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#Women's voices with Dr Kath on YassFM 100.3Dr Malini Devadas on getting women's voices heardMalini is a writing coach who helps academics get past their blocks about writing. But more than that, Malini loves to TALK. Just like me! In this episode you can hear Malini and I talk about why women's voices are still not heard, and what the hell we can do about that. You can find Malini at https://mdwritingediting.com.au/
2023-08-1046 min
The Confident Freelance Editor71: Four essentials every freelance editor needsIn this episode, I talk about four things that I believe every freelance editor needs to think about if they want to create a thriving business but aren't quite there yet. Two of them might surprise you! **** I have a new offer to help freelance editors create, and actually implement, a marketing strategy. And if you sign up before 30 June 2023, you can save $500. Contact me through editboost.com or simply message me through any social media platform and let's see if I'm the best person to help you. If you're tired of not earning enough...
2023-06-2314 minThe Confident Freelance Editor70: Is a website essential?Today's episode continues on the theme of 'do what's best for your business'. Is a website essential for your business today? Tune in and find out what I think!
2023-06-1311 minThe Confident Freelance Editor69: On practiceToday I talk about practice, and why marketing is like any other skill: the more you do it, the better you get at it.
2023-06-0205 minThe Confident Freelance Editor68: Two reasons we don't do marketingI often think about why freelance editors don't do marketing. In today's episode, I talk about two reasons for not taking marketing action and why you might need to change your mindset. I also share a little about how my business has been going this year. **** If you want help with your marketing mindset or strategy, contact me through my website and let's have a chat: www.editboost.com
2023-05-2609 minThe Confident Freelance Editor67: How to assess if your marketing strategy is workingIf you don't have enough clients then what should you do? Today I talk about three marketing strategies and how to assess whether you need to change what you're doing. **** If you want help with your marketing mindset or strategy, contact me through my website and let's have a chat: www.editboost.com
2023-05-2110 min
The Confident Freelance Editor66: Re-starting the podcastI'm back! After 21 months, I have decided to bring back the podcast. Today I'm talking about why I stopped, why I've come back to it and what you can expect from now on.
2023-05-1312 min
Let's Talk SciComm37. Interview with writing coach Dr Malini DevadasThis week we had the great pleasure of chatting with Dr Malini Devadas about all things writing. After completing her PhD at the Australian National University in the 1990s, Malini did a postdoc and then realised that she enjoyed the writing part of the job more than the lab work! In 2004 she started working as a professional editor, becoming accredited in 2009. In 2013 Malini launched MD Writing and Editing, working as a trainer and editor to help academics and medical professionals get published faster.
After working with academics for many years, Malini discovered that there are many reasons...
2022-11-2827 min
The Confident Freelance EditorPausing the podcast065: I’ve had a lot of fun so far talking to editors and guest experts and creating solo shows for the Edit Boost Podcast. Receiving so many wonderful messages from people who’ve been inspired to do more marketing and get more clients has been really rewarding. But I’ve decided I need a bit of a break; I’ve created a lot of podcast content and it’s time to step back. And just in case you need to hear it from me, it’s ok to stop doing something or hit pause on something, e...
2021-08-2307 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow important is SEO for my editing website?064: Featured editor: Michelle Bourbonniere, Edited by Michelle Feeling daunted by the thought of SEO? ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ for your website can sound complicated and like it’s only for technical types. There are several things you can do to help your website to appear near the top of online search results (that’s the point of SEO) but, actually, is SEO the most important thing you need to be doing right now? Many editors tell me they have to get their websites ‘right’ before they launch their services — so much so that they spen...
2021-08-1639 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I overcome my fear that enquiries will stop coming in?063: Featured editor: Elen Turner, Elen Turner Editorial Services Given the challenging times we’re in, it’s understandable we can feel afraid of not having enough work. This worry can lead us to taking all the work we can, even if it leaves us stressed out and overwhelmed. And the recommendation is always to continue marketing, even in good times, so we continue to have clients ‘in the pipeline’, opportunities lined up at the end of each project. After bouncing back from an unfortunate loss of work during 2020, Elen is now in the position...
