The Content Byte

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne talk with branding expert Carlii Lyon about how to increase awareness of you and your work, without making you feel uncomfortable. Carlii chats about: Why personal branding is important How it can grow your business How to reduce the 'ick' factor How introverts can survive networking functions How feeling confident comes after 'confident action' Carlii's...

This week Rachel & Lynne are chatting with Anfernee Chansamooth, a marketer and social media guru, talking about how you can use social media to build your business and get more leads. We chat about: His favourite social platforms for freelancers Mistakes that freelancers make Why targeting a broad market doesn't work How consistency pays off on social media How much you should share on your socia...

This week Rachel and Lynne have successful financial journalist Michelle Bowes on the podcast to talk about creating a business mindset with your freelance business. Michelle has successfully juggled the worlds of words and money and she shares her tips on common mistakes freelancers make, how to earn more and how to cut down your business costs.  She talks about: Finding confidence to talk about...

We are back after a short break - and we have a great episode to share today. This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with award-winning novelist Charlotte Wood about the ups and downs of writing literary fiction. Charlotte shares her early days as a writer, including how she supplemented her income before she found success. We chat about: What literary awards mean and if they help your career Choosing t...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are recovering from our first-ever The Content Byte Summit. It was a whirlwind of two and a half days of learnings, connections and aha-moments. This week, before we both take a break, we are going through our favourite tips and tricks from all the speakers and panels - and what we are taking to our own freelance business.  We talk about: Ed Gandia's keynote talking abo...

This week, in the midst of last-minute preparations for our exciting event - The Content Byte Summit – Lynne and Rachel take you behind-the-scenes for a sneak peek into some of the presentations and panel chats that are occuring during the two days of the Summit. The Summit will be held from September 14-16 at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and we wanted to share some of the hig...

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne chat with award-winning creative business consultant Monica Davidson on building a successful creative business. Monica works with creatives of all types to help them build their businesses and gain confidence. We chat about: Practical business advice for creatives  Common mistakes freelancers make Working with government departments and agencies Helping...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with  writer Eagranie  Yuh , who's had an interesting career journey (but isn't that all of us, really?). Eagranie chats about about how her background brought her to working on her own, writing white papers and doing branded podcasts for clients. She shares lots of fabulous ideas and tips, including: How a career coach helped her turn her passion for writi...

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with literary agent Lou Johnson, who has just launched her own agency,  Key People Literary Management with agent, publisher, and author Jeanne Ryckmans . With more than 20 years in publishing, Lou shares her knowledge on all things book-related. In our discussion, she chats about: How publishing has changed over the years What agents do How to find one How to get a...

This week on the podcast, Lynne has been unwell so we thought it would be a great idea to re-release one of our favourite episodes from a few years ago. This episode, from June 2020 (so we chat about the pandemic a few times) is with content marketing queen Jennifer Goforth Gregory about moving from journalism to content marketing, why it's so important to have niches, positioning yourself to clie...

This week on the podcast, Lynne and Rachel chat with one of our digital heroes - Rebecca Lowrey Boyd. Rebecca is the digital managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens, Australia's leading homes website. She also founded Wee Birdy in 2007, a London-based blog devoted to London shopping and design, an innovative site in the heyday of blogging that we both loved.  Rebecca talks about working on the...

Freelance writer Susan Horsburgh has an enviable CV and portfolio, writing for some of the country's most prestigious titles, including the Australian Women's Weekly, The Good Weekend ( in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) and Qantas magazines. She has written more than 30 Two of Us columns for The Good Weekend , which we know is a highly read and sought-after commission for freelancers. In h...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting to a different style of guest - Bec Derrington from Sourcebottle. Sourcebottle is a fabulous resource for journalists, writers and content creators and one we both use regularly.  Bec shares the story behind Sourcebottle - why she started it and how it works. During our wide-ranging chat we talk about: Her background in PR and how she saw the gap in the mar...

This week, we're chatting to Steve Colquhoun - a journo, editor and copywriter based in Geelong, Victoria. He started in media at the age of 17 after leaving school, cutting his teeth on mastheads such as The Age, Herald Sun and Cairns Post. He's also worked extensively as a motoring journalist - and since going freelance in 2016 has met the content needs of a variety of clients including Mercedes...

This week, hosts Rachel and Lynne are responding to a question we had on Instagram from an entry-level writer asking how to get her first clients. So we are sharing our 12 tips (6 from each of us) on how to land your first freelance writing client when you have no experience.  We talk about:  Finding your niche Using that niche to target clients in that area Partnering with freelancers who are a l...

The life of a freelance travel writer sounds like a dream gig (and one we have always wondered about) - so this week Rachel and Lynne are chatting with freelancer and columnist Dilvin Yasa. Dilvin talks about the reality of working as a travel writer. In our chat, Dilvin talks about: The challenge of getting your foot in the door if you live in the 'wrong postcode' How men's magazines taught her h...

This week, Rachel and Lynne welcome Jodie Spiteri-James from the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) to the podcast. Jodie is the Professional Development and Events Manager at the ASA and responsible for one of the society's most successful programs - Literary Speed Dating. With more than 20 years experience in publishing, Jodie talks about: The rise of e-books and audio books How the industry wo...

Magazine editor and writer Melanie Hansch joins Rachel and Lynne on the podcast this week talking about her work as deputy editor of the prestigious Food and Wine magazine in the US. Melanie shares her career journey, starting as a food writer and critic in Australia and being mentored by publishing legend Donna Hay before moving to the States. She shares her observations on the differences betwee...

Despite the move to digital, there is still some allure about glossy magazines. This week Rachel and Lynne chat with Hannah James, the deputy editor of Country Style magazine about what print magazines look for from freelancers, how to pitch ideas and, importantly, what they pay. She also takes us through the workload of magazine staff, how it has changed over the years - and why many editors aren...

This week on the podcast, hosts Rachel Smith and Lynne Testoni chat with Ed Gandia, a business-building coach and successful podcaster. Ed is also one of the two keynote speakers at our conference, The Content Byte Summit, being held in Sydney in September this year, flying in from the US just for us. We talk to Ed about building a resilient business, dealing with the threat of AI, why strategy he...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with burnout coach Dex Randall. We know that when you work for yourself, the to-do list can be long and the pressure can be immense, which is why we felt this topic was really important. In our chat with Dex, we cover topics such as:  what burnout is who gets it and why how you know you are in burnout and not just dealing with workplace stress where freelan...

This week, it's just Rachel and Lynne as we discuss our big event for the year - The Content Byte Summit! We are keen to share our excitement about the event, which is coming to Sydney in September - from the 14 to 16th, in fact. We chat about:  Why we decided to do the summit What writers and content creators will get out of attending  How keen we are to meet our keynote speakers - Ed Gandia and...

This week on the podcast, hosts Rachel and Lynne chat with freelance writer and author Stephannie Wood. Stephanie shares her journey moving from being a staff writer to freelancing, the challenge of creating a viable career in long-form journalism as well as her journey to publishing her first book, Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissits, Fantastists and Phoni...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains some distressing content, including discussion about child sexual abuse. This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne chat with journalist and author Shannon Molloy. He talks about his two books, including his latest, You Made Me This Way, a powerful, yet harrowing tale that talks to male survivors of child sexual abuse. He talks about interviewing the men who...

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat to copywriter and agency owner Sarah Spence. She shares her journey from freelancing to setting up her own agency, managing rapid growth and what she looks for when she's hiring freelancers. She also talks about what it's like being neurodiverse and how it helps her create a supportive and inclusive culture at her agency, Content Copywriting. Connect with Sarah on...