The Content Byte

Are you a freelance writer looking to save time, get inspiration and make use of some of the brilliant digital tools out there (if you only knew what the best ones were)? In this episode - a follow-up to our 10 Essential Writing Tips episode a few weeks before - details some great tools we use in our own writing work. Resources we talk about in this episode Hemingway App https://hemingwayapp.com/ ContentBot https://contentbot.ai/ Cheese Ipsum http://www.cheeseipsum.co.uk/  Otter Ai https://otter.ai/ The Phrase Finder https://www.phrases.org.uk/ Plain English Dictionary https://sandralmuller.com/plain-english-dictionary/ oTranscribe https://otranscribe.com/ Word Hippo https://www.wordhippo.com/ Calendly https://calendly.com/  RhymeZone https://www.rhymezone.com/  Later https://later.com/  The Most Dangerous Writing App https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app Our interview with the creator of The Most Dangerous Writing App https://www.rachelslist.com.au/blog/we-chat-to-the-creator-of-the-most-dangerous-writing-app/    

A successful Facebook group can be a powerful thing - whether you're using it to create a community of like-minded people, to teach others, to gather feedback or to sell stuff. But how can you build a successful group, keep people talking - and stop it taking over your life in the process? In this episode, we chat with Freelance Jungle founder Rebekah Lambert, who knows a heck of a lot about FB groups and community management. Tune in to listen to us cover: Why you might want to start a FB group What Rebekah wishes she'd known before starting hers Her tips and strategies for creating a thriving group that doesn't take hours of her actual day Dealing with different personalities and member requests Management tips for coping with groups that become bigger than Ben Hur Getting help running your group with moderators Monetising a FB group And lots more! More about Rebekah Her website, Unashamedly Creative: https://unashamedlycreative.com.au/ Freelance Jungle website + directory https://freelancejungle.com.au/  Sign up to the Freelance Jungle https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelancejungle 

Does your writing need work? In this episode, we share ten essential tips for making your writing better - from making it more accessible, to ditching filler words, to how much time to spend on your opener and closing paragraphs, and much more.  

As a freelancer, you're probably always juggling a few different projects, with some weeks busier than others. And if you don't have systems in place to track how you're going and meet your deadlines, things can get hairy, fast. In this episode, Lynne and I talk about the different ways we juggle our workload, the systems we've created to ensure deadlines are met, and how we assess whether we can fit another project in. Hope it gives you some new ideas!

With the last year bringing so much uncertainty to the media industry, many journalists are choosing to parlay their skills into content roles in the public sector - and what's not to love? Job security, a regular paycheck and super make this an attractive proposition. But what do you need to know before you take the leap? Journo Nigel Bartlett, who's currently working as a content designer in a government role, joins us to share his tips on: - Updating your LinkedIn so you're attractive to government agencies and have a desirable skillset - How to find the right jobs - either via LinkedIn or agencies recruiters or HR departments - At what stage you should negotiate flexibility (eg working off-site, even part of the time) - How to assess whether a government role is right for you - Skills that are important and those you'll pick up (Nigel's picked up some great UX skills which are in high demand) - And much more.

Low-paying clients. We've all been there as freelancers - so how do you deal with it? In this episode, we cover several scenarios: What to do if you're offered work then told the rate is ridiculously low How to raise your rates with low-paying clients you already have How to weed out low-paying clients from the get-go, without wasting time How to educate clients about market rates. Tune in for the scripts we use with clients, how not to burn bridges (in case that client pops up somewhere else or suddenly gets more budget) and how to nip scope creep in the bud - which often seems to happen with low-paying clients! Plus, we tackle the great debate about whether to put your rates on your website and some strategies on how to use your website as a digital gate-keeper for the tyre-kickers who'll just waste your time but not hire you (or pay you what you're worth). Resources: The Rachel's List pay rates report Grab 20% off the following tools for the next week with the code BYTE20: Mini Masterclass: Your essential guide to quoting freelance projects Ebook: 25 Scripts for Freelance Success