2021-08-0935 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I show my value when I haven’t had paid editing clients yet?062: Featured editor: Andrew Pelechaty When you’re changing careers into the field of editing, it’s challenging to make a start and find paying clients. You can feel unsure of yourself and completely ‘green’, a newbie. But rarely do we start with a blank slate. We can make use of all of our professional experience and current contacts. Today we’re talking about the situation my guest editor, Andrew, is experiencing. He’s done significant voluntary work as an editor and proofreader immersed in his sporting passion of rugby league. He’s also helped on projects with...
2021-08-0236 minThe Confident Freelance EditorTop 5 mistakes: Focusing on doing rather than being061: As editors, we like to learn, read and look at things from all angles. If we’re not feeling ready and confident in our business, we can focus too much on consuming more content. We convince ourselves we need to know more to do more; we need to learn more before we can take action. But most people know what they need to do. The problem is that they are not being the person they need or want to be. Becoming a confident business owner means taking action before you’re ready. Which means...
2021-07-2609 minThe Confident Freelance EditorTop 5 mistakes: Being scared of rejection060: As editors, when we’re putting our content out into the world to attract more clients, being scared of rejection and fearing criticism can be seriously debilitating to business. When you’re assuming the worst and not wanting to deal with negative feedback, it’s safer and easier to just not put things out there. But it’s not a useful approach when you’re trying to get clients I know it’s hard. We’re the face of our business. Any comments and feedback on the work we put out in the world is something we’r...
2021-07-1911 minThe Confident Freelance EditorTop 5 mistakes: Thinking that helping and charging money are mutually exclusive059: Often it seems that, in our minds, we’ve equated helping people with giving things for free. And at the same time, we believe that making money is somehow a bad thing. But in the end, we’re running a business, and the purpose of a business is to make money. In this episode, I explain how we can think differently about the action of helping people with our editing services. We post information and editing tips online to be helpful. Being helpful online is great and it builds our brand and positions us as an a...
2021-07-1209 minThe Confident Freelance EditorTop 5 mistakes: Relying on emotions rather than metrics058: When it comes to running a business, it’s really important to acknowledge our emotions. Our actions come from how we feel. So while most of us want to be given a to-do list, most of the time that isn’t enough. We have to change the way we think and feel in order to do the things we need to do to find more clients and earn more money. However, when it comes to some business decisions, we need to look at the numbers and NOT rely on our emotions. For example, when...
2021-07-0512 minThe Confident Freelance EditorTop 5 mistakes: Not understanding what your clients want057: This is the first of a series where I’ll be talking about the most common mistakes I see freelance editors making when trying to promote their businesses. In this episode I’ll be talking about the problem of not understanding what your clients want. I see this mistake when editors are posting online about what’s involved in editing. Most likely it’s only editors who are interested in editing. Authors have different concerns -- maybe they don’t understand the publishing process or they are scared their writing isn’t good enough. To attract your...
2021-06-2812 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I stop self-sabotaging my own efforts to establish my niche?056: Featured editor: Jen Tolnay, Jen Tolnay Editorial and Writing Services Jen has plenty of corporate editing experience and wants to move toward her ideal work in fiction book editing. She’s almost finished a course and has gained a bit of experience from pro bono projects. So what’s stopping her from pitching to clients who could benefit from her skills? Feeling hesitant at switching to a new field of editing is entirely normal. We’re confident in our own skills in the work we’ve done already. We feel like we need to get qualific...
2021-06-2141 min
This Humean Life with The Philosophical CoachCreating Confidence: What is In Your Way? with Malini DevadasHave you ever found yourself consuming content or gaining knowledge but not implementing it?
Have you been putting off completing that article or project and questioning whether it will ever be done?
Have you ever wondered why you are not making the income you want from your business even though you are working hard? Does the idea of selling make you nervous about not delivering what you promised?
If you can relate to any of these questions, then this episode is for you. And if you are an academic or a freelance editor...
