Content Rookie

Episode 52: Upskilling as a UX Writer and going into leadership Let's take the pressure out of learning. In today's episode, I talk about how I upskilled for a new position. I share ideas for upskilling as a Content Designer, but also talk about all the learning opportunities outside of work that can be valuable to your day-to-day work. No matter if you want to get a promotion, become a leader, or...

Episode 51: UX Writing at IKEA and why an AI probably won't steal your job In today's episode, Bilgi Karan (UX Manager at IKEA) talks all things AI, ChatGPT included. While you shouldn't be too worried about an AI stealing your job, he shares some things we can all expect to happen with AI-powered writing in the next few years. Plus, he shares how he hired the first-ever UX Writer at IKEA in Swede...

Episode 50! I had other plans for the special 50th episode anniversary of Content Rookie but here we are. I was just laid off and am sharing what that feels like, what’s I’m doing and how you can help people that are going through layoffs. Hi@nicoletells.com

Episode 49: What's the ROI of UX Writing? In today's episode, guest Yael Ben-David and I dive into the ROI of UX Writing, why it's important to spend time with business stakeholders, and how you can make the value of UX writing clear to those around you. We also speak about the process of writing a book and Yael share's how her background in journalism and microbiology inspired her to become a Con...

Episode 48: How to lead content design and stay sane while juggling different design philosophies In this episode, guest Chelsea Larsson shares how she went from being a content design IC to becoming a content design leader. She dives into how she scaled leadership from a medium-sized team to over 60 people. Plus, she talks about what she learned when going from a research-driven design process to...

Episode 47: Writing is designing and Figma ain't that great Tag along as guest Michael Metts and I talk about his book 'Writing is designing' as well as a bunch of other things, such as Figma for UX writers or why you sometimes just need to claim the 'content designer' title to move up the career ladder. Learning outcomes: How 'Writing is designing' came to be Workshops on content design with Mich...

Episode 46: Misfit? This is why you're great at content. In today's uber-exciting episode of Content Rookie, a punk and a hippie talk all things counterculture--and why it makes us better content designers. We discuss 10 counterculture approaches that work like a charm when you're working in content design, UX writing or copywriting. Long episode! 100% worth a listen. Learning outcomes: What count...

Episode 45: You're underestimating the importance of SEO for UX writing  In today's episode, guest Kat from TheKatCopy and I talk about all things SEO for UX content. SEO is more than a content marketing tactic and can be a great way to inform your product work - from information flow to search habits. Why it's often overlooked, how to best use it in content design and how to get into it (qui...

Episode 44: Running a successful project with a UX writer, designer and researcher In today's episode, guest Jack Garfinkel shares all about a successful pilot project they were part of which introduced content design at their current place of work (Scope). We also talk about accessibility challenges and how to ensure an inclusive hiring process that makes space for diversity. A lot of good stuff...

Episode 43: How to explain what you do as a designer or writer In today's episode, my guest Anders and I get a little philosophical. With both freelancing and in-house experience under our belt, we've both noticed one challenge that never seems to get any easier to solve: how to best describe what we do to clients or employers. No matter if it's about choosing a title or understanding a brief, goi...

Episode 42: Get over your tone and voice guidelines Tone and voice guidelines, as well as any other writing style guidance, are a big topic among writers of all sorts. However, ensuring guidelines make sense in the long run, are inclusive, and are maintained properly is one of the biggest challenges in the field - not just for UX writers. In today's episode, I share my take on creating writing gui...

Episode 41: Junior UX writers! This one is for you. Today's guest has had quite a journey: from working in advertisement in Nigeria to freelancing and finally landing a job as a Junior UX writer in Europe. Ifi shares what courses and resources helped him switch careers, why there aren't enough junior content design positions, and what the industry needs to improve to attract diverse talent. Learni...

Episode 40: Freelancing as a content designer or UX writer Running your own business as a content designer/UX writer is certainly empowering, but more complex than freelancing in most other writing disciplines. In this episode, I dive into what it takes to get started as a freelance content designer, what to look out for, how to set boundaries, what to charge, plus I share some of the things I've...