This week, Rachel and Lynne talk all about how we can build up a powerful network with a special guest – Tory Archbold. Networking! Sometimes that is a word that drives fear into people’s hearts, but we think that Tory Archbold has a great take on it. She calls it connecting rather than networking and has developed some easy and introvert-friendly ways to connect with people – and help those connections to take your business to the next level. About Tory: Tory is an entrepreneur, CEO and business coach. She has run her own business for many years and now helps women find their own superpowers and take their business to the next level through courses and one-on-one mentoring.  Some of the things we discuss with Tory include: Why developing a network is so important How to make LinkedIn work for you How the pandemic has opened up opportunities Why sharing the engagement and results of your work can lead you to new opportunities How her coffee date system works How to connect without sounding pushy  Tips for meeting via Zoom or virtually How to connect with Tory Website www.powerful-steps.com Instagram @powerfulsteps Podcast Powerful Stories with Tory Archbold Book a coffee date with Tory  link is https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20045920&appointmentType=15489103

This week Lynne and Rachel share their tips and tricks on how to repurpose and reuse content, without plagiarising. We think writers are crazy if they don’t keep track of what they’ve written about and revisit those topics – but we're talking updated, fresh, completely new articles. Not a spit and polish and a re-sell on the old one. We talk about: Using fresh ways to tackle the same subjects How interviews with new experts can give you new angles on stories Using new research to update existing stories How to get two articles out of the same topic How you can put procedures in place to stop repeating yourself when writing about the same subjects We also mention the Plagiarism Checker: https://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/

With the last year bringing so much uncertainty to the media industry, both Rachel and I have known a few former colleagues who have moved to onto other roles – and even whole new careers. However, it can be a tricky switch, so in this episode we're chatting to careers coach Jane Jackson about making that step. A bit about Jane: Jane is a Career Management Coach, LinkedIn Top Voice 2020, Founder of The Careers Academy membership portal, host of Your Career Podcast and author of Amazon best-seller Navigating Career Crossroads. Over the past 20 years Jane has coached thousands of career changers, empowering them to make a successful career transition and create their dream career. Jane’s MISSION: To make career guidance accessible and affordable to all who need it globally. In this episode, we talk about: - LinkedIn, marketing yourself and visibility - Job-seeking trends Jane's seen during the pandemic - Sideways careers and options for journalists - Retraining and transferrable skills - Keeping your spirits up when the job hunt goes on (and on) - Important skills for a future AI-dominated world of work - Future-proofing your career going forward - Jane's advice for all job-seekers looking for work Further reading From the Rachel's List blog: Just been retrenched? Careers coach Jane Jackson shares her tips Where to find Jane LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janejackson/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneCareerCoach  Website: https://janejacksoncoach.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janecareercoach  The Careers Academy: https://www.thecareersacademy.online/  

Newsletters are big bikkies right now - so how do you create one that people want to open week after week? In this episode, that’s a question we put to  Sophie Hansen, creator of the Monday morning missive 5 Things To Be Cheerful About. Sophie shares the story of starting the newsletter, why she chose the format she did, and how she grew her audience. Plus, if you’re considering starting your own newsletter, you’ll get Sophie’s great tips and advice on how to do it and get that all-important momentum. About Sophie Sophie Hansen was born and raised in Sydney, and now lives with her family (husband Tim, daughter Alice 13, son Tom 11) on their deer farm just outside of Orange in country New South Wales. She trained in print journalism (at the University of Canberra) and has over 20 years experience as a features writer and content creator. She is currently writing her fourth book, her third In Good Company is to be published by Murdoch Books in April 2021. Her second cookbook, A Basket by the Door, is in its fourth reprint and widely distributed around the world. She spent three years working with Slow Food Editore in Northern Italy in her twenties and for the past ten years has been sharing recipes and social media tips on her two blogs Local is Lovely and My Open Kitchen. She also teaches social media and content marketing to producers and small businesses across Australia. In 2016 she was awarded Australian Rural Woman of the Year (via the Federal Government’s Agrifutures initiative) in recognition of her commitment to rural communities. This week we chat to Sophie about: Why she decided to start 5 Things To Be Cheerful About How she went about bringing the newsletter together, designing a template and choosing the whole look’n’feel What her process is for collating the items and writing it How she’s built up her subscriber base and grown her newsletter community What a typical day looks like for her How the newsletter is an important piece of the marketing puzzle What it’s like being a freelancer in rural Australia Her advice for anyone thinking of starting a newsletter. Where to find Sophie Local is Lovely website local-lovely.com 5 Things To Be Cheerful About Subscribe here LocalLovely Instagram www.instagram.com/locallovely A Basket By the Door Buy here 5 Things to be Cheerful About Podcast