Halee Sommer

I'm a US-based content marketer with 5+ years experience. Before writing for tech, I worked in marketing for art museums and galleries. 

I've written for top B2B and SaaS companies, specializing in martech, edtech, and fintech.

Let's work together.

My Recent Work

Planful •

Protecting Our Proprietary Tech With Patents: A Conversation With Planful’s CTO

It’s no secret that we’re blazing the trail for product innovation in financial performance management at Planful.

We recently won a Dresner Advisory Services award for Technology Innovation in the “Financial Consolidation, Close Management, and Reporting” category. Based on what our customers say on G2 and TrustRadius about us and the accompanying awards like “best feature set” from TrustRadius, we’re clearly heading in the right direction. We’ve gotten there by releasing hundreds of new produ
Planful •

Being Planful: CFO News & Helpful Resources for the Office of the CFO

How does ChatGPT help finance and accounting? I asked it this question, and it replied with: ChatGPT can help finance and accounting in a variety of ways, such as by assisting with financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and generating reports. It can also be used to automate and streamline various accounting tasks, such as data entry and invoice processing. Additionally, ChatGPT can be used to analyze large amounts of financial data and identify trends and patterns, which can assist with
360Learning •

Why You Need Digital Upskilling to Future-Proof Your UK Workforce

There’s no denying we live in a digital-first world. We work remotely, order shopping online, and book taxis from our smartphones. Yet, L&D teams are scrambling to keep up with the pace of digital transformation in the workplace. Case in point: 92% of UK organisations recently agreed that digital skills are the key to future success, but nearly one-quarter of these organisations lack a skilled workforce to meet that demand. Workplaces that invest in digital upskilling are now laying the foundati
360Learning •

What Is Self-Directed Learning Theory, and How Can You Apply It?

At any given moment, we have access to an unlimited source of information. Between smartphones, YouTube—and even TikTok—the answer to any question is just one search away. We’ve all become experts at finding answers to questions in a way that suits our desire to learn new information. Self-Directed Learning Theory (SDL) feeds into adult learners’ intrinsic drive to access information on their own time, and it’s becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. Not only are self-directed learning e
WorkRamp •

WorkRamp

How to Use Stay Interviews to Prevent Employee Turnover

Employee turnover can be devastating for your org. Besides needing to replace top performers, it can cost one-half to 2x an employee's annual salary to replace them. If you're struggling with churn, employee stay interviews may be precisely what you need to boost employee engagement and increase retention.


An employee stay interview is the opposite of an exit interview. Instead of asking why an individual is leaving, you can gain valuab
360Learning •

How to Encourage a Leadership Coaching Culture in Your Workplace

In soccer, a coach is the go-to person to motivate a team. Whether hyping up players to win a big game or to just push through a tough practice, the coach is there to help players achieve their goals.


Swap out a soccer field for a workplace. Instead of a coach, we see a manager who mentors, motivates, and guides their direct reports. Your managers know how to properly coach—that’s a major part of their job already. But these leaders need support and access to skill-sharpening resources just
360Learning •

2 Types of Gamification Training for Keeping Your Learners Engaged

Gamification, or game-based learning, seems to be the latest "fad" in L&D. But it's not just hype. Gamification really does work: 72% of employees believe gamification motivates them to work harder.


Believe it or not, you’ve used gamification since you were a child. Think back to primary school, when your teacher would turn important lessons into interactive songs or storytelling opportunities. You've grown up, but the same tactics still work. Instead of stickers and songs, your employees are
360Learning •

The 3 Biggest Myths to Training Millennials (And What L&D Pros Should Really Know)

Lazy. Entitled. Unprofessional. These are just a few of the common labels used to describe the millennial generation. But, these words hardly paint a realistic picture of the millennial cohort.


Millennials, anyone born between 1982 and 1996, make up about one-third of the global workforce. There are a lot of myths that exist surrounding the work ethic of millennials—making workers in this generation seem nearly impossible to train.


There’s no denying that millennials tend to communicate,
TestGorilla •

The TikTok takeover: What hiring managers need to know

TikTok isn’t just viral dances, sound clips, and hot takes. It’s a social platform that people are turning to more and more as a place to get information, including info about employers.

The popularity of the app has opened a new and exciting frontier for recruiters and hiring managers looking to find top talent for their workplaces. And, in case you were wondering, younger generations of job seekers are absolutely applying for jobs they found through social media.

Luckily, you don’t have to b
TestGorilla •

customers on the benefits of skills-based hiring

The first resume was written in 1482. It’s high time this centuries-old hiring process got an update.

Skills-based hiring is a modern approach that lets candidates prove their skills through high-quality pre-screening assessments – and, in our experience, it’s the best way to find the ideal candidate for any open role.

Not only does skills-based hiring allow candidates to bring their best selves to the table by letting their talent shine, but it also helps businesses perfect their hiring proce
SimpleLegal •

SimpleLegal’s favorite legal matter management software features

Matter management is one of the top priorities for any in-house legal team, yet only about 53% of teams currently use matter management software.

Matter management keeps your organization running smoothly with tools for gathering, tracking, and reporting for budgets, time tracking, and vendor management. It also helps with knowledge management and empowers your organization to engage internal stakeholders to address issues first and only to engage external counsel when needed.

