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 so strongly with the Australian public. Connect with Emma here: https://www.emmagrey.com.au/ 

Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/   

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/   

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/  

As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 the huge decision to return home. He also talks about the pressures of starting and running your own business and how tech tools help him keep on top of costs, while maintaining quality content.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hanley-723292/

You can find The Content Engine here: https://www.thecontentengine.com/ 

Where to find us:

Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/   

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/   

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/  

As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/ for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 the writer's journey
• how long she had to wait before she could create a picture book

The social media training she talks about is: https://thetandemcollective.com/  Ginger Gorman and Sue White's media bootcamp is: https://mediabootcamp.com.au/  

Find Pip here: https://www.pipharry.com/ 

Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/   Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/   Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/  

As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/   for sponsoring The Content Byte!

 

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 using AI to help her in terms of ideas and a framework.

We talk about:

• The tough editorial demands of the 'For Dummies' brand
• How she splits her work between accountancy and writing
• What she loves about the two careers
• Where and how she finds her work

Contact Heather via her website: https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/contact-me/ 

Where to find us:

Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ 

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ 

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ 

As always, thanks to Rounded https://rounded.com.au/  for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 with Leigh here: 

https://leighlivingstone.com/ 

Listen to her podcast, Popcorn Podcast, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/popcorn-podcast/id1461702059 

Where to find us:

Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/ 

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/ 

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/

As always, thanks to Rounded for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 writing about it helps to capture those moments forever
• How her early days as a subeditor informed and helped her writing

Where to find Lee Tran Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leetranlam/

Patreon podcast and newsletter: https://www.patreon.com/leetranlam 

Culinary Archive podcast (for the Powerhouse): https://omny.fm/shows/culinary-archive-podcast New Voices On Food #1:  https://somekindpress.com/products/new-voices-on-food New Voices On Food #2: https://somekindpress.com/products/new-voices-on-food The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry podcast: https://theunbearablelightnessofbeinghungry.com/   Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/  Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/  Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/   As always, thanks to Rounded for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 website
• How to 'hack' your own PR
• The tech tips you didn't know you needed

Find Odette at: https://www.odetteandco.com.au/

Where to find us: Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ 

As always, thanks to Rounded for sponsoring The Content Byte!

 

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 with cost-conscious clients
• How she finds work
• And why she wrote her first children's book

Where to find Brooke: https://thecontentedcopywriter.com.au/

Where to find us:

Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/

Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/

Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ 

As always, thanks to Rounded for sponsoring The Content Byte!

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 behind securing her book deal, which is coming out late in 2023
• Being a digital nomad
• Working on her book thanks to a creative residency in Sardinia

Connect with Charlotte here: https://www.charlottedallison.com/;  or on Instagram @charlottedallison 

Her substack is https://blondenotbeige.substack.com/

Her podcast is Chez Charlotte Vintage: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/chez-charlotte-vintage/id1628495225

The Creative Residency can be found here: https://www.nocefresca.it/

Connect with us: Rachel's List for job-seekers: www.rachelslist.com.au/jobseekers  

Lynne Testoni's website: www.lynnetestoni.com

Rachel Smith's website: www.rachelsmith.com.au

Thanks, as always, to our sponsors www.rounded.com.au Easy accounting and invoicing software, made just for Australian freelancers and sole traders. Don't forget, if you're a Rachel's List Gold member, you'll enjoy 20 percent off an annual subscription plan!

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 Entertainment Weekly, as well as belonging to three bands. We also talk about:

+ Pitching, how long he works on the average pitch (and how many get commissioned) + The long-form features he loves writing and some of his favourites from recent years + What it's like meeting your musical heroes, including THAT Lou Reed story + How he combines writing books with his journalism work + Commercial writing and his experiences with copywriting + And much more! Where to find Barry

• On Authory: https://authory.com/BarryDivola
• On the Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/search?text=Barry+Divola
• Barry's latest book, Driving Stevie Fracasso https://www.booktopia.com.au/driving-stevie-fracasso-barry-divola/book/9781460759479.html
• Spotify playlist for Driving Stevie Fracasso: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4q9yBFpOmUtCXcSndKYtGy?si=c098614c9c814acc 

Where to find us Rachel's website https://rachelsmith.com.au/  Lynne's website https://lynnetestoni.com/  Rachel's List https://rachelslist.com.au/ 

As always, thanks to Rounded for sponsoring The Content Byte!