

The Content Byte
Rachel Smith
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 16, 2024 • 44min
Writing your first novel, with Siobhan O'Brien
This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with writer Siobhan O'Brien, who has just released her first novel to much acclaim - All the Golden Light - details here: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460762004/all-the-golden-light/. Siobhan talks about the writing process and how writing fiction was so different from her previous non-fiction projects. She talks about the realities of being a first time author, including: Learning to market your book Meeting your readers How much you really make as a writer in Australia Doing the research for a historical novel Editing your book and learning how to 'kill your darlings' And why she's now working on a second book Connect with Siobhan on Instagram @siobhan.obrien.author Don't forget about The Content Byte Summit from September 12-14, 2024 in Sydney. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

Jun 9, 2024 • 47min
All about LinkedIn and how to make it work for you, with Cathy Anderson
This week on the podcast, Lynne and Rachel are speaking with Cathy Anderson, a senior editor at LinkedIn Australia. Cathy shares her inside knowledge on how LinkedIn works, and how to make the most of the platform. It's a valuable and revealing conversation. We talk about: The special courses available for journalists through the platform How to increase your reach on LinkedIn How the LinkedIn news team works and what they are looking for How the LinkedIn Premium accounts work As Cathy explained, they are always looking for great posts to be featured by the news team as part of the Idea of the Day (here's an example from a journalist) as well as creator spotlights, which is where they send a notification directly to the person's post. These topics are really broad, such as cloning your voice via AI, corporate manners and work vs family. Connect with Cathy at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-anderson-bb2648b4/ and Cathy is happy for people to InMail her their posts to pitch. The next 'LinkedIn for Journalists workshop' is on Monday July 1 at 10.30am -11.30am (AEST). Experts will cover the latest product updates and guidance about how journalists can use LinkedIn as a tool for research, contacting sources, networking, building your voice on LinkedIn and more. If you are a journalist and interested in accessing these benefits, please fill in the attached form by 24th June. Don't forget about The Content Byte Summit from September 12-14, 2024 in Sydney. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

Jun 2, 2024 • 53min
All about pricing for freelancers with Jasmine Parasram
This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with the Pricing Queen, Jasmine Parasram, and talk all things pricing, an issue that we know freelancers, both new and experienced, struggle with. Jasmine talks about: How to price your work Hourly pricing vs value and project-based pricing When (and if) to discount Charging with confidence How to attract high-paying clients It's a great episode with lots of a-ha moment that will help you rethink the way you value your work and the clients you work with. Locate the resources that Jasmine mentions here: https://creativebusinesskitchen.com/calculate/rachel-kurzyp/ Or connect with Jasmine via her website: https://jasminedesigns.com.au/ Don't forget about The Content Byte Summit (which will tackle lots of issues about pricing and creating a financially sustainable business), from September 12-14, 2024 in Sydney. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

May 26, 2024 • 48min
Louise Milligan on storytelling, investigative reporting and her new book, Pheasant's Nest
This week Rachel and Lynne welcome investigative journalist Louise Milligan to the podcast hot seat. Louise talks about her work on Four Corners and her previous non-fiction books, Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell and Witness, An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice, as well as Pheasants Nest, her newly released novel. The discussion covers: The creative process of Louise's first novel and how it differs from journalism and non-fiction How the book expands on the usual way we consume a crime story Covering confronting issues in both fiction and journalism Gendered violence and how that played into the plot of her novel How she juggles writing novels with her journalism work Some of the stories she has covered and why she will never forget them Trigger warning: Our chat with Louise Milligan covers some confronting topics, including sexual assault, gendered violence and suicide. If these topics are a trigger for you, you might like to skip this episode or come back another time. Pheasants Nest is available at all good bookshops. Connect with Louise on Instagram @milliganreports and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012038172584 This is your last week to secure Early Bird tickets to The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024. The Early Bird discount ends on May 31. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

May 20, 2024 • 35min
Combining freelance writing and news journalism with Caroline Riches
We just love to meet freelancers who have managed to combine different types of writing into a successful career. This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with Caroline Riches, a news journalist for 25 years who works in the SBS newsroom part time and then does freelance writing work for the rest of the week. We talk about: Balancing the two roles Why she loves the flexibility of casual work What newsrooms are looking for from casual journalists and how to get a foot in the door The stress of covering big news stories How great it is to be part of a newsroom and being surrounded by the big news stories of the day Where and how she secures agency work Connect with Caroline at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-riches-978656113/ Caroline's website is: https://www.carolineriches.com/ This is your last week to secure Early Bird tickets to The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024. The Early Bird discount ends on May 31. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

