Are you a print journalist considering making the leap into government communications? In this episode, we chat to Lisa Thomas, who worked on a number of glossy mags (including Vogue Living) before jumping ship to work in a number of leadership roles in the private and public sector. Lisa is currently the Director of Communications, Engagement and Education at the NSW Department of Parliamentary Services, and talks to us about her journey into government comms, the transferrable skills journalists have, how to get work in government departments, her advice for journalists considering a career in a senior government role and much more.

Do you get a horrid feeling in the pit of your stomach when your clients aren't happy - or when they come back with multiple changes? This week Rachel and Lynne talk about dealing with negative feedback and criticism. It is something that happens to all of us! We talk about learning from mistakes, repairing relationships and how to not take everything personally. 

This week on the podcast Lynne and Rachel talk to Sue Bell, who is organising a festival for freelancers in her home town - Launceston, Tasmania. Rachel is a keynote speaker at the event and it's got some great speakers and events as part of the 3-day event in June 2022.

Sue talks about why she thinks having a community is important for freelancers, how to put together an engaging conference program and how to do her day job at the same time. She also shares her amazing career journey (and a few laughs).

Find out about the Launceston Freelance Festival here: https://launcestonfreelancefestival.com.au/

We continue our successful freelancer series with guest Rashida Tayabali, a copywriter and indie author who started her career in marketing but found her passion in writing copy. Rashida shares the ins and outs of her business journey, including: + Why she decided to niche into working with women business owners + What choosing a niche has done for her business and her growth + Learning SEO and why it's so valuable + How she finds clients and prices her work + Her favourite tools of the trade + Her tips for freelancers just starting out And much more!

Find out more about Rashida Visit her website Find her on Instagram Connect with her on LinkedIn  Read her book, Life After Ali Other resources Read her blog on writing great marketing copy Check out her masterclass, A starter guide to keywords and SEO for content writers 

Successful freelance writer Campbell Mattinson talks about how he secured the perfect gig - wine writing. In his chat with host Lynne Testoni, he also shared:

• How he copes with the delivery of 30 bottles of wine a day
• The changes in wine writing over the years
• How he finally published the novel that had been in his bottom drawer for 30 years
• How photography has made him a better writer

Get in touch with Campbell via his website: https://www.campbellmattinson.com/

We chat about:

• What is different about writing for websites
• Whether it's a good niche to be in
• What key elements that people forget to include in their websites
• How to price website content

Emma's website is https://www.emmamcmillancopy.com/

Emma's podcast is Not Just About Copy

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mcmillan-copywriter/

Does everyone have a book in them? It's just one of the questions we put to editor and publisher Rebecca Kaiser from Allen and Unwin, who joins us on the podcast to talk about ... so much! Including: + How book publishing has changed in 30 years + Her biggest publishing successes, what 'success' in book publishing actually means + The books that have gone gangbusters and what it's like when you think a book will do well and it doesn't + Tips on finding an agent for your book + Do you need a public profile to get published via traditional channels? + How has the marketing and promotional requirements changed for authors in recent years and what are you expected to do to sell your book? + Can you make a living from non-fiction books in Australia? + Does Allen and Unwin use freelancers and if so, how can you get work in book publishing? + Tips for wannabe authors  And much more! More resourcesAllen and Unwin The Friday Pitch 

How good are you at following up on story pitches or with new clients? If you could do better, you're in good company: apparently, 48 percent of us never make a single follow-up attempt. Another 44 percent follow up, but give up after one follow-up call. And yet, 80 percent of sales require FIVE follow-ups! In this episode, we talk about: + why we struggle with following up + what we do when following up + best practice in reaching out + when to leave it Resources ~ RL's famous lead generation tracker - to track letters of introduction and follow-ups https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/lead-generation-tracker/

~ RL's pitch tracker - for tracking and monitoring story pitches and follow-ups https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/pitch-tracker/ 

Collaborating with other freelancers or small businesses can be a rocket-launcher to growth you couldn't achieve otherwise. Trouble is, it's tricky to get it right, and to know how to approach other brands you might like to team up with. In this episode, we chat to Jess Ruhfus from Collabosaurus, a match-making, marketing platform that connects brands keen to collaborate. Tune in to hear about: + How Jess started Collabosaurus

+ Why she feels collaboration is the future

+ How to get started collaborating with another freelancer or brand

+ How to communicate your value

+ Collaboration success stories

+ Jess's favourite tech tools

Find out more