With the right l
SimpleLegal •

4 questions to ask before choosing an enterprise legal management system

4 questions to ask before choosing an enterprise legal management system

Like it or not, tech is the way of the future. Yes, even in legal ops.

Nearly 90% of legal professionals in a Bloomberg survey agree that legal tech is important, but a whopping 70% either don’t have a process in place to evaluate legal tech or are unsure if a process exists at their organization.

With so many legal tech options to choose from, it’s tough to know what features will make one platform more useful for your
Extole | Customer Engagement Platform •

Hipcamp Increased Travel App Bookings 500% with Influencer Marketing | Extole

Today’s American traveler isn’t looking for an all-inclusive experience or a five-star resort. They’re looking for a great campsite.

About one in five Americans went camping in 2021, and 8.3 million of these people went camping for the first time — which makes sense when you consider that visits to national parks have steadily increased since 2020.

No company has embraced this growing trend to be in nature more than Hipcamp. Described as the “Airbnb of the outdoors,” Hipcamp created a travel a
WorkRamp •

How to Create a Coaching Culture

If you have a coaching program in your workplace, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have a coaching culture.

Creating a coaching culture is an effective long-term strategy to encourage employees to seek the necessary skills to thrive in their roles. It’s an opportunity to support your workers and cultivate high-potential employees—poised to succeed in future roles.

Luckily, there’s a straightforward path to building a successful coaching culture and creating a learning environment that benefit
WorkRamp •

How to Use an Employee Stay Interview

By now, we’ve all heard about the Great Resignation. In fact, some may say it’s old news with trends like quiet quitting and other workplace trends. But did you know that employee churn costs U.S. businesses about $1 trillion annually?

If churn is costing you, it may be time to implement employee stay interviews. These interviews–also called stay discussions–are designed to help managers combat plummeting employee satisfaction levels by regularly meeting with team members to find out what’s not
Extole | Customer Engagement Platform •

3 Companies With Standout Growth Marketing Strategies | Extole

When it comes to growing your brand, traditional marketing methods just don’t cut it anymore. Many of today’s most successful brands have turned to growth marketing — and it’s working.

Growth marketing is all about experimenting to disrupt the market and boost your sales. This might look like anything from collecting user data to create better products or personalize the user experience — or even simply doing something that no one else is willing to do (like going dark on social media).

The be
Buffer Library •

The Ultimate TikTok Marketing Guide for 2022

TikTok nearly broke the internet last year when it beat out Google as the most-visited website in the world. The video-sharing social media app has grown quickly, with two billion downloads and one billion monthly active users. Plus, nearly half of all TikTokers have purchased a product after seeing it in the app (case in point: the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt).


It could even be more important for brands to have an active presence on TikTok than any other social network. That’s because it hol
Buffer Library •

Social Media Campaigns: Jumpstart Your Content Strategy

The most fun and engaging social media posts take time and creativity — the former being something that small business owners are notoriously short on. But, when you consider 89% of people buy from a brand’s website after following them on social media, it’s clear you need to prioritize social content creation.


When top content creators hit a wall, they turn to social media trends for inspiration. We’ve pulled together some of the top social media trends to keep your campaigns engaging and y
Extole | Customer Engagement Platform •

How Tinder’s Marketing Strategy Led to 3 Billion Swipes in One Day | Extole

Dating has taken a major hit since Covid-19 forced people indoors and physically apart. Over half of 18- to 39-year-olds say they have given up on love since the pandemic began. Despite this, dating apps are more popular than ever, with Gen Z and millennials eager to meet new people and form new connections.

When it comes to pandemic dating, Tinder leads the way. It’s been the top dating app since its inception in 2013.

Online dating could have easily crashed and burned when the world shut dow
Extole | Customer Engagement Platform •

How Bang Energy Drink Influencers Tap into Gen Z to Generate $300 Million in Sales | Extole

In 2020, Bang Energy was the fastest-growing energy drink on the market, nearly edging out staples like Red Bull and Monster Energy. That same year, Bang Energy generated almost $300 million in sales while spending just $2,200 on traditional media.

Since Bang Energy hit the market in 2012, they have led the charge in targeting a new generation of consumers. With bright, bold cans and flavor names like “Frose Rose,” “Cotton Candy,” and “Radical Skadattle,” Bang set the brand apart. But their pro
The Museum Scholar •

Assessing Millennial Engagement in Museum Spaces

Abstract Swift declines in visitation and funding are growing concerns among museums in the United States. Many institutions are asking themselves how to remain relevant in the 21st century, despite rapid changes in digital technologies and communication. One significant way may lie in the millennial generation. Millennials are the largest, most diverse, and highly educated generational cohort in recorded history, yet they remain an under-served audience among museums. This paper addresses the c
Artborne •

Producing the Art of Living: Kalup Linzy – ARTBORNE MAGAZINE

Kalup Linzy stays busy. Between a professorship appointment at SVA, multiple residencies on the horizon, creating new artwork, exercising his social prowess within the art world, and opening exhibitions, it’s hard to believe that the New York City-based video and performance artist has time to sleep at night. Linzy is easily one of the most sought-after artists of the decade, with an unparalleled career trajectory that is continuously moving onward and upward. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure
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