8/19/2021
Stacey Dunn-Emke, a link member and RD for over 30 years has shared some of her knowledge with us this month. We loved hearing about her life in dietetics. Learn more about Stacey below!
Tell us a little about yourself, how did you get started as a dietitian and what do you do today?
I’ve been a dietitian for about 30 years and have held many different roles. Some roles I created! But my work with food and nutrition began at an early age. I’ve been a fudge maker, a food writer for the California Tree Fruit Agreement, a tomato chemical analyst for Campbell’s Soup, a lab assistant in an obesity trial working with some famous rats, a burn unit dietitian, a NICU and ICU dietitian, an outpatient dietitian, a clinical nutrition manager, a research dietitian, and now the founder of NutritionJobs.
I created NutritionJobs when I was looking for a new job just as the Internet was mushrooming, but felt our profession was strangely underrepresented on the large job boards. So I got a book on programming, launched the site, and within a few years it was a super successful venture. I’ve always loved programming (Pascal in college!) and digital content creation. I’m magnetized to the puzzle of programming and the deep thinking that goes into content creation. I like working with people too, but find that completely exhausting after just a few hours. I have a lot of creative fun running the business.
What is your mission as a dietitian?
Here’s the long answer that’s on my website: “My mission with NutritionJobs is to help you find a job that you can succeed in by giving you the platform and the niche dietetic career tools, with a searchable job database, dietetic career articles, career coaching courses, guides, and workshops, to maximize your professional presentation so that employers want to engage with you.”
But here’s the short version: My mission with NutritionJobs is to help dietitians find jobs, and create opportunities that make more money, with shiny modern resumes and LinkedIn profiles. To make more money.
What do you look for when choosing new products to buy or recommend?
I’m always, always, always seeking partnerships and collaborations that benefit my audience, that align with my mission, and support my business financially. I always have my audience in mind. I’ve turned down opportunities because they weren’t a match for my audience. My business is unique in that my audience is fellow dietitians, not consumers. It’s also very important to me to share and promote products that I also believe in and enjoy.
In fact, that’s how I got one of my more lucrative large brand partnership contracts on social media; their PR agency found out that I liked their product and was a regular buyer. It was an easy collaboration because I found an angle that solved a problem my audience had at the same time being able to share why I personally loved the product. The campaign was a lot of work, but so much fun to produce. I loved how it turned out.
What is the value of working with brands to both you and your audience?
The value of working with brands for my business is to partner with a brand for a paid opportunity to bring more free content to my audience of job seekers. Plus it spices up my shared content (job seeking info can get a little dry after a while)!
We all win. I have a large target audience of dietitians on social media and email for the brand, I get to cherry pick what I’m going to share with my audience that will be of interest to them, all while generating additional income doing such.
How did you start working with brands?
I’ve always worked with brands for as long as I can remember! Food brands, employers, universities, RDs with courses that need me to help get the word out. I love being in the position to be of service with my company, NutritionJobs!
How can brands work with you today?
I have a lot of opportunities for brands to work with me where I can help spread the word about their products. I have a large social media community for paid partnerships, I offer weekly sponsored newsletter call-outs, a limited number of dedicated e-blast opportunities, and monthly sponsored workshops.
What advice do you have for other RDs who want to connect with brands?
- Have a Media Kit to share; update it monthly; keep it in just one digital location (website) so you can share that one updated version, e.g., www.nutritionjobs.com/mediakit
- Share the value you offer by working with you by describing your audience and examples of past partnerships; always show your value
- Request to share the information, or create the campaign, from your own voice, not just ad copy that you sell (but it’s ok to get their wording so you stay on brand!). It feels more natural for you and your audience
Do you have any advice for brands who want to connect with RDs?
Dietitians come from a place of wanting to be of quality service to their audience, regardless of how many followers they have. When creating partnerships with dietitians, provide copy and talking points that speak to the value of the product specifically to their audience that the dietitian can use for inspiration when sharing with their voice.
Just for fun, what is your current go-to snack or recipe?
Funny you should ask, because nobody ever does! I’m not known on NutritionJobs for my recipes but I’m actually a really great culinary nutritionist! I created a beautiful recipe for cinnamon bourbon chicken in the tagine. And I also love my modern trail mix with dried onions, almonds, and cranberries. I see a monetized blog in my future.