2021-06-1647 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow to create an opt-in55: Building an email list of people who are interested in your business, so you can contact them directly, is a great idea. We’ve talked about email marketing on the show before, when I spoke to email expert Yael Keon (Ep039 ‘How can email marketing benefit my editing business?’). It’s recommended to have an email list for your business, rather than relying on people randomly seeing the content you post to your social media pages. But clients often ask me how to go about getting people to sign up to an email list. We do this...
2021-06-1418 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhat is coaching and how can it help me?54: Today I want to talk to you about what coaching is, as well as what it isn’t. The term ‘coaching’ is used widely today, and conjures up different meanings for different people. Some people turn to a coach when they seek to be held accountable to their goals. Others want someone to give them advice (which I think of as mentoring) as to which direction they should go with their business. Regular listeners to the Edit Boost Podcast will have heard me coaching editors to help them identify their desired goals and decide...
2021-06-0716 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I escape the fear of never getting another client?53: Featured editor: Sue Toth, Sue Toth Writing and Editing Services Today’s episode talks about the fear many of us experience when quoting for editing jobs. Even if we’ve had a consistent run of incoming leads and enquiries, something makes us worry about never getting another client. The fear of not having enough work actually kept Sue overloaded with work she didn’t really love. Taking on as many projects as she could that came her way didn’t leave her with any capacity to find the work she was really looking for. The fe...
2021-05-3135 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I change my editing business to a new niche?Featured editor: Michelle Waitzman, http://michellewaitzman.com It’s fairly common for editors to pick up whatever work is going, even if it’s not their ideal type of editing, type of project or type of industry. We think, ‘we’ll do this for a while until that ‘thing’ comes along...’, the ideal project that will set us on the path to the work we most enjoy. But after a while it’s become a habit to do the same work, and we’re stuck, getting known for doing work that we’re not keen to continue doing. Today’...
2021-05-2441 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I retain enthusiasm in my editing business over the long term?051: Featured editor: Olivia Wroth, SuperScript Writing and Editing and Accessibility Matters Over the years, your editing business might change in structure, while you try out different projects or outsourcing, and there might be ups and downs in your ongoing client load. You’ll start to work out what parts of the business are most enjoyable to you. And one of the advantages of having our own businesses is that we can start to create an editing business that works for us, plays to our strengths and involves less of the things we dislike. Th...
2021-05-1732 minThe Confident Freelance EditorFive things I’ve learned from 50 episodes of the Edit Boost Podcast050: I’m not really one for celebrating the numbers in business but this one seems significant. I’ve now recorded 50 podcast episodes, being a mix of solo shows, coaching calls and expert interviews. I receive lots of positive feedback about the value of the podcast, and I’m so glad to be delivering value through this medium. The podcast is also a tool in my business. Presenting this podcast has come at a time of growth for my business as well. While I’m committed to helping editors develop their mindsets for business success, I, too, found my mindse...
2021-05-1025 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I boost productivity and get more paying clients?049: Featured editor: Kerry Murphy, Kerry Murphy Editor When you’ve come from a high-pressure work environment where multi-tasking was the norm, it’s not unusual to carry through those work habits to your freelancing efforts. There’s so much to be done when running your own business, and it all seems important. The pressure you feel to need to do it all at once can lead to you spreading yourself too thin. If, like Kerry, you’ve found yourself running from client work to sample edits, from blog posts to client onboarding, from content c...
2021-05-0343 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I know when to go full time in my freelance editing?048: Featured editor: Glenda Cohen, GCC Editing Glenda is wondering when will be the right time to take the leap from her teaching job into full-time freelance editing. While no-one can tell someone when’s the best time to transition to freelancing, there are certainly some practical steps you can take to set yourself up for success. When transitioning into a freelance editing business, it’s common for self-doubt to creep in. Starting over can be scary and we can suffer from a lack of confidence, even if we have versatile skills and g...
2021-04-2642 minThe Confident Freelance EditorSelf-reflection: a powerful tool to boost your editing business047: Today’s episode involves me musing about my business. I hope that it will show you the power of self-reflection in uncovering why we don’t do the things we say we want to do. The lightbulb moment for me was that, even though I have a list of editors who want to appear on the Edit Boost Podcast, my timetable was too busy to organise a guest for today’s show, so I had to do a solo show instead. It was a sure sign I needed to change something. I realised that I have s...
2021-04-1917 minThe Confident Freelance EditorUsing social media to find editing clients046: Are you feeling like social media is a waste of time for generating leads? Are you lacking confidence to start posting? If you’re not being purposeful about it or taking consistent action on social media, you could be missing an opportunity to find clients for your editing business. In this episode, I’ll be sharing some tips to help you make your social media marketing efforts more effective. There are a few aspects I find editors struggling with, including: not being in the right ‘place’ not getting your messaging right (T...
2021-04-1211 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I expand my team and grow my editing business?045: Featured editor: CaTyra Polland, Love for Words CaTyra wants to be earning a full-time income from her editing business. She knows she can’t do it all herself, so she’s brought on a proofreader and a virtual admin assistant to allow more time for her to do editing. But she’s had to turn work away and wants to grow her team so that she’s not the only editor doing the projects. It’s a big change, and it’s easy to feel worried about the time commitment for recruiting a new team mem...
2021-04-0531 minThe Confident Freelance EditorIs cold-calling the best way to get more clients?044: Featured editor: Eve White, White Editing Thank you to our featured editor Eve who has opened up to the challenges so many of us experience in the search for clients. This is the episode we all need to hear. We cover a lot of ground, including niching, your marketing message and method, and the all-too-common imposter syndrome. Whether you’ve moved into editing after a career in a particular field, or have been doing a small amount of editing and are wanting to ramp up your business, the best advice is to use yo...
2021-03-2942 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I handle my overflowing inbox?043: Featured editor: Belinda Pollard, Small Blue Dog Publishing Is your overflowing inbox taking up precious time in your day? Belinda is rather like me, a multi-passionate editor with many different interests. But looking into all of the multiple opportunities that come her way leaves her constantly busy and working long hours to get through the work that does get booked in. We talked about some ways to screen enquiries to help protect her time for the leads and proposals that would be the most profitable or worthwhile for her. ...
2021-03-2237 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I take the first step to market my editing business?042: It’s time for you to do the work! I know many editors find promoting their businesses challenging. While there’s no shortage of marketing training and even the most basic marketing action – putting out a social media post – doesn’t take much, there could be any number of reasons why the action never happens. I talk about some of these underlying ‘limiting beliefs’ in this episode. Most commonly, I hear ‘I’m too busy. I don’t have time for marketing’. So, let’s find out if time is really the barrier. This...
2021-03-1514 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow to create a client-focused business041: Many times, and not just with editors, I see websites and social media content that appears to be directed at industry peers rather than clients. It’s easy to think only about what we ‘do’. Editing techniques and tactics fill our days. But when you’re developing your public messaging, it’s really important to keep your potential client front of mind. They don’t necessarily need to know how to do editing; they may not even realise that they need an editor. Instead, people need to know how your editing work helps them solve their problem. If you...
2021-03-0817 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I view myself as a professional who makes money?040: Featured editor: Hilary Cadman: Cadman Training / Cadman Editing Emerging from behind the work we love, to promote it to get more clients so we can do more work we love … it’s always a challenge. When you enjoy the work you do, and you love to serve your clients, it’s hard to see what you do as building a money-making business. But it’s going to be difficult to earn the money you need for living if you don’t view yourself as a professional who makes money. It’s even more challenging when your profess...
2021-03-0142 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can email marketing benefit my editing business?039: Featured expert: Yael Keon https://yaelkeon.com/ Have you thought about doing email marketing for your editing business? Perhaps you’ve subscribed to a heap of newsletters and wondered whether starting a newsletter would work for you. How would you start? What tech is involved? What would you say? Maybe you think it’ll be too hard to keep it going. I'm pleased to be speaking with email marketing expert Yael Keon as she explains all the ins and outs of how email marketing can help editors to build an engaged audience.
2021-02-2236 minThe Confident Freelance EditorMoney, messaging and marketing: 3 pillars of business038: Today I’m talking about what I consider to be the three pillars of business: money messaging and marketing. Working on these pillars to grow our editing businesses is always underpinned by mindset. If you hold unhelpful beliefs in these areas, it’ll be hard to succeed. My group coaching program/e-course ‘Boost your editing income’ helps you work through your mindset on these topics so you can grow your editing business with confidence. Have a listen to this episode to get a taste of what will be covered in the course.
2021-02-1513 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I establish healthy boundaries in my editing business?037: Featured editor: Carly Catt, Catt Editing Do you feel compelled to behave a certain way to please your client? Wanting to be seen as helpful and approachable, you’re responding straight away to after-hours messages. Pretty soon you’ll be resentful of the feeling of being at someone’s ‘beck and call’. And your client will have developed a false expectation of you and your business. Many of us don’t apply healthy boundaries for working with clients at first, because we’re trying to please and impress them. If you’re feeli...
2021-02-0841 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I achieve the goals I set to grow my editing business?036: Are you making progress with consistent action on the small things? Or is it the small things that are tripping you up? When you’re feeling stuck with achieving the goals you’ve set for your editing business, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on why. How is it that you’ve had the same thing on your to-do list for a long time with no results? Consider what might be blocking you and then make a pathway forward with small, achievable steps. Listen in to this epi...
2021-02-0111 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I find editing clients when I’m starting out?035: Featured editor: Liz Charpleix, Iris42 Editing Services Finding those first clients is always challenging. And when you do start engaging with new prospects, how can you seal the deal and lock in that editing job? If you’re finding it hard to know where to look to connect with clients who need your services you’re not alone. Our clients sometimes don’t know what they’re looking for either! They might not know how to engage an editor to do the work for them. So, the onus is on us to do the hard...
2021-01-2547 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I manage client enquiries when I have more work than I can handle?034: Featured editor: Laura Portwood-Stacer, Manuscript Works Are you getting more enquiries than you can handle? It’s a good problem to have! But it can be a real drain on your time and energy. Laura’s in this position at the moment. She works with scholarly authors who are working on books and shows them how to write scholarly book proposals. With one-on-one services as well as online courses, she’s always booked out and turning enquiries away. We all want to help the people who come to us for editing services. But you're only one pers...
2021-01-1844 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I find clients who value my skills033: Featured editor: Cecily Myers, Creative Collaborations, http://www.creativecollaborations.org/ Cecily’s been doing freelance editing, focusing on creative collaborations, while working full time. She’s hoping to find more clients so she can transition out of her job to pursue editing with a good pipeline of work. Cecily knows she needs to find ways to stand out in a crowded market. In this episode, we discuss strategies for social media and email marketing to help attract people who need your editing skills and to build relationships with potential clients. We also talk abou...
2021-01-1138 minThe Confident Freelance Editor2020 reflections: Being a solo business doesn’t mean going it alone032: In season four of the Edit Boost Podcast, I’m looking forward to a mix of solo shows, interviews with other editors and talking to guest experts on marketing, money and mindset. I’m starting with a reflection and sharing three things I learned in 2020 about myself and my business. You may find these insights resonate with you. If you’re inspired to ‘do the thing’ after listening to me and other editors in the podcast series, I’d love to hear about it. If you’d like to join me on the podcast to tal...
2021-01-0409 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I land my first editing client?031: Featured editor: Dayna Reidenouer, True Love Editorial Services Dayna has moved into editing work from a strong background in proofreading and writing. But she’s feeling daunted about landing her first freelance editing clients. Without a portfolio and testimonials, she feels like it’s an uphill battle trying to convince potential clients to work with her rather than a more accomplished editor. So of course we’re talking about confidence. New freelance editors forget all the other proven skills they bring to the role! But I also believe the task of finding the people...
2020-12-2840 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I build awareness of my brand to generate more leads and repeat business?030: Featured editor: Helen Bradford www.helenbradfordeditor.com In this episode we talk about defining your brand and how to get your brand message ‘out there’. Being able to define your own brand is important when marketing your editing business to potential clients. Helen has reflected on what her brand means, becoming clear in her own mind how she helps people. This part of building a business mindset can be really challenging - often as editors we’re so familiar with what we do, we can find it hard to describe it in ter...
2020-12-2134 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I increase my success without increasing my work hours?029: Featured editor: Jahleen Turnbull-Sousa www.maplewoodeditorial.com Today’s guest editor, Jahleen, has steadily built up her business to where she feels she has more than enough work and is looking to scale. She’s not sure how best to invest her time to achieve business growth, doing the work she most enjoys, while avoiding overwhelm. She asks, ‘Is there a way to maintain and increase my success without increasing the number of hours I work?’ My first instinct is to suggest that she increases her rates to incrementally achieve the next stages of busine...
2020-12-1438 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I turn down familiar jobs so I can move into a new field of work?028: Featured editor: Lenore Hietkamp https://www.heatherfieldediting.com/ In this episode of the Edit Boost Podcast you’ll hear from Canada-based editor Lenore Hietkamp, who’s decided to turn to coaching after 17 years of editing. Having decided on this new direction, she continues to be drawn into her familiar role of copyeditor. With ongoing work in copyediting and a steady stream of referrals, Lenore’s not making the progress she’d like towards making this change she’s been thinking about for a while. No-one wants to disappoint their valued clients. Join us as...
2020-12-0731 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I change my niche?027: Featured editor: Kath Kovac Have you decided to change your editing niche but don’t know how to kick-start the transition? I’m speaking with Kath Kovac in this week’s episode. Her editing business grew from word of mouth and she’s enjoyed a career in science editing. Having done a few other jobs and realised she’s keen to do more work editing children’s nonfiction books, the thought of re-establishing herself in a new niche is a bit daunting. Where to start? As freelance editors we get to work on diff...
2020-11-3034 minThe Confident Freelance EditorShould I change my business name?026: Featured editor: Cecile Shanahan https://cecileshanahan.vpweb.com.au/ How much does our business name matter when marketing a business? Would you rather spend time and money on targeted marketing efforts to reach potential clients or on hoping you’ll be found in a Google search? As I discuss in this episode, I think it’s best to focus on getting the message right on your website — who you help and how you help them. This is more important than our URL or business name. In the end, referrals by word of mou...
2020-11-2333 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I choose a niche?025: Featured editor: Amber Riaz, A4 Editing As we so often do when starting out, Amber took every opportunity for editing work in order to build momentum. She accumulated a wide range of experience in a variety of industries. Three years down the track, Amber has begun to identify the kinds of projects she enjoys and is most suited to. She’s considering defining a niche for herself. Amber shared her concerns about going down this path, ‘What will happen to my business if I start to narrow my field?’ This i...
2020-11-1634 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I stop overdelivering?024: Featured editor: AJ Collins, AJC Publishing For all of us who are committed to doing the best editing job possible for our clients, overdelivering on projects can be a tricky business challenge. Our guest editor, AJ Collins, has begun to tackle this issue in her business to reclaim all those unpaid hours. We always strive to exceed our clients’ expectations, but we also have to be accepting of their wishes as well as their budget limitations. Join us as we discuss establishing boundaries and how to head off any potential problems in ‘scope cree...
2020-11-0925 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhy we overcomplicate things023: As humans, we are really good at making things more complicated than they need to be. Especially in 2020, when we have information at our fingertips, literally. For example, if you look for help to get your business marketing started, whether it’s finishing your new website, starting a blog, creating your social media profiles or starting an email list, you’re likely to be overwhelmed with information. If it’s too technical for you to do it yourself, there are plenty of specialists you can engage to do these things for you. Or, how ab...
2020-11-0212 minThe Confident Freelance EditorCreating digital products022: It seems like they’re everywhere: downloadables, online courses, paid memberships. With ever-increasing access to technology, there’s a growing number of people creating digital products for their businesses. In 2016, I decided to take my in-person writing workshops and turn them into an online product. I had very limited time for editing and thought that having an online course would be a great way to supplement my income. However, I underestimated how much work would be involved! In this episode of the podcast, I share my story about what worked and what didn’t. I a...
2020-10-2619 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhat not to worry about when you’re starting out (aka procrasti-tasks)021: The harsh truth is that without clients, you have no business. And even though there are things we can do right now to find clients (such as sharing our marketing message or contacting potential clients), these outreach activities feel quite scary to many people. So we can fill our time with other busy-work instead, and we convince ourselves that these are absolutely critical things to be doing right now. I’m talking about creating a logo or getting yet another editing qualification. Of course, there is a place and time for doing those things, but if you have no cli...
2020-10-1916 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow many clients do you need?020: Have you ever thought about how many clients you actually need? I ask this because when I work with editors on their marketing message, one of the first things I'll suggest is that they choose a niche (or maybe a couple). At this point I am often met by a lot of resistance from people who are scared they will ‘miss out on work’ if they narrow down their offerings. And, full disclosure, I have that fear too! But when we get worried about all the work it’s going to take t...
2020-10-1209 minThe Confident Freelance EditorLosing some money vs losing the sale019: So often I hear about editors who are underquoting because they are scared of losing the job -- I used to do this too. This is usually deliberate (e.g. shave off a few hours, reduce the rate) and we convince ourselves that the reduction in the price is necessary. What are the risks? It’s likely you’ll: set client expectations that future jobs are also going to be that low be left working unpaid hours where you could have better-paying work feel tired feel unappreciated feel resentful find it harder to quote more...
2020-10-0512 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow 'nice' are you?018: We equate niceness with people who do things for free. So does that mean that people who charge (and particularly those who charge a lot) are somehow not ‘nice’? In this episode, I ask you to consider how you judge people (editors and non-editors) when you hear their rates? Because if your automatic assumption is that high rates = not a nice person, and if you are someone who wants to be liked, then you might find it hard to raise your rates.
2020-09-2810 minThe Confident Freelance EditorDoes the world need another blog post about editing?017: These days it seems like everyone’s blogging; content marketing is all the rage. With so many people writing about the topic, does the world really need another blog post about editing? It’s easy to feel discouraged about hitting ‘publish’ on your next blog post. Maybe you don’t think your content is helpful because you already know it. Editing tips have been covered a million times already. But I encourage you to stick with it. Write another blog post about editing. And, equally importantly, share it. There are people who need t...
2020-09-2111 minThe Confident Freelance EditorLetting go of the outcome016: A common factor in what’s holding us back from action is fear. I see this a lot in my experience as a mindset coach. It’s not about not knowing enough. Information is everywhere. As editors we can readily find the information we need. So why don’t we take action? We worry about how to handle: a rejected quote criticism on our blog post crickets after we post on social media. What if I told you there’s nothing to handle, you just have to let it go...
2020-09-1414 minThe Confident Freelance EditorThree things you can do today to find a client015: It can feel scary to go out and find clients, so we often spend our time taking what I call 'passive action'. Designing a logo or tweaking our website can feel like we're doing something constructive. But without clients, we have no business. Finding a paying client means making connections with people who might hire you. It might be less complicated than navigating all the tech stuff, creating a logo or a website. But it can be way more confronting. In this episode, I’ll give you three action steps you ca...
2020-09-0712 minThe Confident Freelance EditorThe myth of passive income014: Are you thinking about selling digital products to create passive income opportunities for your business? The idea of ‘passive income’ is appealing in many ways. Do the work once, sell it many times over. There are benefits for scaling and making better use of your time. But you might not realise that delivering and maintaining digital products is also a lot of work. I got into the online business world 5 years ago. I’ve put a lot of time, money and effort into pursuing ‘passive income’ opportunities for my business. I...
