The Content Byte

This week on the podcast, Rachel & Lynne's guest is freelance writer and author Sue Williams. Sue talks about her long and successful career as a writer and journalist and how it led to non-fiction books and now historical novels. During the episode, Sue talks about: How her career started and when she moved to freelancing Her love of travel writing and why she still does journalism Why following a brief and making it easy for editors will give you more work Why it's hard to pitch story ideas, and why it's important How she secured an agent and publisher for her books The challenge of writing historical fiction and why it's harder than she thought How she uses AI and why it will never replace human content Connect with Sue via her website: https://suewilliams.com.au/  Her latest book is The Governor, His Wife and His Mistress, and is available from all good bookstores. 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 

This week we are chatting with Carolyn Tate, a former journalist turned agency founder. Carolyn talks about her career as a freelancer, setting up her agency, and what she has learned along the way. During our discussion, we talked about: How the way she worked changed after an ADHD diagnosis How her freelance career took off after she started thinking like a business How she learned that rejection is just part of freelancing The challenges of hiring and managing staff How and where she finds clients How AI has affected her work - and how she uses it Why following the brief will bring you repeat work Connect with Carolyn through her website: https://www.stellarcontent.com.au/ or email talent@stellarcontent.com.au if you are interested in pitching your services or via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-tate/  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           

This week on the podcast, we are chatting with public relations expert, strategic advisor, and entrepreneur Karen Eck, talking about how freelancers can improve their visibility - and stand out in what is now a competitive marketplace. Karen talks about: What her career in TV publicity has taught her about visibility Why your work won't always just speak for itself Why you need to be 'asset-ready' How to write an effective bio How and why networking can be a powerful tool to secure more clients Connect with Karen via her website: https://eckfactor.com/  Take a free Visibility Health Check at https://www.powerofvisibility.com.au/  Register interest for Collabor8 Women at Collabor8women.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 

We are back from our break! And we have a great episode for our return - featuring content strategist and LinkedIn mentor Beck Cofrancesco. Beck talks about how to make LinkedIn work for you, how to find clients and why she started a local business meet-up group. During our chat, we talk about: Why she started freelancing Her new LinkedIn newsletter and why she started it How her newsletter has informed (and changed) her LinkedIn strategy Why she has two newsletters  Her favourite client-finding strategies  How to get out of the feast or famine cycle Why meeting in person is better than online in terms of building relationships Connect with Beck via her website: https://marketinggoodness.com.au/  Or follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-cofrancesco-marketing-goodness/  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       

RE-RELEASE. Continuing with our summer series of re-running our favourite and most popular podcast episodes, we are sharing an episode from August 2022, with agency copywriter Damien Whelan. If you're as Mad Men-obsessed as we are, you're probably keen to know how copywriting on the agency side differs from other types of writing that copywriters do.  In our chat, we talk about: How did he get into agencies?  How does he come up with clever one-liners? What's it like working on an ad campaign for a billboard? How do pitch meetings pan out? Do they often pull all-nighters? How can freelancers get into agencies and become indispensible? And is there really is a decanter of whisky on everyone's desk? Connect with Damien via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damien-whelan-14700b51/  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 

This week, we are starting a special summer series, repeating some of our most popular episodes. First up is our most successful episode ever - with grant writer Martina Donkers.  In an inspiring talk, Martina shares her story about finding her niche, how grant writing works and why she loves being a digital nomad - all from a hammock in regional Western Australia! We chat about:  How and why she decided to specialise in grant writing The different sorts of grants available What makes grant writing different Why the criteria really matters How to price this sort of work The realities of being a digital nomad You can connect with Martina (and check out her latest courses) via her website: http://www.martinadonkers.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 

In what is probably our last episode for 2024, Rachel and Lynne chat with copywriter, campaigner and brand strategist Carmen Hawker. Carmen writes for purpose-driven businesses and B Corps from sustainable fashion to ethical finance. She talks about how she found her niche, why she loves doing this sort of work and how she makes it pay a reasonable wage. In this revealing episode, she talks about: The difference between not-for-profit and purpose-led organisations Where and how she finds her clients Why she likes project-based work and how she balances her workload The challenges behind 'greenwashing' What a Bcorp is and how she works for them Writing persuasive copy in the purpose-led brand space Connect with Carmen through her website: https://carmengetit.com.au/  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 

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Amy Posner, also known as The Client Whisperer, talking about the mistakes many of us make when working with clients, especially at the beginning of our freelance career. Amy is a business coach for freelancers and has some great information on how to find good clients who will pay good money for your work. She talks about: The different types of clients you might encounter How to find the clients right for you How to make more money and deliver value for clients Mistakes freelancers make, including not stepping into your expertise Why better paying clients are looking for experts How to create better processes in your business How to have conversations with clients that can create interesting and deeper relationships Find the SimpleMind Pro program Amy talks about here: https://simplemind.eu/download/full-edition/ Connect with Amy through her website: https://amyposner.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 

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with a good friend and colleague - B2B tech writer Rosalyn Page. Rosalyn talks about her background in IT and tech magazines, how and why she transitioned to freelance work and all that involves. During our chat, Ros talks about: How she got into tech writing Where she finds her work The pros and cons of writing for agencies Whether tech writing is a lucrative niche Covering conferences in her tech niche Writing thought leadership pieces and white papers How AI can help her brainstorm Connect with Ros at her website: https://rosalynpage.com/  Here's the link to her article about being a tech writer: https://rosalynpage.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-tech-writer/  or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalyn-page/  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 

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Lizzie Mulherin, a freelance writer, brand strategist, and travel author. Lizzie shares her career journey and chats about: Having a business mindset when it comes to freelancing How to mix content work and journalism How to boost your confidence as a freelancer Whether you need to build a personal brand to make good money Common mistakes she sees writers making How to get the most out of AI Whether it is possible to make a good living through Substack Connect with Lizzie via her website: https://www.lizzie-mulherin.com/  or through Substack on https://createyourliving.substack.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