Thursday, April 23, 2026

Inside the Huddle: Talking Paid Social With Angela Welchert

angela-welchert-ibm-paid-social

On February 22, a handful of digital media professionals from across the industry will converge on New York City for the first in our Huddle Series. Participants will get the chance to learn from these speakers and grow their knowledge of five specific areas within digital media: paid social, content distribution, platform strategy, monetizing social media, and vertical content.

In the buildup to the event, we’ll be introducing you to the huddle leaders who will be lending their expertise. Today, we begin with Angela Welchert, a social media partnerships lead at IBM. She will be one of the leaders of the huddle “Pay to Play: Executing Better Paid Social Campaigns”.

Welchert describes herself as a professional who does her best work focusing on the bigger picture.

“I like to focus on looking at the grander scheme and really drilling down into opportunities that are executable,” Welchert stated. “Throughout my career, I’ve heavily contributed to driving forward social presence for companies and organizations.  Now leading paid partnerships for IBM, I’m focused on identifying opportunities for us to really optimize social.”

Welchert also describes her current role with IBM as the highlight of her career. Prior to landing that job, Welchert graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she studied business administration and marketing.

Before moving to New York, Welchert jumped into the world of social marketing at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as a social media strategy consultant. In 2011, Welchert migrated to the Big Apple to become the director of social media at Berkeley College before joining IBM in 2014 as its global social business manager. In 2018, she was promoted to the social media partnerships lead.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

“In the first six months or so that I’ve been in this role,” Welchert remarked, “I’ve spent a large portion of my time reevaluating how we’re executing and strategizing when it comes to paid social, which is a very heavy investment for IBM. I pride myself on bringing a multidisciplinary attack to the way we’re approaching paid social.”

Over the course of her career to date, Welchert has become very conscious of the multi-faceted nature of social media marketing. In order for other young professionals to find success in the field and specifically in paid social, she recommends that they do the same.

“Social marketing is both an art and a science. The science side of it with targeting, reporting, and optimizing is important. However, you still need to be very cognizant of the art side of social media when it comes to content creation.”

READ MORE: Front Office Sports Digital Media Huddle Series at Bleacher Report

In her brief time at IBM, Welchert has already made a significant impact for the organization. Specifically, her changes to what platforms the company invests money are paying dividends.

“IBM is a massive company, with over 400,000 employees globally. Sometimes change can be slow moving. So I believe the most impactful thing that I’ve done so far in this role is bring together our leadership team including social, paid media, corporate advertising, and our agency of record to change the way we do paid social.”  Welchert states. “we are now in the process of deep diving into our paid social investments, to create a new process that will better position our paid media teams for success. By doing this, we will see significant cost savings for IBM, but we will also improve the return from our investments.”

Meet Welchert and hear more of her thoughts on the current digital landscape at the Front Office Sports Digital Media Huddle presented by Opendorse in New York on February 22. For tickets and additional info, click here.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Venezuela Stuns the Field, Upsets U.S. for Its First WBC Title

The upstart championship run has become a defining moment for the country.
Feb 18, 2026; Milan, Italy; Mitch Marner of Canada celebrates with Macklin Celebrini after scoring their fourth goal in overtime to win the match against Czechia in a men's ice hockey quarterfinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

IOC Once Again Cracking Down on Olympic Social Media Clips

NHL teams have gone to extreme lengths to work around IOC restrictions.
University of Southern California

The New Way Colleges Are Wooing Athletes: Content Studios

Schools are creating content studios to win recruits and donor dollars.
Dec 25, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Ball Arena

Spencer Jones Is Having a Moment in the NBA and on LinkedIn

The Nuggets forward and Stanford grad is a prolific poster and investor.

Featured Today

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 25: Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever sits on the baseline and makes photographs during the Indiana Pacers game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Why Athletes Are Moonlighting As Sports Photographers

Athletes are swapping courtside seats for sideline cameras.
Quinnipiac women's varsity rugby
April 21, 2026

The Death of Quinnipiac Women’s Varsity Rugby

The sudden decision at Ilona Maher’s alma mater left players blindsided.
April 17, 2026

The Lawyer Steering the NIL Era

In the new era of college sports, Darren Heitner is everywhere.
blake griffin
April 14, 2026

Inside Blake Griffin’s Rookie Season at Prime Video

The six-time All-Star was initially hesitant to enter the media space.
Jun 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles against the Golden State Valkyries during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

All 44 of Caitlin Clark’s Fever Games Will Be on National TV

This season marks the first of the WNBA’s new rights deal.
Apr 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
April 22, 2026

Steve Kerr Looms as Top TV Target Amid Coaching Uncertainty

Kerr previously served as TNT’s top game analyst
Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
April 22, 2026

How the Patriots Are Stage-Managing the Vrabel-Russini Fallout

Vrabel finally gave brief and vague remarks on the scandal on Tuesday.
Sponsored

Why Brandon Marshall Bet on Athlete-Owned Media

Brandon Marshall on athlete media, life after football, building I AM ATHLETE.
April 22, 2026

PGA Tour Signature Event Ratings Momentum Slows After 2025 Surge

Four of this year’s eight signature events have already been played.
Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) as he drives to the basket in the second half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
April 22, 2026

Play-In Tournament Viewership up 18% in Prime Video Debut

Stephen Curry and the Warriors aided the high viewership.
April 21, 2026

French Open Limits Cameras Amid Player Privacy Complaints

The French Open starts next month.
Apr 18, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; The University of Minnesota gymnastics team poses with their trophy after finishing in fourth place in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics National Championships at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
April 21, 2026

ESPN Defends NCAA Gymnastics Broadcast After Minnesota Backlash

Minnesota blasted ESPN for showing its routines less than other teams.