2020-08-3115 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhat is the best website platform?013: What is the best website platform to use for your editing business? Trick question - there is no such thing. When it comes to websites, popular platforms include: Wordpress, Weebly, Wix, Squarespace -- they all have their pros and cons. The question is, which is the best website platform for YOU? You could spend an incredibly long time on this. In fact, tech issues can be a major cause of delay. Are you using this decision as an excuse for not promoting your editing business? By all means, seek...
2020-08-2414 minThe Confident Freelance EditorThe power of client referrals012: Most people don't buy from someone they don’t know. We ask friends for a recommendation. Our past clients and contacts can refer new clients to us... once they know we are looking and would welcome referrals! Don’t be shy about telling others. They’re often happy to help. When you’re starting out, you need to spend a lot of time and effort on marketing your services. But getting booked up with work can start to get easier over time, as your list of past clients and potential referrals grows. That’s the power...
2020-08-1709 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhat do you do? 011: What do you do? If you answer that question by saying you’re an ‘editor’ then think carefully about who has asked that question. Was it a fellow editor? In general I find that editors are thinking about other editors when they write their web copy. How can you help your potential clients understand how you can help them?
2020-08-1107 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow can I get clients to send work on time? 010: How can I get clients to send work on time? When clients drag their heels in submitting content, one minute you're left with gaps, and the next you're scrambling to get the work done. In this episode, I'll give you ideas on how to gain better control of your workload.
2020-03-2314 minThe Confident Freelance EditorManaging emotions and a freelance business in uncertain times009: How are you handling the uncertainty in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? We’re people, as well as business owners, and we need to take care of all facets of our personal and professional wellbeing.
2020-03-1912 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I justify a higher rate?008: It’s hard to raise your rates when potential clients say your quote is too high. Continually justifying your prices is exhausting. I'll discuss how to approach obtaining higher-paying work.
2020-03-1613 minThe Confident Freelance EditorShould I have two websites or just one for my writing and editing services? 007: Do you need two websites for writing and editing services, or one all-purpose site? How can you make it easy for your audiences to connect with your services?
2020-03-0910 minThe Confident Freelance EditorWhat do I do when a project doesn't pay enough?006: You know what you need to be charging, but then you keep getting work that falls short of your target income/rates. What can you do to show the value of editing and get work that's priced accordingly?
2020-03-0214 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I manage my feelings of doubt about my ability to find work?005: Push past the doubts and connect with more clients - I'll help you manage that doubt and share your message with confidence.
2020-02-2410 minThe Confident Freelance EditorHow do I stop feeling scared about asking for the rates I want?004: Especially when you’re starting out, it’s easy to underquote and then regret it later. If you wonder how you’ll ever get comfortable with setting higher rates and sticking to them, have a listen to this episode where I’ll be talking about how to get more confidence in your business.
2020-02-1711 minThe Confident Freelance EditorShould I market myself as a specialist or generalist?003: It's time to get stuck into whether niching is right for you. Thinking of specialising but unsure if it’s a good move? Getting stuck at this crossroads can stall your marketing efforts – what to put on your website? What content will you use to promote your services? In this episode I’ll talk about whether niching could be the right decision for you.
2020-02-0711 minThe Confident Freelance EditorShould I engage contractors in my editing business?002: What do you need to consider when engaging sub-contractors in your editing business? When you have too much work on as a sole trader, you might wonder if it’s worthwhile bringing someone else on. You need some help but you don’t want to lose control of your business. In this episode, I discuss three key ways to minimise your risk and grow your business with confidence.
2020-02-0714 minThe Confident Freelance EditorIntroducing the Edit Boost Podcast001: Welcome! Today I'm talking about how I hope this podcast will help you grow your editing business. What’s holding you back from achieving your goals in your editing business? Is it time to overcome these fears and make the progress you’ve been dreaming about? Join me, a business coach for editors, as I answer your questions on Money, Marketing and Mindset.
2020-02-0706 min