The Content Byte

The longer you freelance, the more likely you are to come across a tricky or challenging client. Clients who try to bargain you down. Who are so disorganised they throw out timelines on other projects. Or clients who just want to micro-manage everything down to the last detail. This week, we talk about our approaches to five typical 'tricky' clients and what works for us. The Negotiator The Novice The Control Freak The Boundary Pusher The Ghoster SPECIAL this week: For cut'n'paste scripts you can use on a variety of challenging freelance situations, grab 30% off 25 Scripts for Freelance Success ebook with the code BYTE30. It's in the Toolkit at Rachel's List: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/25-scripts-for-freelance-success-ebook/

This week Rachel & Lynne are talking about something that has intrigued me for a while – Pinterest, the social media that you might not be aware of and how powerful it is with guest, Simone Pavils, a Pinterest specialist. About Simone Simone Pavils provides Pinterest and SEO services and strategy for business, to help them lighten the load and live more intentionally. She shows you how to create perfect, SEO-optimised Pinterest profiles and pins, and improve your Pinterest strategy so that you can have organic traffic flow to your website without barely lifting a finger. During the episode we talk about what Pinterest is and how it works, how you can use it to drive traffic to your website, mistakes people make with Pinterest and the fact that pins have a long lifespan - more than Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook. Find Simone here: Website: www.simonepavils.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/simonepavils Facebook: www.facebook.com/simonepavilsbusiness Pinterest: www.pinterest.com.au/simonepavils

This week Rachel and Lynne are talking about your biggest marketing tool – your website! We are constantly surprised how many writers don't have a website, or have one that misses crucial pieces of information. This week, website developer Jude Love from Love Communications talks all things websites and what creatives need to include. Her 7 tips on what to include are: A sales mindset – make every page a sales page. This means a clear definition of your audience/clientele, the problems you solve, social proof and clear call to action. Your Unique Value Proposition above the fold. Make sure your About page talks about the problems you solve for your clients, not just about you. Social proof: testimonials from your clients and editors. Make it easy for them to leave a testimonial for you on your Google My Business. Clear call to action and a very clear way to contact you. Good sign-up reward to build a mailing list. Good technology, small image file sizes, no sliders, search engine integration. Find Jude Love: Journosgetonline: https://www.journosgetonline.com.au/ Site coaching: https://www.journosgetonline.com.au/site-coaching/ Personal brand package: https://lovecommunications.com.au/personal-branding/ Contact Rachel Smith rachel@rachelsmith.com.au; Lynne Testoni lynne@lynnetestoni.com

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