The Content Byte

Marketing expert Therese Tarlinton is all about partnerships - so much so that she wrote a book about it! Her book, SWAP - Marketing without Money, helps small businesses, including freelancers, develop partnerships and relationships that allow everyone to grow. In this episode, she talks with Rachel and Lynne about: What marketing managers need from freelancers How freelancers can add value and gain more work How to develop your freelance offering to be even more appealing to large corporates and companies Get in touch with Therese via her website: https://www.theresetarlinton.com/ or connect via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-tarlinton/

After a request from listener Jules, Lynne and Rachel talk about how to secure your first copywriting clients. We share our top six tips on how to start and build your own writing business. We talk about building a network, optimising digital marketing, branding and developing your website, why you shouldn't be fussy, being prepared and professional, and the importance of community. Some of the tips we mention are: Calendly, https://calendly.com/ The episode with Katie Hull on Google my Business is https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-content-writers-and-other-freelancers-need-a/id1478510876?i=1000519719074 The episode with Emma McMillan on great website content is https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-great-website-content-with-emma-mcmillan/id1478510876?i=1000554021064 Rachel's List: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/ Kate Toon's membership list is here: https://www.clevercopywritingschool.com/membership/

This week, Rachel and Lynne return to their occasional series of interviewing successful freelancers, with their chat with Lucy E. Cousins, who specialises in health and wellness and has her own successful content agency, Remedy Content. Lucy shares her journey in magazines and journalism, as well why she focuses on evidence-based science in her health articles and why she always adds the 'E' in her name. Find out more about Lucy here: https://www.remedycontent.com.au/ or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyecousins/

Procrastination is an age-old problem - particularly when you work for yourself. This week, Rachel & Lynne share their tips on how to get work done. Links to apps and ideas mentioned in this episode: Brene Brown talking with James Clear on her podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FCDXnrrXo9d7VTTX7bi4E Atomic Habits https://www.booktopia.com.au/atomic-habits-james-clear/book/9781847941831.html Forest App https://www.forestapp.cc/ Focus tool on Macs https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchl613dc43f/mac# TeauxDeux https://teuxdeux.com/

Imagine spending your days coming up with recipes, baking and taste-testing and photographing your creations for your blog. Sound good? How about making a living out of doing that? Well, that's just what Jess Holmes from SweetestMenu.com does with her days - after a career as a copywriter and content designer for brands such as Flight Centre, Intuit and News Corp. In this episode, Jess talks to us about: + her journey from in-house writer to recipe tester and food blogger + how the pandemic helped her blog grow + balancing the need for SEO and also doing posts she wants to do + how she makes a living from food blogging + how advertising works on blogs and the numbers you need to get started + the social platforms that have been the most helpful in growing her blog and traffic + what she outsources, and much more. More about Jess Find recipes on her website Check out Jess's Pinterest Follow her on Instagram

Are you a print journalist considering making the leap into government communications? In this episode, we chat to Lisa Thomas, who worked on a number of glossy mags (including Vogue Living) before jumping ship to work in a number of leadership roles in the private and public sector. Lisa is currently the Director of Communications, Engagement and Education at the NSW Department of Parliamentary Services, and talks to us about her journey into government comms, the transferrable skills journalists have, how to get work in government departments, her advice for journalists considering a career in a senior government role and much more.

Do you get a horrid feeling in the pit of your stomach when your clients aren't happy - or when they come back with multiple changes? This week Rachel and Lynne talk about dealing with negative feedback and criticism. It is something that happens to all of us! We talk about learning from mistakes, repairing relationships and how to not take everything personally.

This week on the podcast Lynne and Rachel talk to Sue Bell, who is organising a festival for freelancers in her home town - Launceston, Tasmania. Rachel is a keynote speaker at the event and it's got some great speakers and events as part of the 3-day event in June 2022. Sue talks about why she thinks having a community is important for freelancers, how to put together an engaging conference program and how to do her day job at the same time. She also shares her amazing career journey (and a few laughs). Find out about the Launceston Freelance Festival here: https://launcestonfreelancefestival.com.au/

We continue our successful freelancer series with guest Rashida Tayabali, a copywriter and indie author who started her career in marketing but found her passion in writing copy. Rashida shares the ins and outs of her business journey, including: + Why she decided to niche into working with women business owners + What choosing a niche has done for her business and her growth + Learning SEO and why it's so valuable + How she finds clients and prices her work + Her favourite tools of the trade + Her tips for freelancers just starting out And much more! Find out more about Rashida Visit her website Find her on Instagram Connect with her on LinkedIn Read her book, Life After Ali Other resources Read her blog on writing great marketing copy Check out her masterclass, A starter guide to keywords and SEO for content writers

Life's too short to work for clients who pay you peanuts, make you miserable, refuse to respect your boundaries - or give you work that's just not a good fit for you. If you're getting that 'pit of dread' in your stomach when you see the client's email pop up in your inbox (or their name come in on your phone), it's time to assess whether you should take them off your roster - and open the door to better clients. Because they always DO come along! This episode is with Lynne and Rachel and features stories from the Rachel's List Facebook Gold community - about freelancers who said buh-bye to clients and were much happier for it.