The Content Byte

How good are you at following up on story pitches or with new clients? If you could do better, you're in good company: apparently, 48 percent of us never make a single follow-up attempt. Another 44 percent follow up, but give up after one follow-up call. And yet, 80 percent of sales require FIVE follow-ups! In this episode, we talk about: + why we struggle with following up + what we do when following up + best practice in reaching out + when to leave it Resources ~ RL's famous lead generation tracker - to track letters of introduction and follow-ups https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/lead-generation-tracker/ ~ RL's pitch tracker - for tracking and monitoring story pitches and follow-ups https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/pitch-tracker/ 

Collaborating with other freelancers or small businesses can be a rocket-launcher to growth you couldn't achieve otherwise. Trouble is, it's tricky to get it right, and to know how to approach other brands you might like to team up with. In this episode, we chat to Jess Ruhfus from Collabosaurus, a match-making, marketing platform that connects brands keen to collaborate. Tune in to hear about: + How Jess started Collabosaurus + Why she feels collaboration is the future + How to get started collaborating with another freelancer or brand + How to communicate your value + Collaboration success stories + Jess's favourite tech tools Find out more Check out Collabosaurus Join the Partnerships Masterclass - Starts March 14th! Listeners of The Content Byte can receive $200 off by emailing Jess @ collabosaurus.com Listen to Jess's podcasts: Podcast: Stop, Collaborate & Listen and Podcast: This is How We Do It

If you’re a writer thinking about edging into UX, you’ll find this episode with UX copywriter Susan Reoch both fascinating AND super helpful. We chat to Susan about: + What UX actually means and how this emerging area is a great one to consider if you’re a writer looking to upskill  + Where microcopy fits in to the UX bigger picture + How Susan got started in UX and the resources and groups that have been most helpful in growing her business + The kind of work out there for UX copywriters, and why business owners need UX writers more than ever + Why journalists can make great UX copywriters +  How to cost UX jobs with lots of moving parts + What you need to know about working in UX teams + Susan’s favourite tools Find out more about Susan here: https://susanreochcopywriter.com/  https://www.instagram.com/susanreoch_copywriter/  Other resources Susan’s UX Writer’s Guide https://susanreochcopywriter.com/the-ux-writers-guide/  The Content Rookie podcast https://contentrookiepod.com/  A blog post on UX writing by Laura Luck https://www.rachelslist.com.au/blog/so-you-think-you-can-be-a-ux-writer/  

How do you go from freelancing to running your own content agency? Great question - and in this episode it's one we put to Crucible Content's Jac Taylor, who talks us through why she decided to scale her business, how she did it, the challenges she faced and the digital tools she swears by.

This week's guest is Laura Simpson, the digital director of mass food at News Corp AU, working across taste.com.au and Australia's Best Recipes, where she oversees digital content commissioning, social media and content strategy. She chats with Rachel and Lynne about creating content using data and analytics and what it takes to stay number one in a category. Great insights about insights!

Many writers are scared of sales - and the hustle. In this week's episode, the first of 2022, high-level salesman Richard Gray takes hosts Rachel and Lynne through the sales process, shares his tips about selling, plus talks about cold calls and how to close a sale without sounding desperate or sleezy.  If you want to connect with Richard reach out via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-gray-57040318/  

You asked, we delivered... this week Rachel and Lynne have a LinkedIn Ninja on the podcast. Expert Jillian Bullock talks about LinkedIn's new newsletter feature, whether a premium subscription is worth it as well as great lead generation strategies using the platform. Find Jillian Bullock at https://linkedinninja.com.au/ Read her blog about LinkedIn tips and strategies at Rachels List: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/blog/your-guide-to-using-linkedin-as-a-freelancer/

Let's face it, we are all human - and we are likely to make a mistake (or two) over the course of our freelance career. But how do you recover from a big stuff-up? Long-time freelancer John Burfitt joins us this week to chat about how to come back from a mistake and regain trust with editors and clients. 

When you freelance, the lines between home and work can easily blur - and burnout can be just around the corner. So if you feel like you need to tweak how you run your business, tune in to our chat with executive coach Elana Robertson from foundher, who shares strategies for refining your work rituals and building a more sustainable freelance business. Learn how to: + Adopt new morning rituals (rather than going straight to social) + How 90-day planning can help you meet your goals + Setting boundaries and sharing your instruction manual + How to 'habit-stack' the rituals that work for you + Elana's favourite apps and tools + And much more! Resources Find Elana here: https://www.foundher.co/

We typically tend to think of CVs as something you use in order to get your next permanent role - but what about freelancers? Do they need a CV too? Many say no, and want to move away from the CV to simply showing clients an online portfolio instead. But there are cases you'll be asked for a CV (especially if you do agency work) and it's a good idea to have one ready to send. In this short episode, we chat about: + What freelancer CVs are + How they differ from traditional CVs + Creating a freelancer CV for yourself + Design, sections, tone of voice + What else you need to know Resources Check out some really creative, beautiful CVs here. If you want to look at Rachel's freelancer CV, you'll find it available to download on her website.  Canva also has a tutorial on creating CVs via its platform.