The Content Byte

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with artist and arts writer Emma Finneran. She shares how her writing career started, how she works with artists to translate their visions into words and what it's like dealing with the egos of the art world. Another fascinating writing niche - another fascinating freelancer! Emma shares her philosophy about making art accessible through words and sharing the visi...

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne are joined by Vivienne Pearson, who specialises in Opinion Writing. Vivienne talks about: What makes opinion writing different from regular journalism How and when to pitch to editors The topics that work for opinion writing Whether you can make a living from this style of writing Find out more about Vivienne at https://viviennepearson.com/   Information...

This week, Rachel and Lynne chat with PR consultant and writer Erin Huckle of Chuckle Communications. Erin specialises in award writing and shares her knowledge. She talks about: Where she finds her clients What she likes about award writing How winning awards can help small business What makes this type of writing different from content writing The secret to being a successful freelancer Connect...

This week we chat with Martin Sully of Snapper Studio. Martin talks about moving to Australia from the UK and how he set up his own networking group in his new hometown of Newcastle NSW.  We talk about the power of connections and word of mouth when it comes to securing new work; how to set up a networking group and balancing a freelance life with family responsibilities. Connect with Martin via L...

This week it's just hosts Rachel and Lynne as they share their best-ever tips on how to find work if you are facing a slow patch in this super-practical episode. We get it! All freelancers have quiet times and sometimes all you need are some simple solutions to help you get back into the flow and have the clients or editors come running. We talk about how to reach out to your network (and how to c...

This week hosts Rachel and Lynne chat with columnist and author Kerri Sackville about her writing career. We talk about how being an early adopter on both Twitter and as a blogger helped to launch her career, how she chooses what to share about her life and how she secured both a weekly magazine column and all her five book deals.  You can pre-order Kerri's new book, The Secret Life of You ( How a...

This week on the podcast, we chat with copywriter and author Emma Grey, whose best-selling novel, The Last Love Note , captivated us both. We talk to Emma about how she channelled her grief on losing her husband into her book and how writing works as a cathartic process. The author of five books, Emma shares why this one was different, the process of writing through grief and why it has resonated...

Former freelancer, now agency owner, Mike Hanley joins Rachel and Lynne on the podcast this week. Mike talks about moving from Bondi to Geneva to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the World Economic Forum and how it helped him grow and develop as a writer and leader. He shares the difficulties of moving his family halfway around the world and how the pandemic led him and his wife to make th...

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne chat with writer Pip Harry, an award-winning children's author, journalist and copywriter. Pip talks about: all the different marketing channels that a modern author needs to be across how awards make a huge difference to sales (especially with children's fiction) how she juggles writing her novels with journalism and copywriting how rejection is part of...

This week on the podcast Rachel and Lynne's guest is accountant Heather Smith. As well as consulting with small business, Heather has created a side hustle as a writer, creating content and writing some successful 'For Dummies' books. She is also a columnist for Acuity magazine. She talks about creating a career that uses her professional knowledge and how she's honed her writing skills, often usi...

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with subeditor, writer and podcaster Leigh Livingstone about creating a successful career as a freelance subeditor (sometimes called a copy editor). We talk about: the role of a modern subeditor where and how she finds her work working with regular clients and maintaining those connections how it gives her a good mix of work how subediting helps your writing Connect...

This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne talk to freelance writer, podcaster and multi-tasker Lee Tran Lam about food, podcasting and trying to carve out a career as a freelancer, while still doing what you love. We talk about: The need to support young journalists Why podcasting is the future - and how you can make it pay Creating a podcast with the Powerhouse museum Her favourite meals and why...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are talking to publicist, PR mentor and founder of Odette & Co, Odette Barry, about promoting yourself and raising your profile without the 'ick'. It's a fun conversation with lots of practical tips. We talk about: How to handle networking events as an introvert How and where to show up on social media What it's like operating out of a regional city Why you need a good...

