Discovering the power of networking and personal branding with Nati!

Pratik

Welcome to SaaS Unlocked. Today on my show I have a very special guest, Nati Zaretsky. He is an 3D expert. When I say 3D what comes to my mind is Avatar movie and a lot of other animated movies. He’s also a LinkedIn influencer and content creator and very good friend of mine we recently met on LinkedIn. He is amazing at what he does. Created networking I must say so Nati very warm welcome to our to the show and would love to hear from you what you’re doing these days.

Nati Zaretsky

Thank you very much. And today I’m working as 3D  artist on a certain company that are making a recreating  augmented reality manuals, machines, devices and all that stuff. And I’m a pretty guy. I mean you know everything that we mentioned and all the software that’s including.

Pratik

The 3D stuff, when when it comes to 3D, maybe I wanna ask how did you? Like, you know, choose your profession. What inspired you to go in this thing? Maybe if somebody wants to like, you know, go in the direction. Maybe you can like..

Nati Zaretsky

I think that’s.. look, I mean something I’ve noticed when I studied the 3D, it’s an animation. It was on unlike most of the most of the other things. You know, the other professional stuff like, you know, lawyer or a computer science and all that stuff. If you don’t, you, you should. When you ask someone why, why do you learn Computer science ? So  he we will tell you look I don’t love it but I don’t think it’s it’s fine I I know how to do anything that’s when in the animation and 3D as most of the times if someone learn it is very much in love it and that’s the same thing. I love animation 3D movies. I was a very little kid. I think I finished my first 3D movie. When I did was I think it was a bug life, life was either this one or Toy Story but I think it was bad life and from the moment I saw it I was like, I love it since I was a kid. I knew I was you know I wanted something in there.

Pratik

So, It’s been like, you know a lot of years that you’ve been doing. It requires a lot of creativity and passion to be like, you know, successful in this and all of us like you know at the end of the day I have that kind of passion, in order for us to like be successful as you are. You know, we bring in like thought leaders and who are experts in the field share what are the challenges came across while you were pursuing your career in let’s say 3D World.

Nati Zaretsky

I think first I think it’s, you know, it’s when you start it, it’s like, you know, you see other, you see all those so you know using the field and then you see the walks and it’s like man, I how can I, how can I have a diet? How can I, how can I do it? But I’m just started. But I will tell you that it’s something that’s very inspired me and still keep inspiring me. It’s um. And actually I wrote a post about it a few months ago and it’s and it went very  viral. And there is a scene in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Where in this movie are we create? Have you seen this one?

Pratik

No, not yet!

Nati Zaretsky

Yet so in this movie how it creates an army like a a group of students that you want to teach them how to defend themselves, how to become a much stronger wizard. And they, you know they all students juniors, so he tells them. Every great Wizards in history start suddenly started out like nothing more than we are now students if they can do it, why not us. And I saw this movie years ago and I love this movie and it’s very I thought about it since I started the learning. So I started OK everyone started every great animation artist, really artist started as you know as soon as students. So if they can do it same, same, same goes for me.

Pratik

And what is the thing like you know practice or like learning from like your first or second design? Like it’s a jewel.

Nati Zaretsky

Man, I cannot look now at my design, can I? I mean, when I look now, I I think I created a few years ago. I’m like, whoa, whoa, what the hell?

Pratik

So just to give more standing to the audience, like the the show is based on SAS products, right? But you know in anything you do like which requires creativity or something you build, it’s a product, right? At the end of the day, whatever you design, there is a lot of hard work, creativity, failures that goes behind. Building such incredible piece of art. So moving on to our next QR also like content creator like my like I am. You are pretty consistent on LinkedIn with all of the contents that you share and you are great at networking. So I would love to learn from you like you know audience would love to learn they are a business owner or founders, innovators how they can leverage LinkedIn in order for them to create successful business out of there.

Nati Zaretsky

I think it’s about. We ain’t your own world on LinkedIn. I started on LinkedIn as a I enter LinkedIn and in order to find a job, my first job and I still have I still there and and I got it from LinkedIn because  I just talked. I talked to people. I learned how to walk and then I just started I had a very big portfolio. So every week I posted some pretty free I created and but also I talked to people. I talked to people I had a conversation with people and eventually one of the people I talked to and he knows me and.