Episode 39: UX writing compensation, negotiating your salary, and working in tech (EMEA focus) In today's episode, my guest Fran Cantanuso and I talk about negotiating salaries and perks as content designers as well as our experience with compensation levels as we developed our careers. The episode also dives into how UX writing is different from other content and writing disciplines, why it often...

Episode 38: Why you don't need to hire a native English UX writer UX writer or Content designer but not native in English? This shouldn't limit your success. Sadly, the reality often is that it's difficult to get hired if you're not on a native English level. In today's episode, my guest Stanislav and I discuss the challenges non-native English candidates face and how we can overcome them. Learnin...

Episode 37: Career transitioning to UX Writing and building content guidelines from scratch Final episode of the year! Join my guest Aladrian Goods (Senior Content Designer at Intuit) and me in an episode where we talk about her path into UX Writing, tips and tricks when working with content partners, setting up content guidelines from scratch, and much more. Learning outcomes: Career transitionin...

Episode 36: Content design hacks for your everyday life Content design is awesome! But did you know you can apply it to your everyday life and communication as well? In this episode, I talk about some of the content design tools and approaches you can take to e.g. writing emails, asking for input from colleagues, and writing documents. A short but sweet exploration of content design thinking for a...

Episode 35: UX Writing, but not in English - how culture shapes writing in different languages In today's episode, my guest Gladys and I talk about how writing for UX in other languages than English differs from writing in English. We discuss how culture affects your writing approach for each language, how the market for UX writers in various languages differs from the English market, how you can...

Episode 34: Writing and designing for a neurodivergent audience - and how you can be sneaky about inclusion! In today's episode, my guest Katrin Suetterlin and I introduce you to neurodiversity. We talk about what it means for content and user experiences, and what you can do to raise awareness.  Learning outcomes: Intro to Neurodiversity Neurodivergencies vs disabilities Advocacy Raising awa...

Episode 33: How UX Writers and UX Designers collaborate - or why you should always keep asking questions Magic happens when UX Designers and UX Writers collaborate as equals. But how do you set up the collaboration and what are some of the challenges? Today's guest, Silvi Toader from Adobe, shares her experience of working with writers throughout her career and has some encouraging words for those...

Episode 32: Burnout and exhaustion while working in content - you're not alone Today's episode is a discussion with two guests, Jane Ruffino and Candi Williams. We talk about how common burnout is when working in content and specifically as UX Writers in tech. We discuss our experience, what you can do to help yourself and others experiencing exhaustion, and how you can involve managers to help yo...

Episode 31: A/B-testing designs and copy In this episode, I interview Product Designer Anna who works on a Growth team and runs A/B-tests every day. We talk about what to look out for when designing A/B-tests, what you can do when you're first getting started with testing, and how the day2day in a Growth team looks like. Learning outcomes: What is A/B-testing? A/B-testing for copy A/B-testing top...

Episode 30: Your first 90 days on the job as a UX Writer/Content Strategist Are you starting a new job or project as a UX Writer, Content Strategist, or Content Designer? Congrats! I've bundled all my tips and tricks into this quick episode. Focus on what matters most (relationships, processes, metrics, your well-being) and educate others about what you do. Bookmark contentrookiepod.com! Learning...

Episode 29: Why everyone wants a Senior UX Writer, negotiating your salary, mentoring and developing your skills It was hard to find a title for this episode, which is a fruitful discussion between Patrick Stafford, Co-founder of the UX Writers Collective, and me. We talk about mentoring and coaching and why they are important, why everyone wants Senior Content Designers, and how to (potentially)...

Episode 28: UX Writing and Content Documentation Starting on a new project or new to the Content Design world? Documentation is key to creating a consistent experience with your content. But what type of documentation do you need when and how should it look like? In this episode, I share what works for me when it comes to documentation and why I think this could be valuable for you even if you're...