In this age of AI and the associated panic that many writers are facing, content creator and agency founder Brooke Hill talks to Rachel and Lynne about Brand Voice - why it is important and how it can be the differentiator for writers.  We chat about: What Brand Voice is Why it can't be replicated by bots How AI can be an effective tool for writers, without compromising our livelihood How to deal...

Rachel and Lynne's guest this week – our first for 2023 – is Charlotte Dallison. Charlotte's mantra is Blonde not Beige and she has built a successful career as a writer, podcaster and vintage fashion aficionado. We chat about: How she built her vintage fashion business and used that following to leverage her writing career Using Substack for her newsletter and how the platform has grown The story...

So often, we're talking to journalists who've jumped into other related industries, or added other skills to their bow to carve out a portfolio career. But our guest on this episode music and pop culture journalist and author Barry Divola - is refreshingly old-school. Barry chats to us about how he's carved out an enviable career writing for outlets like Rolling Stone, the SMH, Qantas Mag and Ente...

This week, Rachel and Lynne are preparing for the holiday break - and we share our best-ever tips on how to manage cash flow, clients and set yourself up for a great 2023.  We talk about: Taking on lots of work in November and December to build up a financial buffer Creating an Out-of-Office message for clients Working inhouse to take the pressure off the hustle Pre-scheduling social media Writing...

SEO is becoming more of a must-have than a nice-to-have skill for journalists, copywriters and content writers. And if you're considering learning SEO or boosting your existing knowledge, this episode is a fascinating one. We chat to US-born Liam Carnahan, an SEO coach and copywriter and content strategist, about his career journey and process of going into business for himself. Liam worked for ma...

Fans of TV show Offspring will be no stranger to the name of its creator, Debra Oswald - who is a celebrated and highly prolific stage, television and fiction writer. In this episode, we chat to Debra about the start of her career (her first play was broadcast on the ABC when she was just 17) and the varied type of work she does. How does she switch between writing a crime novel to a TV script, to...

Imagine if you could ask your client to record 7 minutes of audio for you on a specific topic - which you could then transcribe and turn into all kinds of written content for them? That's the system copywriter Rananda Rich from The Ink Rat devised, and it's a genius way to save time and get the information you need for client projects, be that a blog post, email funnel, series of social posts or a...

What happens when you're freelance... and you keep getting distracted by cool permanent jobs passing you by? When you're a bit over the hustle, and want to go back to the 9-5 - even for just a year or two? It happens, as we talked to Joh Leggatt about in this recent episode . So, for a bit of a follow-up from that, we're talking to career and interview coach Leah Lambart about what happens next: +...

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with copywriter and ghost writer Annie Reid about her career writing copy for the architectural, design and property industries. She shares how she finds clients, how she started in her niche and what she loves about writing the words in beautiful coffee table books. Find Annie at https://atrium.media/ Connect with us: Rachel's List for job-seekers: www.rachelslist....

This week Rachel and Lynne chat with launch copywriter and psychotherapist Kirsty Fanton about 'social proof' - what it is, why it's an important (and powerful) part of your marketing efforts and how to get it. An inspiring and informative discussion. Find Kirsty at https://www.kirstyfanton.com/ Connect with us Rachel's List for job-seekers: www.rachelslist.com.au/jobseekers   Lynne Testoni's webs...

True crime podcasts are hugely popular - but who's behind the scenes creating the episodes we can't help but go back for again and again? Meet Gemma Harris, a podcast scriptwriter who specialises in true crime. In this fascinating episode, we talk to Gemma about: + her criminology degree and psychology and how helpful it is to her in her work + how she finds work as a true crime podcast scriptwrit...

The usual lead magnet writers and marketers are familiar with is some kind of deal or download customers receive in exchange for opting in to your email list. But could a quiz funnel do a much better job? Quiz and email strategist Melissa Payne knows so, and in this fascinating episode she talks to us about: her career journey and how she moved from agency work to starting her own business  using...