Case studies can be a convincing form of social proof for content clients - and can be a valuable addition to your writing services. In this week's episode, we talk about the following:

• The types of case studies clients want (from structured templates to interviews to video-style case studies)
• How they stack up compared to other content marketing
• Our tips for finding customers for interview case studies
• What we charge for case studies and why
• Creating case studies for your own website.

Other resources https://b2blauncher.com/episode171/ 

We've all downloaded a lead magnet or two (those irresistible freebies offered on a website in exchange for your email address). But what makes a good lead magnet? How much should you charge to a client to write an ebook or white paper? In this episode, we talk about:

• Lead magnet basics - what are they and why are they important to an overall content strategy
• Why a great lead magnet will always aim to solve a problem
• A range of different lead magnet ideas
• How to quote for one (and what we've been paid)
• And much more!

This week Rachel and Lynne decided to mix it up and have a bit of fun. Inspired by an email that Rachel received from a client, we talk about some of the hilarious feedback we have had from clients and editors because you have got to laugh sometimes - or it could all get you down. We have a few classic comments of our own to share and we also decided to open it up to the Rachel’s List Gold Community group on Facebook for their stories. Listen and let us know how many resonate with you!

How DO you get customers and build a solid financial footing when you’re starting out as a freelancer or small business (or are stuck in a slow patch)? This week, we chat to Rounded co-founder and COO Oliver Garside about the strategies they used, and how they might relate to freelancers seeking clients and customers. Oliver also shares some tips on making EOFY less stressful if you work for yourself. In this episode:

• The Rounded journey - from start-up mode to 6 years in
• How to build a customer base when you have no customers
• The importance of knowing your customer (rather than trying to be all things to all people)
• Picking a niche – does that mean losing out on opportunities?
• Adding complimentary skills that can make you more versatile as a freelancer
• Embrace the trial and error – it’ll only help you grow a better business
• How Rounded reached out to potential customers (and why it's similar to how freelancers send LOIs)
• Using content marketing to broaden your audience - and find out how Rounded's content strategy has helped them
• The importance of focusing on your customer / client – and how offering great customer service can make a huge difference to your success
• Building your bizz slowly versus chasing the ‘silver bullets’
• Mistakes small businesses make (and how to improve)
• Plus, Oliver’s tips on making EOFY much less stressful for freelancers.

Find out more about RoundedRounded is online accounting software for freelancers and it's a great way to keep track of your incomings and outgoings (and make tax time easier). Visit: www.rounded.com.au  

A special dealRounded is offering listeners of The Content Byte 25% off for 3 months of a new membership with the coupon code FJbx3lPe - just pop that in when signing up for a monthly membership.

Psssst! Gold members of Rachel's ListRounded is kindly offering our Gold members 25% off for the first six months of a monthly membership. To find this code, click on any job on the jobs board and you'll see the code in the sidebar. Or, email us and we'll send it to you.

If most of the jobs you take on are completing pieces of content for a client - and you want to do more - then this week's episode is for you. Getting stuck into the strategy for a client, advising them on how to improve or repurpose their content (or even scrap their current strategy and create something better), isn't just rewarding. It can mean charging more, too! And you may already be doing bits of strategy already without charging for it, if you're invested in seeing your clients succeed.

In this episode, we chat to PR, communications and marketing director Alexandra Kentmann, who's strategised for a heap of top-shelf brands during her career. She shares how she works, what's involved in offering strategy, digital tools she loves and much more.

Find Alexandrahttps://www.instagram.com/lexikentmann/

While your own freelance website is very important, optimising your Google My Business (GMB) profile is absolutely critical if you want to maximise your visibility online and bring warm leads your way. In this episode, we chat to digital marketing consultant Katie Hull about how to make your GMB profile the best it can be, including:

• What Google My Business is, how to access it and how to get the benefits of it
• How to set it up and what’s important to include, from service areas to products
• Why neglecting it could mean other freelancers rank above you
• How to use it to showcase your wares and put you in the best position to compete with the big players out there (including freelancers marketplaces)
• Why the more you feed your GMB, the better visibility you’ll get
• How to use UTM tracking codes to find out if your leads are GMB ones
• What kinds of visuals to use if you’re a service-based business and not a shopfront
• How to use GMB to stalk your competitors and get ideas on tweaking your profile
• Lots more!

Where to find Katie

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-hull-01717935/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/LadyHull 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HulloCommunications 

Website https://hullocommunications.com.au

The longer you freelance, the more likely you are to come across a tricky or challenging client. Clients who try to bargain you down. Who are so disorganised they throw out timelines on other projects. Or clients who just want to micro-manage everything down to the last detail. This week, we talk about our approaches to five typical 'tricky' clients and what works for us.

• The Negotiator 
• The Novice 
• The Control Freak
• The Boundary Pusher
• The Ghoster

SPECIAL this week: For cut'n'paste scripts you can use on a variety of challenging freelance situations, grab 30% off 25 Scripts for Freelance Success ebook with the code BYTE30. It's in the Toolkit at Rachel's List: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/25-scripts-for-freelance-success-ebook/

This week Rachel & Lynne are talking about something that has intrigued me for a while – Pinterest, the social media that you might not be aware of and how powerful it is with guest, Simone Pavils, a Pinterest specialist.

About Simone

Simone Pavils provides Pinterest and SEO services and strategy for business, to help them lighten the load and live more intentionally. She shows you how to create perfect, SEO-optimised Pinterest profiles and pins, and improve your Pinterest strategy so that you can have organic traffic flow to your website without barely lifting a finger.

During the episode we talk about what Pinterest is and how it works, how you can use it to drive traffic to your website, mistakes people make with Pinterest and the fact that pins have a long lifespan - more than Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Find Simone here:

Website: www.simonepavils.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/simonepavils

Facebook: www.facebook.com/simonepavilsbusiness

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com.au/simonepavils

This week Rachel and Lynne are talking about your biggest marketing tool – your website!

We are constantly surprised how many writers don’t have a website, or have one that misses crucial pieces of information. This week, website developer Jude Love from Love Communications talks all things websites and what creatives need to include.

Her 7 tips on what to include are:

1. A sales mindset – make every page a sales page. This means a clear definition of your audience/clientele, the problems you solve, social proof and clear call to action.
2. Your Unique Value Proposition above the fold.
3. Make sure your About page talks about the problems you solve for your clients, not just about you.
4. Social proof: testimonials from your clients and editors. Make it easy for them to leave a testimonial for you on your Google My Business.
5. Clear call to action and a very clear way to contact you.
6. Good sign-up reward to build a mailing list.
7. Good technology, small image file sizes, no sliders, search engine integration.

 Find Jude Love:

Journosgetonline:

https://www.journosgetonline.com.au/

Site coaching:

https://www.journosgetonline.com.au/site-coaching/

Personal brand package: 

https://lovecommunications.com.au/personal-branding/

Contact Rachel Smith [email protected]; Lynne Testoni [email protected] 

Are you a freelance writer looking to save time, get inspiration and make use of some of the brilliant digital tools out there (if you only knew what the best ones were)? In this episode - a follow-up to our 10 Essential Writing Tips episode a few weeks before - details some great tools we use in our own writing work.

Resources we talk about in this episode

Hemingway App https://hemingwayapp.com/

ContentBot https://contentbot.ai/

Cheese Ipsum http://www.cheeseipsum.co.uk/ 

Otter Ai https://otter.ai/

The Phrase Finder https://www.phrases.org.uk/

Plain English Dictionary https://sandralmuller.com/plain-english-dictionary/

oTranscribe https://otranscribe.com/

Word Hippo https://www.wordhippo.com/

Calendly https://calendly.com/ 

RhymeZone https://www.rhymezone.com/ 

Later https://later.com/ 

The Most Dangerous Writing App https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app