Nati Zaretsky

And he knows lots of people. So one day he called me and told me, hey what’s up? There is a doing an opening in in a startup campaign. I think it will suit you and I know one and I know someone always. So I would recommend you and that’s how I got It.

Pratik

Wow. So like you know power of networking that worked for you

Nati Zaretsky

Yeah, exactly.

Pratik

For you, definitely. What you would like emphasize in terms of content creation or maybe I also saw that you kind of go to this level, you take LinkedIn offline, you invite people for a coffee and then you meet them one-on-one. What is yeah here, what is something that we can learn?

Nati Zaretsky

First of all, today it’s like three to four people in a week to coffee. That’s that’s automated. I don’t have I don’t have to doing this honestly lots of people ask me how do you do it and I am not I don’t know I don’t know look it’s about first of all I’m very people guy. I like I love it. I like to meet people every kind of it’s great it’s cool. But the other thing is it started very small. It started you know once in a few months I met someone and then another one and then another one and then I started to post it. You on LinkedIn and and then it’s I know it’s open way higher scale become higher and today most of the times it’s I’m not the one who wanted the other people. I mean lots of my messages from people is when I’m going to want to meet me for coffee when I’m going to meet me and I really love it very much because most of the times it’s not that professional it’s I actually got very very good their friends from the very and very much even very much most of them a lot of them are geeks guys like me like movies and sci-fi and so so I got tons of. Sounds I can go I I got a friend for my dinner sometime. I’m going to a movie with I’m going to the city with him, for example.

Pratik

This is incredible. So who are like, you know, top influences that inspired you to start the journey? You know, everyone has his inspiration.

Nati Zaretsky

I can’t recall exactly what it was years ago by I can’t recall exactly because it was years ago and I was just, you know, I wasn’t influenced by someone particularly  I because that’s the point is no, I haven’t seen anybody who. With this stuff. So I was like hey, there’s no video on LinkedIn, so let’s take advantage of I post my own 3D and and it will be very unique LinkedIn and that’s what I did. So I don’t think I had someone in particular.

Pratik

Wow and you can take my name, just kidding.

Nati Zaretsky

No, you want today, that’s for sure.

Pratik

This is great. So LinkedIn has been like you know created LinkedIn has been really great in terms of lead generation if you look at on the business perspective side. So although you are more into 3D, but you understand the game of LinkedIn very well, content creation and why it’s important meeting people offline that creates kind of trust and network exactly that can open doors for you in the business. So maybe if I want to ask you a bit more in detail like. What is something that Nati does or other people can do what you do to grow their business?

Nati Zaretsky

I think the most important thing is consistency and even if you post in one day in let it be the the day and not this week in Monday and next weekend, you know in Wednesday choose particular day and started with this day every week and then grow. But that’s I think that’s the number one thing you need to do because when I got for example today on Sunday. I got the a every Sunday and posting about in English about the box office of the movies movie economy. I love it and and I studied it only a few months ago when people went nuts about it, especially people in Israel which was very soft to me. But still every Monday morning I posted something about movies in April. Every Wednesday I’m posting my free stuff and the in between. In the other day I also everyday posting something like look who I met yesterday or if someone needed to find a job and posting about him so I but I built my own days and my own schedule and people. One day I got a message from someone and it’s on me. I know what is your what your schedule is and what. Ohh cool. I mean it’s not that hard I mean everybody can see it but yeah but for example a lot of the times I got some messages from people and they said they sent me they say to me man I most of the week I’m I’m waiting for Wednesday for your free up. Yeah because I created this Need for.

Pratik

So how long you been posting on LinkedIn?

Nati Zaretsky

I think I started posting on 2020, but that’s what. That’s what only Swedish staff. And after I get. After I started this job on November 2020 and after that I still posted only a 3D stuff but and then one day I was like I love movies and I very and I good at the writing stuff. Let’s start writing about movies. So it’s I started only in English and it’s went well and one day I was like see if the IT will how it goes well very well so and then with no preparation suddenly it became Monday, the movie post Wednesday, it’s 3D post. I don’t know. I don’t know how it got it, but that’s what it’s that’s what it.

Pratik

Is what tips specific, like maybe I would say top 3 tips that you will give other and we’re looking to launch their content creation journey.

