The Content Byte

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.

Overwhelmed with the amount of time you spend on screens? Jocelyn Brewer talks to Rachel and Lynne about digital nutrition and how freelancers can find a way to live with technology without it taking over our lives. Jocelyn is a cyberpsychologist and a digital wellbeing expert, who talks to us about conquering our love-hate relationship with technology. For freelancers and writers, she gives insight on how to be an 'intentional influencer' and have healthy boundaries around tech She shares practical tips on how to be more mindful about the way we use technology and social media. Find out more about Jocelyn here: https://jocelynbrewer.com/ Here's the link to her upcoming tech-use agreement course: https://events.humanitix.com/design-your-family-technology-agreement-dec2021

Digging deep into freelance communities in London after she'd lost a lot of her work during the pandemic inspired freelance marketing strategist and copywriter Sophie Cross to do something no one's ever really done: start a magazine by freelancers, for freelancers. In this chat with Sophie, she shares how the idea came to her, how it's taken over her life (and her work!) and much more. Listen to find out: + How the pandemic affected Sophie's work and caused her to start becoming more embedded in online freelance communities + Why she decided to start Freelancer magazine and (and how the Kickstarter campaign sold 1000 copies before the magazine even existed) + The nostalgic reason Sophie really wanted to start a print mag, despite the struggles magazines are having right now + Why she agrees that niche publishing is the future + The power of communities and word of mouth for freelancers + Why she loves the chance to talk to so many different freelancers and what she's learned + Why LinkedIn is her main platform for promoting the mag and how her strategies can be used by freelancers promoting themselves + The future of Freelancer magazine (it's all good, people!) + Sophie's favourite tools More about Sophie Freelancer magazine: www.freelancermagazine.co.uk/ Sophie on Twitter: twitter.com/fullythoughtout Sophie on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophcross/ Sophie's marketing and mindset courses www.thoughtfully.co.uk/

Freelancers who start to do a lot of client work will soon realise they'll be taking lots of briefs - and while you can do it in person, on Zoom or over the phone, you can also send a client brief template to your clients as well. In this episode, we chat about: The various ways to take a brief and what works for us What you need to consider when taking a brief Your briefing template, or the client's? Key things you need to ask about (budget, target audience, goals, style + tone etc) What happens when you get the briefing process wrong or miss things The importance of recapping over email Resources BLOG: 3 types of content you need to know about (to help you do a better job) https://www.rachelslist.com.au/blog/three-types-of-content-you-need-to-know-about-to-help-you-do-a-better-job/ TOOLKIT: Get $5 off the new client brief template at Rachel's List with the code BRIEF5 https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/client-brief-template/

This week on The Content Byte, we're talking to Sarah Townsend, a UK-based copywriter and the bestselling author of Survival Skills for Freelancers, a book that's fast becoming THE bible for anyone starting out working for themselves. (There's lots to learn too even if you're a veteran freelancer, just quietly). We chat to Sarah about: What inspired the book, and how she essentially wrote it for her 'younger self' The strategies she used to get the book out there and create word of mouth The pitfalls of freelancing, such as letting clients become your mini bosses, taking on work that's not a good fit for you, and being too scared to take risks Why community's so important and how to find your people Why a trusted freelance tribe can be invaluable, especially with what to charge How freelancing just isn't for everyone and that's completely okay Her top tips for any freelancers who may be struggling with building a business And much more! Want to know more about Sarah and the book? Head to SurvivalSkillsForFreelancers.com to sign up for Sarah's monthly newsletter, which is full of great advice for freelancers. You'll also get your hands on a free downloadable chapter of the book. You can also buy the book direct from Sarah or from Amazon.