The Content Byte

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains some distressing content, including discussion about child sexual abuse. This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne chat with journalist and author Shannon Molloy. He talks about his two books, including his latest, You Made Me This Way, a powerful, yet harrowing tale that talks to male survivors of child sexual abuse. He talks about interviewing the men who are the core of the book, sharing his own story, and how he managed to cope with such challenging material. He shares how his journalism background helped him to write the book and how he juggled creating the book while still working in a day job as a reporter. Shannon also talked about his path to publishing his first book, Fourteen, and the process of it being adapted into a stage play. Shannon's books are available at all major and independent bookshops. Connect with Shannon here: https://www.shannonmolloy.com.au/ You can also buy You Made Me This Way, here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/you-made-me-this-way-shannon-molloy/book/9781460761861.html Shannon's first book, Fourteen, is available here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/fourteen-shannon-molloy/book/9781760851088.html We are also thrilled to launch our newest venture - The Content Byte Summit - a conference for writers, by writers. Find out more about The Content Byte Summit (and sign up for updates) here: https://thecontentbytesummit.com.au/ Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ Thanks to our sponsors Rounded, an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. See why thousands have made the switch from spreadsheets and complicated software: https://rounded.com.au/ Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat to copywriter and agency owner Sarah Spence. She shares her journey from freelancing to setting up her own agency, managing rapid growth and what she looks for when she's hiring freelancers. She also talks about what it's like being neurodiverse and how it helps her create a supportive and inclusive culture at her agency, Content Copywriting. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-spence-7413b930/ Learn more about her agency here: https://contentcopywriting.com.au/ We are also thrilled to launch our newest venture - The Content Byte Summit - a conference for writers, by writers. Find out more about The Content Byte Summit (and sign up for updates) here: https://thecontentbytesummit.com.au/ Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte! Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with artist and arts writer Emma Finneran. She shares how her writing career started, how she works with artists to translate their visions into words and what it's like dealing with the egos of the art world. Another fascinating writing niche - another fascinating freelancer! Emma shares her philosophy about making art accessible through words and sharing the vision of artists through statements and galleries. We loved this peek into another world! Connect with Emma here: https://artistprofile.com.au/emma-finneran/ We are so thrilled to launch our newest venture - The Content Byte Summit - a conference for writers, by writers. Find out more about The Content Byte Summit (and sign up for updates) here: https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/327980/sites/84584796838167692/thecontentbytesummit Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte! Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne are joined by Vivienne Pearson, who specialises in Opinion Writing. Vivienne talks about: What makes opinion writing different from regular journalism How and when to pitch to editors The topics that work for opinion writing Whether you can make a living from this style of writing Find out more about Vivienne at https://viviennepearson.com/ Information about her course with the Australian Writers Centre is here: https://www.writerscentre.com.au/store/courses/opinion-writing/ Don't forget... If you're an Aussie freelancer, please take our new pay rates survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CSXSNV Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte! Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with PR consultant and writer Erin Huckle of Chuckle Communications. Erin specialises in award writing and shares her knowledge. She talks about: Where she finds her clients What she likes about award writing How winning awards can help small business What makes this type of writing different from content writing The secret to being a successful freelancer Connect with Erin at: https://chucklecommunications.com/ (where you will find her amazing awards calendar) Don't forget... If you're an Aussie freelancer, please take our new pay rates survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CSXSNV Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte! Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week we chat with Martin Sully of Snapper Studio. Martin talks about moving to Australia from the UK and how he set up his own networking group in his new hometown of Newcastle NSW. We talk about the power of connections and word of mouth when it comes to securing new work; how to set up a networking group and balancing a freelance life with family responsibilities. Connect with Martin via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsullydesign/ or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snapper.studio/ Connect with Chatterbox: https://www.instagram.com/chatterbox.au/ Don't forget... If you're an Aussie freelancer, please take our new pay rates survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CSXSNV Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

This week it's just hosts Rachel and Lynne as they share their best-ever tips on how to find work if you are facing a slow patch in this super-practical episode. We get it! All freelancers have quiet times and sometimes all you need are some simple solutions to help you get back into the flow and have the clients or editors come running. We talk about how to reach out to your network (and how to create one if you don't have one) and how to work LinkedIn to your best advantage. Don't forget... If you're an Aussie freelancer, please take our new pay rates survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CSXSNV Find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

This week hosts Rachel and Lynne chat with columnist and author Kerri Sackville about her writing career. We talk about how being an early adopter on both Twitter and as a blogger helped to launch her career, how she chooses what to share about her life and how she secured both a weekly magazine column and all her five book deals. You can pre-order Kerri's new book, The Secret Life of You (How a bit of alone time can change your life, relationships, and maybe the world), here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-secret-life-of-you-kerri-sackville/book/9780645412949.html or connect with her here: https://www.kerrisackville.com.au/ About us If you're an Aussie writer, please take our new pay rates survey Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

This week on the podcast, we chat with copywriter and author Emma Grey, whose best-selling novel, The Last Love Note, captivated us both. We talk to Emma about how she channelled her grief on losing her husband into her book and how writing works as a cathartic process. The author of five books, Emma shares why this one was different, the process of writing through grief and why it has resonated so strongly with the Australian public. Connect with Emma here: https://www.emmagrey.com.au/ Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

Former freelancer, now agency owner, Mike Hanley joins Rachel and Lynne on the podcast this week. Mike talks about moving from Bondi to Geneva to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the World Economic Forum and how it helped him grow and develop as a writer and leader. He shares the difficulties of moving his family halfway around the world and how the pandemic led him and his wife to make the huge decision to return home. He also talks about the pressures of starting and running your own business and how tech tools help him keep on top of costs, while maintaining quality content. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hanley-723292/ You can find The Content Engine here: https://www.thecontentengine.com/ Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!