The Content Byte

 This week on The Content Byte, we have something a little different, but hopefully still useful. This episode was originally recorded as part of Austin Church's Growth Without Burnout Summit held recently. This virtual event was inspiring and useful and featured speakers from all across the world talking about how to grow a thriving freelance business without burning out. As part of his amazing summit, Austin asked Rachel and I about our friendship and how and why we started this podcast. We first met Austin when he was the keynote speaker at the Content by Summit in 2024. We felt honoured and flattered that he asked us to be involved with his summit. It was a great chat so we thought we would share it with our listeners. It’s almost our origin story. We talk about how a friendship-turned partnership evolved into a thriving podcast, the summit, and an unexpected SEO goldmine. From dividing tasks based on complementary strengths to navigating conflict without contracts, we share how we found success - and still remained friends. Connect with Austin L. Church through his Freelance Cake website: https://www.freelancecake.com/ And his community at: https://www.freelancecake.com/community Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com  Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au  Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au  If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co     

In this episode Rachel and Lynne discuss the intricacies of freelance finances with Julia Newbould, an editor, journalist, and author with extensive experience in financial reporting. Julia shares insights on transitioning from spreadsheets to accounting software, the importance of financial literacy, and strategies for effective money management for freelancers.   She also talks about: Her journey in journalism Her efforts to increase female representation in financial advising  Setting up multiple bank accounts for effective cash flow management The significance of emergency funds Superannuation for freelancers Plus tips on raising prices and handling financial anxiety Connect with Julia via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-newbould-44454712/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au  Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

This week on the podcast, Rachel & Lynne are chatting with Lee Elwood, an accredited editor, content writer, and copywriter. Lee shares her freelancing journey, emphasising the value of professional networks and accreditation through the Institute of Professional Editors (IPED). During our chat, Lee talks about: Different types of editing, from copy edits to structural edits and proofreading What IPED accreditation is and how you can achieve it Why she is a huge fan of networks and being active in the editing community How the type of work she does has evolved over the years Where and how she finds her clients How she has grown her business, without losing focus The impact of AI on the field Connect with Lee via her website: https://ellwords.com.au/  or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lrellwood/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com  Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au  Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au  If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co     

This week Rachel and Lynne's guest is Jenny Valentish, a journalist, author, and writing coach, joins the conversation to share her career journey from fanzines to freelancing for The Guardian. She also talks about her new book, The Introvert's Guide to Leaving the House.  Jenny dives into the importance of structured feedback in writing groups, the challenges of memoir writing, and the value of teaching practical writing tools. She also shares why she likes to be quite strict about her weekly schedule and how her six-week writing workshops provide a supportive environment for writers to improve their craft and form important connections.  Connect with Jenny via her website: https://jennyvalentish.com/ or look at her courses at https://www.valentish.net/  Details about her book: https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/The-Introverts-Guide-to-Leaving-the-House/Jenny-Valentish/9781923135109  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Michelle Newell, a narrative strategist based in Melbourne/Naarm who shares her expertise on using storytelling for content strategy and branding. During our chat, we talk about: How freelancers can transition into thought leadership – and why they should Why you need a unique point of view  How to leverage personal branding How to handle a fear of visibility and trolls How to secure speaking gigs, enhance visibility, and charge premium rates for your services Connect with Michelle via her website: https://thestorytelling.biz/  or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-newell/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com  Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au  Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au ), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au  for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

This week our guest is Toby Schmitz, actor, screenwriter and now novelist. It's a fun chat, talking all things books, reading and writing. Toby shares insights into his upbringing in his family's second-hand bookstore, his motivations for writing, how his debut novel 'The Empress Murders' came about and why he chose such an amibitious work as his debut. He delves into the creative process of adapting a play into this novel, the challenges and rewards of publishing, using palm cards to plan his novel and what he is writing next.  The Empress Murders is out in bookstores now. Follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tobymschmitz/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

This week we are trying something new - which might become a regular episode.  We are answering questions from our listeners, using our years of experience and some of the knowledge learned doing this podcast for the last six years (thanks to all our amazing guests). This week's questions include: The ethics around including past clients in future articles or commissions How to break up with a client How to pitch to a new editor or client How to avoid procrastination We hope you find this discussion helpful and thanks Tracey, Stephanie, Ros and Natalie for these questions. If you have questions you'd like us to answer in our next Q&A episode, just send them here. Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au  Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au  for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

In this week's episode, co-hosts Rachel and Lynne chat with Georgia Rickard, an award-winning journalist turned content strategist.   Founder of the popular Georgia's Media Circle on Facebook (a great group for writers and PRs), Georgia shares her journey from being a travel writer to becoming the youngest magazine editor in Australia at 23. She discusses:   the importance of building a personal brand the challenges of making oneself visible online, and the evolving landscape of freelancing with the rise of AI   She also talks about how and why she set up Georgia's Media Circle, and her upcoming event, Brand Camp, which is designed to help creatives build and monetise their personal brands. It's all about the value of authenticity, confidence, and adapting to new industry trends.   Georgia's Media Circle is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/georgiasmediacircle Georgia's agency website is: https://wearegeorge.co/   Details about Brand Camp are here: https://www.georgiarickard.com/brand-camp And if you use the code RLIST100 you can get a $100 discount on the cost.   Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au   Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au  for the details.   Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week on the podcast, Rachel & Lynne are chatting with former journalist, now educator, writer and editor, Dan Kaufman, about something they all feel passionately about - the craft of writing and editing. We have a lot of feelings about this topic, as we chat about the essential skills freelance writers need, including: the importance of mastering the basics of writing the declining emphasis on subediting and what it means for journalism the need for critical thinking, attention to detail, and self-editing the use of AI in writing and why Dan hates it! Connect with Dan through his website:   https://mediasurvival.com/   Dan's next public workshops are:   Press release writing and media pitching on 6 May https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/press-release-writing-and-media-pitching-course-live-half-day-webinar-tickets-1254147331429)   Sub-editing and proofreading on 13 and 14 May (https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sub-editing-and-proofreading-short-course-webinar-over-two-half-days-tickets-1254191824509)   Dan is offering an exclusive 15% discount code to his courses for podcast listeners with the code: contentbyte    Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au    Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au  Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au ), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting about freelancer websites with Michal Eisik, a copywriter and course creator who shares her expertise on creating effective websites and freelance portfolios. We discuss: the importance of having a well-designed, easy-to-update website the value of client testimonials, and how to manage clippings and case studies website analytics and user behaviour whether you should display pricing on your website Michal also provides insights into different approaches to using your website for lead generation, along with a list of must-have tools for freelancers Whether you're a freelance writer, copywriter, or creative, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you succeed. Connect with Michal at https://www.michaleisik.com/  Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com   Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co