
The Content Byte
Hosts Rachel Smith (from Rachel's List) and journalist and content writer Lynne Testoni are serving up weekly short bites of advice, tips and strategies, plus special guests, for freelancers who make a living from using their words. We're shooting for 15-minute episodes, but can't promise anything because we can both talk the leg off a chair.
Latest episodes

Jan 19, 2025 • 55min
Conquering LinkedIn, finding clients and the power of community, with Rebecca Cofrancesco
We are back from our break! And we have a great episode for our return - featuring content strategist and LinkedIn mentor Beck Cofrancesco. Beck talks about how to make LinkedIn work for you, how to find clients and why she started a local business meet-up group. During our chat, we talk about: Why she started freelancing Her new LinkedIn newsletter and why she started it How her newsletter has informed (and changed) her LinkedIn strategy Why she has two newsletters Her favourite client-finding strategies How to get out of the feast or famine cycle Why meeting in person is better than online in terms of building relationships Connect with Beck via her website: https://marketinggoodness.com.au/ Or follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-cofrancesco-marketing-goodness/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Dec 18, 2024 • 30min
RE-RELEASE Working as an agency copywriter with Damien Whelan
RE-RELEASE. Continuing with our summer series of re-running our favourite and most popular podcast episodes, we are sharing an episode from August 2022, with agency copywriter Damien Whelan. If you're as Mad Men-obsessed as we are, you're probably keen to know how copywriting on the agency side differs from other types of writing that copywriters do. In our chat, we talk about: 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? Connect with Damien via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damien-whelan-14700b51/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Dec 12, 2024 • 40min
RE-RELEASE Grant Writing with Martina Donkers
This week, we are starting a special summer series, repeating some of our most popular episodes. First up is our most successful episode ever - with grant writer Martina Donkers. 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! We chat about: How and why she decided to specialise in grant writing The different sorts of grants available What makes grant writing different Why the criteria really matters How to price this sort of work The realities of being a digital nomad You can connect with Martina (and check out her latest courses) via her website: http://www.martinadonkers.com/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Dec 1, 2024 • 48min
Writing for purpose-driven brands with Carmen Hawker
In what is probably our last episode for 2024, Rachel and Lynne chat with copywriter, campaigner and brand strategist Carmen Hawker. Carmen writes for purpose-driven businesses and B Corps from sustainable fashion to ethical finance. She talks about how she found her niche, why she loves doing this sort of work and how she makes it pay a reasonable wage. In this revealing episode, she talks about: The difference between not-for-profit and purpose-led organisations Where and how she finds her clients Why she likes project-based work and how she balances her workload The challenges behind 'greenwashing' What a Bcorp is and how she works for them Writing persuasive copy in the purpose-led brand space Connect with Carmen through her website: https://carmengetit.com.au/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Nov 24, 2024 • 47min
Why You Might be Your Own Worst Enemy When it Comes to Landing Dream Clients
This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Amy Posner, also known as The Client Whisperer, talking about the mistakes many of us make when working with clients, especially at the beginning of our freelance career. Amy is a business coach for freelancers and has some great information on how to find good clients who will pay good money for your work. She talks about: The different types of clients you might encounter How to find the clients right for you How to make more money and deliver value for clients Mistakes freelancers make, including not stepping into your expertise Why better paying clients are looking for experts How to create better processes in your business How to have conversations with clients that can create interesting and deeper relationships Find the SimpleMind Pro program Amy talks about here: https://simplemind.eu/download/full-edition/ Connect with Amy through her website: https://amyposner.com/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Nov 17, 2024 • 37min
What it’s like to be a B2B tech writer with Rosalyn Page
This week Rachel and Lynne chat with a good friend and colleague - B2B tech writer Rosalyn Page. Rosalyn talks about her background in IT and tech magazines, how and why she transitioned to freelance work and all that involves. During our chat, Ros talks about: How she got into tech writing Where she finds her work The pros and cons of writing for agencies Whether tech writing is a lucrative niche Covering conferences in her tech niche Writing thought leadership pieces and white papers How AI can help her brainstorm Connect with Ros at her website: https://rosalynpage.com/ Here's the link to her article about being a tech writer: https://rosalynpage.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-tech-writer/ or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalyn-page/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Nov 10, 2024 • 44min
Building a Sustainable Freelance Career in a Gig Economy with Lizzie Mulherin
This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Lizzie Mulherin, a freelance writer, brand strategist, and travel author. Lizzie shares her career journey and chats about: Having a business mindset when it comes to freelancing How to mix content work and journalism How to boost your confidence as a freelancer Whether you need to build a personal brand to make good money Common mistakes she sees writers making How to get the most out of AI Whether it is possible to make a good living through Substack Connect with Lizzie via her website: https://www.lizzie-mulherin.com/ or through Substack on https://createyourliving.substack.com/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Nov 3, 2024 • 58min
How to be paid well with Sue White
This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with freelance writer, journalist, consultant and media trainer Sue White. As a highly successful freelancer, Sue is all about knowing your own worth and charging accordingly. She shares her career journey, why it's important to grow and adapt as time goes on and why you should never accept underpaid jobs. She talks about: Where and how she finds her clients Why journalists need to do copywriting and content to make a good living How she secured a long-running column in prestigious newspapers Whether securing retainers works for freelancers How she set up a media training business with fellow journalist Ginger Gorman The systems and processes that work for her Connect with Sue (and all the many freelance hats she wears) via her website: https://www.suewhite.com.au/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Oct 27, 2024 • 42min
How to earn more as a freelancer without ruining your life with Sarah Greesonbach
This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with B2B writer and coach Sarah Greesonbach. We reached out to her after seeing her great comments and funny posts on LinkedIn and we love her approach to freelance writing. We should point out that Lynne had some Internet issues near the end and had to drop out. Luckily Rachel and Sarah were able to complete the chat! During our chat we talk about: Why she loves B2B content work How she came back from burning out Why you need to master three parts of the client-getting process How writers can use LinkedIn better (without posting all the time) How to charge more without freaking out Some clever tech tips that help her be more productive Connect with Sarah at B2B Content Studio: https://b2bcontentstudio.com/ or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahgreesonbach/ Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

Oct 20, 2024 • 38min
How to use community to grow a freelance business with Jenn Donovan
This week on the podcast Rachel and Lynne are talking about how to grow your businesses with Jenn Donovan. Jenn is passionate about small businesses (which is what a freelance career essentially is) and she talks about how you can use community to find clients and get support from your peers. In our discussion we cover: Her interesting career story, from lawyer to retailer to marketer Why she loves working in rural and regional communities How the power of community keeps small businesses alive How AI can save you hours of time, so you can focus on doing what you love How podcasts can be a powerful marketing tool The tech tools she uses every day Find Jenn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-donovan/ Her Small Business Made Simple podcast is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/small-business-made-simple-podcast/id1448007188 Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co