Keep It Creative Podcast

Do you actually know what a copywriter is? Do you know where you're going to specialise in? What about SEO?

Let's get this straight.

First of all, freelance basically just means working on a contract basis.

You choose your clients, set your rates and plan out your own schedule.

Next, the word copy is simply used to describe written content, which helps to sell and 'market' a brand.

A copywriter's focus is to write content for commercial use.

This can be the content for ads, billboards, video scripts, email campaigns, websites and so on.

So you could go from creating short text for Facebook ads to writing out long-form content for blogs in a day.

Basically, your writing is a soft version of sales through promotion and research.

Paige Leacey is a copywriter based in Bali. Paige has worked as a news journalist, a radio-ad copywriter and within the promotion and activation teams. Now she has built up Squawk Content, whose focus is on building high-quality content that adds value to the brand's she works with.

In this episode we're chatting about Paige has grown her portfolio of clients as a copywriter, how to niche down, and some incredible resource you can use to access research and articles.

Three key takeaway points are:

• "The riches are in the niches", become a well read writer in your space and specialise in a certain topic.

• Start with one audacious email a day to begin getting new clients.

• When cold pitching, read the entire website, and think about the angle not just the subject. Try to have interview talent locked in.

We're all about #livingthedream but the reality is, most freelancers have no idea where to start when it comes to setting up their hourly rate.

So we're giving you a breakdown of how to figure out your hourly rate so that you can go in with confidence and conquer!

Beyond an hourly rate though, project-based income will financially be more beneficial for you. When determining a project's cost, ask your client "Do you have a budget set aside for this project and is it over X?" to ensure that they are not considering a very low budget for the work. This will weed out low budget clients that don't fit into your fees.

Writers:

Pay per word or hourly, which is better? Often it will come down to what the client is looking for, with a preference for paying. But usually, in publications and journals payments are per word.

After moving to Paris, Olivia Cummings found herself in Turkey learning jewellery design at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Today we're talking about her story and how she's moved her jewellery design from Istanbul's Grand Bazaar to an international brand, Cleopatra's Bling. She creates jewellery with emotional and historical relevance. We're delving into some of Olivia's personal interests, how she started her brand through Etsy, where she draws inspiration from, how semi-precious stones affect our moods and emotions and her thoughts on astrology.

Access Cleopatra's Bling website here.

Cleopatra's Bling Instagram here.

• Get an edge and learn to stand up for yourself and say no.

• Creating a brand around timeless pieces is the pinnacle for success to create meaning.

• You're never going to know it all, so just take it day by day.

Are you interested in jewellery design? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Angelika Alana is a life coach based out of LA. In this episode, we talk about strategies to reconnect with your empathic self, the shift to becoming a life coach, how to reconnect in everyday life through our relationships and daily routine. 

She explains, "It is my life's mission to equip you with tools to help you do just that: support yourself in the face of whatever arises. It is my hope, that equipped with these tools you'll be willing to participate in life with eyes wide open, in anticipation of what adventure will unfold next and arms wide open, in deep appreciation for this moment right now."

Check out her website here:

Instagram here.

In this week's episode, I'm sitting down with Allie and digging into how Hara the Label has already in two years made such an impact on the community. We chat about how Allie has sourced sustainable fabrics, how she and her brother moved their entire product creation process to Australia, body image and the role it plays in her brand, her experience at New York fashion week and how natural dyes differ from conventional dyes.

Allie lives and breathes her passion and she was so inspiring to talk to. Every little detail of Hara is sustainable and it was so intriguing learning from someone who doesn't miss a thing. In a lot of ways, Allie is self-taught and her attitude towards giving things a go is what really stood out for me. Nothing is off-limits and this woman is a powerhouse of knowledge. So if you need to brush up on your sustainability practices, want to know how to run a successful and ethical brand or just love Hara the label, then this episode is for you. Oh, and at the end, Allie leaves us a single starting point for launching a sustainable brand.

Nicola found her love for photography by borrowing her mother's camera on a holiday to Germany. Shooting now over 35 weddings per year, Nicola has a knack for shooting romantic and relaxed style imagery of couples behind the camera. After nine years in the industry, she's still obsessed with love, photography and lives and breathes it!

In this week's episode, we chat about how Nicola makes her couples feel comfortable behind the camera with actual processes around what she says and does, the reality of building up a list of clients as a photographer and the Old Love Project. If you need help on how to build a thriving list of clients per year, then you need to listen to this episode!

As you're probably well aware, Instagram has begun its rollout across certain countries, including Australia to remove audiences from being able to see the 'like count' on photos. I'm currently in Indonesia and we can still see likes, but in Australia, it has been removed, 7 countries in total.

• Australia

• Brazil

• Canada

• Ireland

• Italy

• Japan

• New Zealand

But what does this mean for brands and creators? Is Instagram going down? Is this the beginning of the end? Well in today's topic we're going to explore this a little further.

Ming Nomchong is an Australian fashion and lifestyle photographer. She loves the energy of a beautiful place, and she knows how to capture it. Raised on the east coast of Australia with a camera in one hand and a surfboard in the other, Ming has built an international reputation with her authentic sun 'n' salt fashion and lifestyle images.

With her rare combination of edge, adventure, and style, Ming is bringing something fresh to fashion photography. And clients as diverse as Cotton On, Spell & The Gypsy Collective, and Queensland Tourism count on Ming's easygoing energy and knack for capturing those "in-between" moments to bring their brands to life.

Alright, so working for yourself sounds like the dream, right? But there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before diving right in. While I'm definitely the type to just jump straight in without thinking about anything. I've learnt from my mistakes and now [try to be] more planned about the steps I take.

Take a look at 10 questions to ask yourself before going freelance here.