Help them develop content, create live video, and create a newsletter. Better yet, develop a scalable content marketing program to make it easier for executives or subject matter experts to be involved. Just don’t forget to keep it in the individual’s voice. Your audience can easily spot (and ignore) company conversations.

Don’t overlook the opportunity to use @LinkedIn’s new Creator Mode features to create scalable #ContentMarketing with SMBs or executives via @CMIContent. Click to tweet

Lifetime gives vacation mini-films a makeover

Lifetime 2^nd The annually sponsored mini-film debuted during the network’s A Christmas Dance Reunion. A Merry & Bright Makeover was developed in partnership with skincare brand Olay and features Monique Coleman (of High School Musical).

The story is about Eve, a scientist who visits her boyfriend’s family over the holidays and his sister (Spoiler alert: The friend suggests.)

“Our custom mini-films are a warm and very engaging way for customers to connect with customers,” says David DeSocio of A + E Networks, as reported in Adweek. “Our co-production with Olay shows themes of diversity and beauty, makes the production shine and embodies themes and values ​​for the brand.”

The brand content is the star, but it’s not the only way the beauty brand engages with the audience. Olay is also running a viewer giveaway with weekly prize packages and contributing in-program news on the channel.

As Adweek reports, A + E Networks’ Peter Olsen said the mini-films work for brands and they are eager to do more.

HOT TAKE: Last year we covered the weird KFC love story with Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders. The parody-like content seemed oddly in line with Lifetime’s Christmas movie season. This year’s partnership with Olay makes a lot more sense. The storyline, of course, encompasses the brand message (and products) and delivers what a lifetime audience expects.

Do you remember Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders? Fortunately, @Olay and @Lifetime’s new #content partnership makes sense in a way that KFC’s efforts last season didn’t make sense through @CMIContent. Click to tweet

The personal brands of the Peloton employees form a symbiotic gift that is given over and over again

Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby made it to the finals at Dancing With the Stars this season. His stint on the competitive show, where success often depends on fan voting, reflects the exponential growth of the personal brands of Cody and other peloton coaches during the pandemic.

“I bought a Peloton bike in February and use it practically every day. The appeal does not only refer to the exercise classes; it also depends on the personalities (e.g. personal brands) of the peloton coaches, ”writes Nancy Marshall, member of the Forbes Agency Council.

Cody’s rise to the finals came with the predictable social media chatter of his avid ride-or-die fans, the Peloton (known as the Boo Crew), and critics calling him part of the “Peloton Cult”.

A teacher in Huntsville, Alabama told NBC News that she votes for him every week. “Cody deserves the full support of Peloton for what he’s done for so many people,” she said.

HOT TAKE: While Cody is the only peloton trainer to highlight the exercise equipment and exercise retailer’s corporate brand by competing on a popular prime-time TV show, he’s far from the only trainer to have gained a personal following. The mutual benefit to companies and educators shows why companies should help their employees build personal brands instead of fearing them. Done right, personal brands can benefit workers, employers, and the audiences they collectively build.

Do you need proof? Think how much more Peloton got from paying attention to Cody and other Peloton coaches than the woman’s gift commercial did two years ago.

@CodyRigsby and the personal brands of other @Peloton trainers benefit Peloton so much more than this controversial gift-for-wife ad via @CMIContent. Click to tweet

Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute