There's always so much to learn from successful freelancers, and our interview with freelance writer and editor Michelle Bateman is a case in point. Michelle specialises in beauty, fashion and culture – but she's quick to point out that there's a lot of joy in generalising too, simply because you can cover so many topics that interest you. In this bumper chat, we talk to Michelle about the following:

• How she fell into writing about beauty
• What having a niche and expertise can enable you to do more for clients
• How the pandemic has impacted beauty writers and the industry
• Adapting to different styles of writing, from editorial to content to copy
• Michelle's tips on switching between different types of writing
• Why you should always learn best practice and upskill regularly
• How Michelle manages big projects and smaller clients
• What kind of work she batches, and how batching helps her be more efficient
• Why Michelle loves a mix of in-house and working from home, and the value there is to be had in meeting regularly with clients or working with a team
• Her advice for freelancers and the benefits of working with agencies
• Michelle's favourite tools and apps

Resources

Michelle's website: http://www.michellebateman.com/

RL masterclass: Beyond Journalism (Michelle talks content marketing and copywriting)

RL Blog: So you think you can … be a beauty writer?