The Content Byte

Ever wanted to work with agencies? Lynne goes it alone this week with guest and agency owner Renee Francis, who talks about how freelancers can secure agency work, why she likes working with freelancers and the skills you need to secure good paying work. Renee's agency, The Bubble Co, is here: https://thebubbleco.com.au/ Connect with Renee via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-francis-7480a233/ 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/

The pandemic may have changed the way we work forever, says Dr Marcus Bowles, Rachel and Lynne's guest on the podcast this week and he feels freelancing might be the way of the future. In this thoughtful and far-ranging discussion, he chats about the careers of the future and all about micro-credentials and why they are important. Prepare to be inspired and challenged! Dr Bowles' website is here: https://marcbowles.com/ 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/  

Savvy writers and freelancers all know that it's who you know, not what you know! A solid contact book is a huge asset for journalists, copywriters and content writers and this week Rachel and Lynne talk about how to find and nurture your contacts - and how to organise them so you can find the right expert at the right time.  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/  The Folk CRM system Rachel talks about is here: https://www.folk.app/ The Source tracker on Rachel's List is here: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product-category/freelance-trackers/ 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/

This week - the end of our financial year - Rachel and Lynne talk about fatigue. Ever since we spoke to Madeleine Dore about the cult of productivity, we've been mindful of not ignoring our fatigue levels and trying to be kind to ourselves. We recognise when we're at our best and when we're just pushing through  to feel a bit ahead the next day.  We share our tips about how we stay fresh, relevant and how we both avoid burnout. 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 Rounded.com.au. Rachel's List is here: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Rachel's own website is: https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website is: https://www.lynnetestoni.com/  

Building a personal brand may sound a bit 'ick' to some writers, but it is a vital marketing tool for your freelance business. Branding expert Emma Lovell takes the awkwardness out of branding with her fun and practical approach. She is Rachel and Lynne's guest on the podcast this week, showing why creating your personal brand is important and how it can bring you more business - and the right clients.  Find out more about Emma through her website: https://lovellycommunications.com/ Rachel's List is here: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Rachel's own website is: https://rachelsmith.com.au/ Lynne's website is: https://www.lynnetestoni.com/  

We're long-time fans of Madeleine Dore, a writer and interviewer who's spent five years asking creative thinkers how they navigate their days on her popular blog Extraordinary Routines (and podcast Routines & Ruts). And in this episode, we chat to Madeleine about what she's learned from the project and the book it inspired: I Didn't Do The Thing Today. This lively episode delves into a completely different way to think about productivity, and freeing yourself from productivity guilt in general. Psst! Don't forget to head to the blog at Rachel's List to win one of 3 x copies of Madeleine's book (winners announced Friday, June 24!) More about Madeleine Extraordinary Routines https://extraordinaryroutines.com/ Madeleine's website https://www.madeleinedore.com/about Win the book! https://www.rachelslist.com.au/blog/holding-things-lightly-an-extract-from-i-didnt-do-the-thing-today-a-giveaway/ Buy the book https://www.booktopia.com.au/i-didn-t-do-the-thing-today-madeleine-dore/book/9781922351500.html? 

After a successful career in high-profile magazines, including as editor of the Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine, writer Kayte Nunn turned her hand to commercial fiction. Now with seven books published, she shares her journey with hosts Lynne and Rachel talking about making a living doing what she loves and why writing novels is all about the long game.  Connect with Kayte via her website: https://kaytenunn.com/ and pre-order her new book, The Only Child, due out in September.

Marketing expert Therese Tarlinton is all about partnerships - so much so that she wrote a book about it! Her book, SWAP - Marketing without Money, helps small businesses, including freelancers, develop partnerships and relationships that allow everyone to grow. In this episode, she talks with Rachel and Lynne about: What marketing managers need from freelancers How freelancers can add value and gain more work How to develop your freelance offering to be even more appealing to large corporates and companies Get in touch with Therese via her website: https://www.theresetarlinton.com/ or connect via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-tarlinton/  

After a request from listener Jules, Lynne and Rachel talk about how to secure your first copywriting clients. We share our top six tips on how to start and build your own writing business.  We talk about building a network, optimising digital marketing, branding and developing your website, why you shouldn't be fussy, being prepared and professional, and the importance of community. Some of the tips we mention are: Calendly, https://calendly.com/ The episode with Katie Hull on Google my Business is https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-content-writers-and-other-freelancers-need-a/id1478510876?i=1000519719074 The episode with Emma McMillan on great website content is https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-great-website-content-with-emma-mcmillan/id1478510876?i=1000554021064 Rachel's List: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Kate Toon's membership list is here: https://www.clevercopywritingschool.com/membership/  

This week, Rachel and Lynne return to their occasional series of interviewing successful freelancers, with their chat with Lucy E. Cousins, who specialises in health and wellness and has her own successful content agency, Remedy Content. Lucy shares her journey in magazines and journalism, as well why she focuses on evidence-based science in her health articles and why she always adds the 'E' in her name.  Find out more about Lucy here: https://www.remedycontent.com.au/ or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyecousins/