The Content Byte

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 

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 

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 

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     

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 

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 

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 

This week on the website, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Lisa Almond, a copywriter and paramedic. We thought it was such an intriguing combination that we just had to get her on the podcast!  We chat about: Her background in writing and journalism What appealed to her about being a paramedic Training in a new career while balancing existing work and family How she juggles both roles How she plans to include her paramedic knowledge into her writing Some of her stories from the frontlines of emergency first aid Connect with Lisa via her website: https://www.copyandcomms.com.au/  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 

This week Rachel & Lynne are chatting with media expert and publicist Nicole Webb. Now based in Singapore, Nicole has had a diverse and exciting career and she talks about her new service of book publicity, the challenges of modern publishing and how it came about. In our chat, we cover: Nicole's career as a TV journalist, presenter and producer Travelling around Asia and working remotely Writing her own book and using her contacts to publicise it How this developed into a new service What new authors need to know about publicity The importance of maintaining contacts Nicole's website is: https://nicolewebbonline.com/  And, don't forget that we have just 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 

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with the founder and head of product at Rounded - our sponsor. A former freelancer, Grant tells the story of how the company was founded and what it's like dealing with sole traders as customers. His inside tips are valuable! During our conversation, he talks about: How businesses often ignore the potential of freelancers as customers How he created a product he needed - and then took it to the next level Common mistakes freelancers make Why multi-disciplinary freelancing is the future The freelancer skills we will need in 2024 and beyond Grant's company Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), is our sponsor and is 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. Connect with Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantmccall/  And, don't forget that we have just 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    Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co 

This week Rachel & Lynne are super excited to have Eman Ismail on the podcast. Eman is a specialist in email marketing, which is such a growth industry and she shares her tips, tricks and the story about how she ended up working in this niche. During our conversation, Eman talks about: What it takes to create a great email campaign Mistakes that business owners and copywriters often make when creating email campaigns How to not sound sales-y in your emails Using storytelling in emails to create more powerful and memorable campaigns Where she finds her clients Listen to Eman's amazing podcast and connect with her by visiting her website: https://emancopyco.com/  And, don't forget that we have just 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.

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 

This week on the podcast, Rachel & Lynne are looking to the future - and helping us all to understand what's in our pipelines. We are chatting with writer and content creator Bec Haddad, about her career and Web3, which is the next iteration of the Internet. So fascinating! We talk about: What Web 3 is and how it relates to content marketing The tools you need to understand it How it affects freelancers How to prepare yourself for this new frontier Working with agencies Find Bec through her website: https://www.rebeccahaddad.com/  And, don't forget that we have just 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 

This week on the podcast, Rachel & Lynne chat with a freelancer who keeps adding more skills to her arsenal - stylist, writer and now photographer Jessica Bellef. Specialising in lifestyle and interiors, Jess has carved out an enviable career that includes working with beautiful things and creating amazing work, including a beautiful coffee table book. Jess talks about: How beginning as a visual merchandiser influences her work Discovering writing later in her career How relationships help to build a pipeline of steady clients/editors Why she wanted to branch into photography How her book came about and its long journey to publication Connect with Jessica at https://www.jessicabellef.com/  And, don't forget that we have just 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 

This week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with successful freelancer (and tree-changer) Julie Lee. Julie was one of the first employees at Medium Rare Content, a highly successful content agency with lots of high-profile clients. Julie talks about her years with Medium Rare - what it was like building up the business and working with clients as well as some of the secrets of the agency's success. She talks about: Moving from consumer magazines to content work What makes a successful freelancer Offering strategy to clients What she's learnt as an editor and then moving on the other side How she's found balance in her life and career since moving to Port Macquarie Connect with Julie through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-lee-editor/  And, don't forget that we have just announced the dates for the 2024 The Content Byte Summit. Sign up for updates for the Summit (or secure an early bird ticket) 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 

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne revisit SEO. We think that it's been a little overlooked lately with all this talk about AI and it's so important. Our guest this week is Abbey, half of marketing experts, the Duo Collective. In a wide-ranging chat, Abbey talks about: Domain authority with search engines and what that means Keywords, search traffic and backlink strategies And why you absolutely need a backlink strategy plan to supplement your content strategies in order to grow with search engines It's a great way to understand new developments in SEO and to demystify it all. So much to learn! Connect with Abbey & Courtney: Duo on Air: https://duocollective.com/duo-on-air-marketing-podcast/  Website: https://duocollective.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duo.collective/  Email Newsletter (Tuesday Tips & Sips & SEO Squeeze): https://duocollective.com/subscribe   DIY SEO Course Waitlist: https://duocollective.com/seo-on-tap 4 FREE Ways To Find Keywords: https://duocollective.com/free-seo-tools And, don't forget that we have just announced the dates for the 2024 The Content Byte Summit. Sign up for updates for the Summit 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 

This week's it's just hosts Rachel and Lynne as we get back into the swing of things - and set ourselves up for a new year of freelance work. And, as the saying goes, it's not what you know, it's who... so this week we are talking about collaboration. We believe in an abundance mindset - that there is enough work to go around and that it's good to share tips and tricks on securing solid, well-paying gigs.  We share our tips (and real-life examples) of how collaborations with other creatives can bring you extra work. We talk about: Collaborating with a web designer who reached out to Rachel as he needed a regular copywriter to pass work onto Collaborating with a graphic designer who thought of Rachel when she needed a sub-editor for a magazine project Collborating with a copywriter in a private FB group; she sub-contracted work to Rachel after we built up a relationship Lynne collaborates with other design writers as she has passed on work to them when I am at capacity. Working with photographers in the interior space to give each other work Creating content with 2-3 of her clients in the niche so everyone shares the cost and doubles the reach. And, don't forget that we have just announced the dates for the 2024 The Content Byte Summit. Sign up for updates for the Summit 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 

This week Rachel and Lynne have a special guest talking about how nicheing down (or specialising) can bring you higher income clients and a more successful and resilient business.  Funnel strategist and conversion copywriter Abi Prendergast shares her story on how she found her niche of working with course creators and why specialising works for her. We talk about: Why she loves the 'laptop lifestyle' Working with Copyhackers and how it set her up for success Going viral in the copy world Why she loves working for herself How solving problems for clients is the key to success Why you should work on your business regularly The skills you need for 2024 Connect with Abi here: https://www.aptcontent.co.uk/  or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abi-prendergast-2a5953b1/  Sign up for updates for the 2024 Content Byte Summit 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 

And we are back for 2024 - and with such a useful episode! This week Rachel & Lynne chat with LinkedIn expert Adam Franklin on how to use this super-helpful and useful social media tool to get more work and improve your visibility.  He shares his top 6 tips on starting the year by optimising your LinkedIn profile and ways that you can make the medium work for you (and it's much easier than you might think!). Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfranklin/  Bluewire Media can be found at: https://www.bluewiremedia.com.au/ Sign up for updates for the 2024 Content Byte Summit 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 

As the year draws to a close, hosts Rachel and Lynne chat about our favourite episodes of the year - and some of the things we have learned from our marvellous guests. We chat about: What we learned from organising our first Summit Our favourite guests from the year Keynote speaker Ed Gandia's concept about 'moving up the value chain' in our content offering What we love about podcasting The powerful lessons we learned from Emma Grey's novel about grief Charlotte Wood's chat about her novel and how an award helped her to create a viable career in fiction writing Melanie Padgett Powers' podcast with her Summit takeaways is here: https://meledits.com/166-smart-advice-from-the-content-byte-summit/  Sign up for updates for the 2024 Content Byte Summit 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. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co