Nati Zaretsky

I think the first thing, and I think the most important ones about the content is B be personal. I mean people there, most of the people. It’s not only about the content of your post, it’s the way you write it. So, I saw lots of most of the times I saw, I’ve seen lots of great posts on LinkedIn. But the way the post I know it’s it’s written like a chatGPT, like a bot, like a robot, like a Wikipedia page and I and and then I I look and see there is no engagement because it feels I know it’s without a soul and sometimes people ask me about it. Show me your post man. It’s good post but it doesn’t feel you. And and I think the number one you need to do is enter yourself bring yourself inside the post.

Nati Zaretsky

Through the post and it’s working very well. I mean, someone told me once, that’s my post about movies. It feels like I’m a little kid who likes it and wants and I wanted to share it with everyone. And so exactly. I’m a little kid I love.

Pratik

It exactly this is very crucial point like you know being part of like when I started creating content on LinkedIn it was like kind of boring and you know I didn’t get much of engagement but I realized and learned from everyday to be changed and as soon as I started to being more. Engaging in terms of what people like here and engage with my content like, you know, personalisation, sharing some of the stories that I have across the globe, I’ll travel a lot of people sharing my like, you know, ideas, thoughts, opinions and some of the things that I have in terms of observation in business, it goes long way. People can relate to it. It’s just like being you right, being authentic. It’s not something that you will find anywhere else. There’s a lot of content online.

Pratik

There are thousands and thousands or millions of blogs out there, but you have to create something which is more that goes a long way. What else do you think can help ?

Nati Zaretsky

about the content specifically I mean.

Pratik

No. Just like let’s say if somebody wants to start in journey, right?

Nati Zaretsky

I I look quickly, I I OK the other two I would say I will say that the post should be written easy to the eye and sometimes people ask should I post in a long and I always sell most. That’s my some of my very most of several posts were my longest. And it’s not about the long how much this long, it’s how it looks. I mean. I always make it, I mean. Lots of paragraph, and each paragraph is something like only two, three, maximum something like 4 sentences and there is a space between each one of them. So it’s very much easy for in the eye. And every and I heard a lot of people like it because it’s made. No, sometimes I  thought, sometimes I saw I saw a post one time, one time I saw a post. And a great subject, very relevant, very personal, but 3 huge paragraph 8-10 sentences and there is no space Between it and I was like, I can’t read it. I can’t read it.

Pratik

You have to make it easier for the news feed. The attention span of the user who’s calling their newsfeed is minimal, right? You have 3 seconds to grab that. Yeah, exactly. I call.

Nati Zaretsky

It. That’s why the title is so important

Pratik

So you back to your post, but for them to read your whole post, it needs to be visually easy to read and understand what you’re actually trying to convey. So absolutely great point and what is the thought that you think? Yeah, but what is the third that you will give to the audience?

Nati Zaretsky

I know. Can I? Can I give though?

Pratik

You can give five if you like.

Nati Zaretsky

OK, look, another thing that I would say, it’s being relevant. I’m not always very well because sometimes I’m posting about let’s post about an old Disney movie. Lots of the time. I mean, for example, this week on Monday, I wrote a post about the new TV show on HBO, The Last of Us, based on the face of this video, and people went nuts about it in the last couple of weeks. I posted about Avatar because they are about what, what, what will happen in Avatar three and how they may have a tattoo and people really love it because, you know, it’s much relevant. So,I think it’s part of the game.

Pratik

Absolutely, I would say like ask one question to yourself. Why should people follow you? If you can answer that, you will know what type of content and what type of topic that you should write about. Eventually that you know I realized that after a while on LinkedIn because.

Nati Zaretsky

I will say that that I it’s I’m not maybe it with with some real but I’m not thinking about what they want. But I I what I would like I will after I am. A lot of times when I write in a post I’m finished and then I’m looking very objectively like hmm if I was a random person would would have like it. And if the answer is yes, OK let’s do it lots of time thinking what what what what because this is what I want to give to everyone. So if it’s gonna interest me. So I think everybody would like it too.

Pratik

And you wanted to share one more, right?

Nati Zaretsky

I think about the connecting with people. I think that the connect with people something I learn about these people, it’s lots of people. And I had the same mistake at the beginning saying that most of the people who say OK, so let’s connect only with with people in my in my field. I mean for example I can go and say OK so I will connect only with three people with animation, with design, but it’s not a great because imagine you have something like a 5K connections and most of those from your field and then you post in something. But because because you are most of the people are in the same field it’s not gonna most of the chances is it’s not gonna you know went very it’s not succeed very well because it went it will go in the same circles all over again. But on the other hand if you have lots of other collected tons of different playsets fields your your post can be spread in for wider.

