🎨 Internal Communications Introductions: Meet Laney Erokan

Director, Internal Communications & Employer Branding at Patreon

About Laney

Laney Erokan is the Director of Internal Communications and Employer Branding at Patreon. She and her team provide high-level strategy and operational support across the organization, partnering with leadership to set, execute and deliver sustainable and measurable outcomes.

With more than 20 years experience, Laney has held roles at BAM Magazine, Guitar Player Magazine, Pandora, Blend, and DoorDash where she advised CEOs and senior executives, developed and implemented strategic communications programs, and guided companies through significant periods of change including M&A, external crisis, executive transitions, organizational shifts and new product line rollouts.

Laney holds a creative writing degree from the Cal State East Bay. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children. In her free time, Laney enjoys spending time with family, massive amounts of Cold Brew, and looking for the perfect Northern California beach. 

What sparked your professional path into Internal Communications? 

Growing up, my dad owned a music and computer magazine. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a journalist. But, I graduated right before September 11th which really impacted the economy. Ironically, my first job was working as a contractor for Wells Fargo writing copy for their first Intranet. Looking back, it was so funny because I had no idea what I was doing and it was internal communications!

Then, I was able to get a full-time job working for Guitar Player magazine to follow my passion for journalism again. I did that for a while and loved it. Next, I became a teacher, but it wasn’t the right fit. 

A friend recommended that I look at Pandora since they had offices in Oakland and I loved music. I absolutely fell in love with the company. I spent five years there producing All Hands, writing newsletters, creating decks, engaging remote team members. I realized that I was doing internal communications. It wasn’t as defined back then. 

Next, I joined Blend to start an internal communications function which was really meaningful. Then, I spent a brief time at Doordash. Now, I’m at Patreon where I’m leading internal comms and employer branding. 

What has your first few months in your new role been?

I feel so lucky to be able to have this first role at a mission-driven company whose sole goal is to get money into the hands of creators. I joined in September 2021. It's almost 400 people so it's a good size to get to know people. I did a listening tour. 

There’s a lot to do, but I started with our meeting strategy because I learned that too many people were in too many meetings. I created a channel strategy for how we use Slack. Now, we’re moving on to blog posts and LinkedIn content. It’s been an exciting three months!

How do you describe internal communications? 

It’s like being an investigative journalist – my job is to seek out the stories, develop really strong relationships that are based on trust, find the right people to tell the stories or tell them myself. 

I'm there to make sure the rest of the company understands the really hard work that different teams are doing. I figure out the narratives we want to share and put people in the room to hear them. 

What is one project you are particularly proud of accomplishing? 

I ran the task force at Blend when Covid hit.  I think anyone in internal communications worked harder than they've ever worked in their lives during that time while being scared and trying to help leaders.

I worked with the CFO, the General Council, Head of HR and Head of Security. It started with weekly meetings, then daily meetings, then multiple meetings. We did it all – testing our systems working from home and the safety of our employees was the first priority. 

We took care of everyone, in particular as a parent, I knew how hard it was for parents juggling kids at home. Our ERGs were really active. We ensured people had money to buy desks. It was an honor to work through that. Ultimately, I had a document that was 75 pages of communications that we sent over three months. 

What are the skills that are most important for someone to succeed in Internal Communications? 

As an early internal comms professional, you might feel like it's your job to know everything. You do not need to know it all! You just have to know who your experts are and who your audience is. 

It’s also important to have a low ego. People have a lot of opinions about whatever you do. I had a former boss tell me that I was too good at taking feedback. It’s because everyone has an opinion on whatever you do. Everything internal communications says hits people in their heart, their wallet or their brain. You have to take all that feedback and move forward. 

You really need to work on your writing skills. You have to leave your own leave your voice behind as you figure out where the company is voices see you.