Her LinkedIn side hustle generates $27,000 annually, which assists in covering her mortgage payments.

Over a decade ago, Jayde Powell began her social media career working for wellness brands and large corporations such as Delta Airlines. She never anticipated that she would earn a living by creating content under her own persona, particularly on LinkedIn.

Powell began sharing her corporate America job search experiences on a platform after noticing other content creators were leaving X.com, formerly known as Twitter, at the end of 2022. Within a year, her posts gained traction and attracted the attention of past clients.

Powell was offered $1,000 by Sprout Social to write a sponsored post promoting their upcoming event on her personal LinkedIn page. This was a light-bulb moment for her, as she realized she could use the skills she used to write for corporate companies on her own accounts.

She has grown her career and earned money in unexpected ways thanks to her epiphany. This year, she made $27,000 by posting content as Jayde I. Powell on LinkedIn, according to CNBC Make It documents.

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As a solo business owner, Powell has found the cash she earns from LinkedIn to be very useful. She uses the money to pay her mortgage and utilities bills, as well as offset monthly business expenses, while growing her own company. So far this year, Powell has made $35,450 through The Em Dash Co. and other social media content.

Despite not yet surpassing her $95,000 annual salary from her previous full-time job at Sunwink, her combined income from The Em Dash Co. and other sources outpaces the $52,100 she earned solely from The Em Dash Co. last year. Additionally, her combined income is slightly higher than the median annual salary for social media managers in the U.S. ($60,000 a year, according to Glassdoor).

"Partnering with brands on LinkedIn has been a lifesaver for me, enabling me to meet my financial needs," Powell, 31, shares with CNBC Make It. "At Em Dash Co., I've faced challenges in securing new clients."

Powell utilized social media to cultivate her voice and subsequently turned it into a profitable LinkedIn side business.

'Influencer marketing is very hot' because 'people trust people, not brands'

Before she had over 19,000 followers on LinkedIn, Powell's focus was on creating content for X.com, according to her.

Her posts, frequently featuring her work experiences and sparking discussions among users, frequently garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and reposts.

Powell started freelancing full-time and launched The Em Dash Co. in October 2022, seeking more flexibility than traditional corporate jobs offered.

Powell reveals that her strategy for achieving virality involved excelling in one skill: blending corporate content with a casual conversational tone.

Well, let me tell you, consumers are smarter than ever these days. They can spot a marketing scheme a mile away, and they're not afraid to call it out. When brands keep pushing the same product over and over again, it just feels like they're trying to sell something, not build a relationship with their customers. It's all about finding the right balance between promoting your brand and connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

"Influencer marketing is currently very popular," she remarks.

This year, eMarketer predicts that advertisers will spend more than $8.1 billion on influencer marketing, which is a 16% increase from 2023.

"Powell asserts that people tend to trust individuals more than brands. He argues that creators offer a sense of personality, comfort, and familiarity that brands cannot replicate."

A 2023 survey from PR firm Matter Communications found that over two-thirds of U.S. consumers are more likely to trust the recommendation of an influencer, friend or family member than they are to be swayed by content coming directly from a brand.

Powell has adapted her personal voice from X to LinkedIn, maintaining a lighthearted tone, while adjusting her content to align with the trends and challenges faced by young professionals.

Becoming a LinkedIn influencer

Powell started looking for clients for her personal LinkedIn page after her first post for Sprout Social. She approached it in the same way she found corporate clients for The Em Dash Co. by creating a list of the tools she used as an influencer, such as Teachable, where she hosts a webinar series, and reaching out to the platforms' DMs.

Powell believes that her LinkedIn side hustle could soon generate more income than her solo agency because businesses value hearing from real people.

Powell, who works 25 hours per week for The Em Dash Co. and 10 hours per week on LinkedIn, acknowledges that running a business and a side hustle simultaneously has both advantages and disadvantages.

"Powell says that the traditional 9-to-5, 40 hours-a-week model is too restrictive for him. He prefers more flexibility and the ability to adjust his schedule as needed. However, he acknowledges that it can be nerve-wracking to not have a steady paycheck or invoice processing schedule."

Powell is considering shifting her focus to personal content after her unexpected success promoting brands on LinkedIn.

Her objective is to achieve 100,000 followers on the platform by the year 2025.

"Powell has been taking the platform seriously and wants to see the results of his efforts. He also hopes to become a full-time LinkedIn influencer in the future."

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