Pratik

Audience wider or absolutely. Now maybe there’s one part about like, you know, networking, because LinkedIn is like an online event. Running 24/7 OK.

Nati Zaretsky

Now.

Pratik

How do you like, master the art of connecting with people when you are like, sending them messages? I received like at least 100 messages. Now I cannot respond to each and everyone, right? I have limited time and I can. I choose who I should respond to if it’s relevant to me, right? How do you like, you know, you message me something? I don’t remember how we said the conversation. Yeah, but you you got me, right? You. You.

Nati Zaretsky

Message or not to auto? I mean, do you mean how to I, how can I make people to?

Pratik

Respond.

Nati Zaretsky

Yeah, I will tell you this that I always said why in the first first of all you need to ask this what makes me connect with people in the 1st place. So it’s I, have a rule. I see I, I see someone interesting and connecting and it’s most of the times when I see someone who posts incredible, maybe even even if it’s a great he has a interesting profile or in the comments. So I’m starting the conversation by compliment and people and you know, it’s I give the first day, I give you a finger and you take the entire hand. That’s what’s going on. Because most of the time when I compliment someone like, man, I love your new post. It was incredible. So the people, the, the, the person and the on the other side is so much happier for this one. Say the man, I want to talk to you more. But there is another, another thing I would say that’s walking. It’s because of my post. It’s that. That’s Vince. Me again.

Nati Zaretsky

To the consistency. Most of the times when I’m starting to talk to someone, even if even if I’ve never seen him again or seen him before, it was swinging back with whoa, I love your posts, it’s great to talk to you even if I’ve never seen him before. So it’s so I think it’s a combination of compliment of know what to say to people and my and and consistency of my contact.

Pratik

Excellent, great. Really this specific part that you mentioned is so important. We are like, you know, as human being you like to hear. Good things about yourself.

Nati Zaretsky

Yeah I know but I I saw I don’t know why I started it what what I  when I realized when I realized it’s it’s this is for me this is the way to know talk to people because they saw. It’s one called me it’s one for me. People sometimes people send me nothing more only man I love your post and immediately in my life now now I’m gonna talk to him I have to talk to him so it’s OK it won’t for me. Let’s write another and it’s working.

Pratik

So I’m I’m actually like I’m on screen right now. OK. And man, it’s so incredible to connect with you. You are an inspiration. This is what you said, right?

Nati Zaretsky

Yeah, something like that, yeah.

Pratik

And it was August 2022, few months ago. And like you know, immediately responded. You messaged me around like 2:00 PM and I responded at 2:30. You got me right?

Nati Zaretsky

This is that time I will tell you why. The thing is that I saw your post and one time before and I Remember Remember how I got it. The thing is. It was I saw a post and I  thought, you know, I Ididn’t know in Israel. And then a good friend of mine, mine one day posted a picture with you. And I was like wait a minute, he’s in Israel. And after a comment and then you send me a connection request and I immediately I accept, accept. And then I say, OK, I got to send something to this man because it’s well, it’s him. So I let’s send him whatever I think it is. You. You got it. It works.

Pratik

It really works. It really works. People like to hear from people. Who are like kind of appreciating their work.

Nati Zaretsky

Yeah, but there is also the point, because I’m always say people, lots of the times they ask me what is the secret of Linkedin. So I most of the time I say two things, connect with people and consistent and give them example. Imagine someone maybe maybe is already connected, connect with you. I don’t care, but it’s only a message. We want to talk to you, whatever you say, phone call, coffee or something like that. But then you look at his profile, you got nothing, only the picture. Maybe it’s working. No, no engagement, no post. And immediately why should I talk? I mean it’s suspicious, so immediately people will you know will uncomfortable to do it. That’s why you should create your own post. People will wanna talk to you!

Pratik

Wow, this is great tips Nati. Just as like before we end this, we have 5 more minutes before we wrap up the show. I wanna ask you 5 rapid fire questions that I usually ask to so Are you ready? 

Let’s save the Rapid Fire and the stunning wrap-up exclusively for the Podcast. You can watch the full episode on INSIDEA’s