May 12, 2024 • 54min
Stories from our audience: when freelancing kicked you in the ass
This week, Rachel and Lynne are doing something different! They have turned the microphone over to some of their listeners. In this great compilation episode, listeners and former guests share some of their stories about difficult times as freelancers and how they recovered. It's all about real-life experiences and resilience - and learning from our mistakes. Thanks to the following people for contributing (and those who aren't listed here as they preferred to stay anonymous): Anf Chansamooth https://www.anferneec.com/ Rebekah Lambert https://unashamedlycreative.com.au/ Belinda Weaver https://www.copywritematters.com/ Susan Reoch https://theuxcopywriter.com/ Brook McCarthy https://brookmccarthy.com/ Caitlin Wright https://caitlinwright.com.au/ Claire Chow https://connect4social.com.au/ Ed Gandia https://b2blauncher.com/ Emma Lovell, https://www.emmalovell.au/ John Burfitt, https://jbmedia.com.au/ Monica Davidson, https://creativeplusbusiness.com/ Theresa Miller - media trainer - TM Media https://www.theresamiller.com.au/training And, don't forget about The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024. Time is running out to secure the Early Bird discount, which ends on May 31. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

May 5, 2024 • 55min
Jessica Mudditt on leaving journalism to start her own publishing company
This week Rachel and Lynne have a return guest - Jessica Mudditt. A journalist and author, Jessica has embraced risk and adventure to start her own publishing business, Hembury Books, which provides coaching and ghostwriting services to non-fiction authors. Jess talks about what helped her decide to make this career shift, how and why self-publishing is a great option for many authors and some of the challenges of working in today's publishing industry. We cover: What it's like to have your own book in your hand Writing her own memoirs The publicity machine How the ghostwriting process works Coaching authors and mentoring them through the publishing process Jess's first appearance on The Content Byte is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-content-byte/id1478510876?i=1000526237952 Connect with Jessica at Hembury Books: https://hemburybooks.com.au/ where you can also find her podcast. Are you coming to The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024? Time is running out to secure the Early Bird discount, which ends on May 31. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

Apr 28, 2024 • 52min
From magazine editor to content creator on the tools: Meet Natasha Dickins
This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Natasha Dickins, a former magazine editor who has carved out a great career creating content for DIY clients. Natasha talks about her love of good tools and DIY projects and how she has turned this into a career. She talks about: Her career writing in magazines Her love of being 'on the tools' Setting up her workshop on the mid-north coast of NSW How she uses her skills to create content for brands How she prices her content and includes package rates Connect with Natasha via Instagram: @littleredindustries or via her website: https://littleredindustries.com/ Are you coming to The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024? Time is running out to secure the Early Bird discount. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

Apr 21, 2024 • 44min
Using evergreen marketing to avoid slow seasons as a freelancer - with Prerna Malik
This week on The Content Byte, Rachel and Lynne have one of the founders of Content Bistro, Prerna Malik. Prerna and her husband Mayank are copywriters and specialists in the area of evergreen marketing. In a fascinating chat, Prerna talks about: Mistakes freelancers make with their marketing How to create a constant flow of work The power of storytelling in email marketing Creating packages and using them to grow your business Finding clients in slow times ...and how to work with your spouse! Connect with Prerna and Mayank and do their quiz https://contentbistro.com/quiz/ Follow them on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/contentbistro/ And don't forget to sign up for the 2024 The Content Byte Summit, from September 12-14, 2024. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up the early bird tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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

Apr 14, 2024 • 52min
Combining journalism with media training – with Theresa Miller
This week, Lynne and Rachel are chatting with TV journalist turned media trainer, Theresa Miller. Theresa has a great story of creating a new career in media training and coaching, working with corporates and training senior executives in how to deal with the media. Her story is fascinating and inspiring and covers: How to use journalism skills as a media trainer Working with companies and individuals to put a journalism lens on issues How she finds clients How she packages and prices her services How introverts can thrive in the media ... and why women need to be in front of cameras more often Connect with Theresa through her website: https://www.theresamiller.com.au/ or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-miller-tm-media/ And, don't forget that we have announced the dates for the 2024 The Content Byte Summit. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or snap up the early bird tickets) at our website: https://thecontentbytesummit.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


