The Content Byte

The usual lead magnet writers and marketers are familiar with is some kind of deal or download customers receive in exchange for opting in to your email list. But could a quiz funnel do a much better job? Quiz and email strategist Melissa Payne knows so, and in this fascinating episode she talks to us about: her career journey and how she moved from agency work to starting her own business  using quizzes for lead generation how quizzes work and what they can be used for the research and planning that goes into writing a quiz the types of clients who use quizzes the skills and training you need to become a quiz and email strategist and much more! Where to find Melissa Her website: https://storyscoutdigital.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyscoutdigital/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-payne/  Resources + courses mentioned Kirsty Fanton's Brain Camp: https://kirstyfanton.com Codex Persona (Abbey Woodcock and Justin Blackman's course on brand voice): https://www.codexpersona.com Chanti Zak's quiz funnels course: http://chantizak.com Charlotte Isaac, operations consultant: https://charlotteisaac.com

If there's something freelancers know all about, it's the humble side hustle - which could be a passion project separate to your work, or something connected to your work that enables you to use your skills to make money in a new way. In this episode, we talk about: what a side hustle is small side hustles vs scalable ones when a side hustle becomes a business the different kinds of side hustles specific to writers and other creatives freelancers and small business owners who've successfully turned side hustles into their main focus And lots more! Who we mention in this episode John Burfitt - writer + university lecturer Kirsty Fanton - launch copywriter and Brain Camp extraordinaire Lindy Alexander - writer + course legend Emma McMillan - copywriter + small business copy coach Jay Crisp - copywriter, coach + creator of resources Belinda Weaver - Copywrite Matters - copywriter + copy mentor + resources Kate Toon - courses on SEO, digital marketing and a copywriting community and jobs board Sarah Townsend - copywriter and author of Survival Skills for Freelancers Anna Featherstone - writer and author of Look! It's Your Book

Have you ever found yourself just not engaged with your freelance business anymore, sick of the hustle and the invoice-chasing - and dreaming about taking a permanent 9-5 job? Joh Leggatt did - and in our latest episode, she talks to us about why she left her successful freelance business behind to take a full-time role with Forbes Australia. It's a fascinating chat in which we discuss: When Joh knew it was time to return to the 9-5 The challenges of dismantling a 6-figure freelance business The advantages and benefits of going in-house The bargaining power job-seekers have right now How going in-house could benefit your freelance business later Why it's a knowledge intensive, taking a full-time job How it can help you get a new niche and upskill in tools + tech Joh's advice for other freelancers considering going perm And much more! Resources Want to get in touch with Joh or pitch her a personal finance story? Pitch Joh Leggatt via LinkedIn Blog A simple strategy successful freelancers use to get work 

In this episode, we delve into the successful freelance journey of creative director Hieu Nguyen, who moved from a busy print publishing career in Australia to working in New York and starting his own design agency. Find out about: + Hieu's early years, including coming to Australia on a boat from Vietnam + How he got into graphic design and some of the amazing brands he's worked with, including Gourmet Traveller, The Australian Women's Weekly, Amazon Publishing, AT&T and many others + His tips for creatives keen to move to New York - from visas and sponsorship to how to pick up clients + And much more! Connect with Hieu Contact Hieu and check out his work at: www.hieunguyendesign.com Connect with us Rachel's List for job-seekers: rachelslist.com.au/jobseekers  Lynne Testoni's website: www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel Smith's website: rachelsmith.com.au  Thanks, as always, to our sponsors Rounded.com.au. Easy accounting and invoicing software, made just for Australian freelancers and sole traders. Don't forget, if you're a Rachel's List Gold member, you'll enjoy 20 percent off an annual subscription plan!  

Continuing on with our successful freelancer series, we're chatting to journalist and editor Grant Jones, a former TV producer and newspaper section editor who now runs his own content agency and communications company. He’s also cowritten the recent book, A Caring Life: What fifty years in nursing has taught me about humanity, compassion and community, by Keith Cox with Grant Jones. Find out how Grant had to reinvent himself during Covid, the skills he's picked up since starting out as a journalist so many years ago, and his tips for freelancers starting out. Connect with Grant On LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/grant-jones-content-media-marketing/ On Instagram - www.instagram.com/grant_jones_sydney/  Connect with us Rachel's List for job-seekers: rachelslist.com.au/jobseekers Lynne Testoni's website: www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel Smith's website: rachelsmith.com.au 

Many experts say podcasting is still in its infancy for brands, but they're waking up to the huge potential benefits of audio content and using it to connect with their customers. In this episode, we talk about why journalists and content writers are in a great position to offer podcasting as a service to clients - and why it's a good time to upskill in this area. Tune in to find out: the transferrable skills you have that are great for podcasting (and the ones you might want to learn) why it's easy to outsource the bits you can't do (and how to do it) an actual breakdown of costs so you can see what to charge a client And more! ResourcesBlog post - Your guide to starting a podcast Blog post - "I write scripts for true crime podcasts" Lynne's client podcast: Building Better with CSR

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with successful freelancer Martina Donkers, who is a specialist grant writer. 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! You can connect with Martina via her website: http://www.martinadonkers.com/ Lynne's website https://www.lynnetestoni.com/ Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Rachel's List https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Many thanks to Rounded for sponsoring this episode! Rounded offers user-friendly accounting and invoicing software, made just for Australian freelancers and sole traders. Visit https://rounded.com.au/  

If you're as Mad Men-obsessed as we are, you're probably keen to know how copywriting on the agency side differs from, say, what other types of copywriters do. (And if you're like Lynne and Rach, that may mean sitting at home, writing everything from web copy to lead magnets.) So we're getting the goods from agency copywriter Damien Whelan. We ask: 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? Where to find Damien Connect with Damien on LinkedIn

If you're setting yourself up to write copy or content for clients, it may be tricky to figure out the most important templates you need to have in place and why. These will be things you'll learn about, tweak and hone as you go, but in this episode we save you time and hassle by distilling it down to five templates we recommend you have from the start - and why they're so useful. Many thanks to Rounded for sponsoring this episode! Rounded offers user-friendly accounting and invoicing software, made just for freelancers and sole traders. The 5 templates and where to find them The rate card www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/rate-card/ A client brief template www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/client-brief-template/  A quoting template or statement of work www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/freelancer-statement-of-work-agreement/  An invoice template www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/freelancer-invoice-templates-4-pack/  Belinda Weaver's copy deck template www.copywritematters.com/copywriting-copy-decks/ Kate Toon's copy deck template www.clevercopywritingschool.com/product/copy-deck-updated/  More about Lynne and Rachel Lynne's website www.lynnetestoni.com  Rachel's website rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List rachelslist.com.au  Starting out - Rachel's List for job-seekers rachelslist.com.au/jobseekers 

This week's guest on the podcast is the talented Claire Isaac. Currently working as Editorial Director of TV WEEK and WHO on a maternity contract, Claire divides her time by filling in senior roles for long-term stints and writing for a variety of magazines and content agencies including Medium Rare, New Idea, the Big Issue and more. She talks about her start in teen pop mags and why she loves the excitement and pace of weekly magazines as well as how she created a successful podcast with friend Lisa Sinclair - Playing Devils' Avocado. Connect with Claire on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-isaac/ Playing Devil's Avocado is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/playing-devils-avocado/id1459329449 This podcast is sponsored by our good friends at Rounded, easy accounting and invoicing software, made just for Australian freelancers and sole traders. It’s everything you need to make freelancing easier! Find out more at https://rounded.com.au/ Rachel's List is: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Rachel's own website is: https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website is: https://www.lynnetestoni.com/