The Content Byte

Rachel Smith and Lynne Testoni
  • 5.0 (4)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosts Rachel Smith (from Rachel's List) and journalist and content writer Lynne Testoni are serving up weekly short bites of advice, tips and strategies, plus special guests, for freelancers who make a living from using their words. We're shooting for 15-minute episodes, but can't promise anything because we can both talk the leg off a chair.

  1. How freelancers can find work through referrals - with Sarah Hubbard

    1D AGO

    How freelancers can find work through referrals - with Sarah Hubbard

    Rachel and Lynne speak with Sarah Hubbard, author of The Intentional Networker, about using referrals and relationship-based networking to find new clients. Sarah shares her MAPP framework (mindset and intention, authentic presence, precise messaging, purposeful follow-through) and explains how to systemise networking with simple tracking (even spreadsheets), an A/B/C contact system, and regular follow-ups. She describes using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to capture event notes, create templates, and update a CRM, and offers strategies for introverts such as preparing in advance, keeping the day's workload lighter, and leveraging extroverts for introductions. It's a great conversation, about being curious, connecting as a person, going deeper rather than wider, and building relationships over time.   Connect with Sarah via her website: https://sarah-hubbard.com The Intentional Networker: How to Strategically Build Your Sphere of Influence and Transform Connections Into High-Value Opportunities https://a.co/d/0426cgMQ   AI Prompts for Strategic Networking: https://sarahhubbard.myflodesk.com/aipromptsitn   Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au ), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au  for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    40 min
  2. You Might Also Like: The Story of Money

    1D AGO ·  BONUS

    You Might Also Like: The Story of Money

    Introducing When money went rogue: banking in 19th-century frontier America from The Story of Money. Follow the show: The Story of Money In 19th-century America almost anyone could print their own money – and many did. One of the most notable figures to take this up was a man named James Brown, a charismatic conman who built a fortune producing fake banknotes. In this episode of The Story of Money, Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, introduces hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth to “the hardest working man in counterfeiting”. They discuss the parallels between banking in the Wild West and the advent of cryptocurrencies today, and the role trust plays in all financial systems.     Further reading: A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States, by Stephen Mihm (2007)  The Square and Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power, by Niall Ferguson (2018) To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, and also follow the show's dedicated YouTube channel here.  Learn more at ft.com/tsom   Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Guest: Stephen Mihm Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producer: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa Original music: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley Video editor: Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. How to make time to work on your freelance business

    MAY 10

    How to make time to work on your freelance business

    This week Rachel and Lynne are responding to a question from listener Stephanie about how to make time to work on your freelance business. It's a bit of a choose-your-own adventure because we have such different work styles and systems. Rachel uses a mix of a bespoke paper diary (Creator's Friend), Outlook, Google Keep, batching, and Friday "work on the business" time, plus automations in Moxie (forms, pipelines, calendar booking windows, templated replies, and auto-created Google Drive folders). Lynne has a paper-free setup using Trello, an electronic calendar, "salami tactics" (small daily actions), Marketing Monday, Mail scheduling/follow-ups/reminders, and industry events for networking. We also discuss invoicing habits, accounting software, setting aside GST/tax/super, and recommend choosing regular business time, one in-person event monthly, and automating two tasks per month.  Want to suggest a topic for a future episode? Email us at hello@thecontentbyte.com  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au  for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    34 min
  4. Creating customer-centred content with Mat Patterson

    MAY 3

    Creating customer-centred content with Mat Patterson

    This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with freelance writer Mat Patterson (morehumancontent.com), who argues small and medium businesses and freelancers should lean into being personal, flexible and customer-close rather than copying big-company systems and jargon. Mat shares his path from web design to customer support to writing, explaining how support work builds communication skills through fast feedback. His work includes newsletters, podcasts and articles for customer-centric SaaS and customer experience companies, focused on clearer, more engaging messaging. We also chat about: Customer marketing via happy customers Why good service requires leadership giving staff authority How generative AI will increase the value of unique human perspective amid generic content Connect with Mat via: https://morehumancontent.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewpatterson/ and https://www.helpscout.com/resources/supportive-podcast/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    33 min
  5. The systems freelancers need to succeed - with Leticia Mooney

    APR 26

    The systems freelancers need to succeed - with Leticia Mooney

    This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with freelance business coach Leticia Mooney about building an "engine room" of systems across customer experience, sales and finance so clients feel safe, payments are smoother, and work is easier to deliver. Leticia says freelancers often skip systems because they assume their work is unique, but writing includes research, analysis, delivery and communication, all of which benefit from good processes. It's a great discussion about how to make your business run better and free yourself up for creative work. So many tips, including the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle with frequent review, how to do client updates to reduce anxiety, and walking through agreements on sales calls to prevent questions and ghosting.  Connect with Leticia via her website: Https://leticiamooney.com  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    57 min
  6. How to create your own career luck with Mel Barfield

    APR 19

    How to create your own career luck with Mel Barfield

    This week Rachel and Lynne discuss luck, visibility, and career resilience with guest copywriter Mel Barfield, managing partner at Copy or Die, host of the Indie Business Club podcast, and a Freelancer magazine columnist. Mel shares her career shift into freelancing after moving while pregnant, how expectations and mindset can block opportunities, and why "luck" is largely created through action, relationships, and optimism. She talks about creating and noticing chances, acting on hunches, reframing setbacks, and expecting good outcomes. Practical tips include breaking big goals into chunks, building personal authority, asking for opportunities, avoiding overly negative public posting, networking with curiosity, and using LinkedIn strategically to connect with ideal client job titles without cold pitching.  Connect with Mel via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniebarfield/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allcopymel/ Substack: https://indiebusinessclub.substack.com/  and the agency she runs with Dave is https://copyordie.co.uk/  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au ), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    58 min
  7. How to make money through TikTok and Instagram with Keenya Kelly

    APR 12

    How to make money through TikTok and Instagram with Keenya Kelly

    This week Rachel and Lynne discuss how freelancers can use Instagram and TikTok to make money and win clients with guest Keenya Kelly, a social media strategist known as the "TikTok Queen,". Keenya has over 500,000 TikTok followers and has generated more than $4 million through short-form video. She explains how TikTok shifted marketing toward entertaining, educational, scroll-stopping videos (often under a minute), speeding up the like-know-trust factor and purchasing decisions. She recommends prioritising consistency (at least weekly), creating stronger content rather than posting anything, and using tracking links and automation such as comment-triggered chatbots to convert views into leads and sales. It's such a valuable episode as Keenya talks about how she batches her workflows using B-roll, scripts, and organised storage, as well as using AI for competitive analysis and video ideation, and highlights authenticity, newsjacking, and how to better repurpose content.  Connect with Keenya via her website: https://www.keenyakelly.com/  Or on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@keenyakelly  Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    40 min
  8. Theresa Miller on speaking up and the opportunities it brings

    APR 5

    Theresa Miller on speaking up and the opportunities it brings

    This week on the podcast, Rachel and Lynne discuss how public speaking can help freelancers become more visible and attract clients, despite battling nerves. We are joined by media trainer and journalist Theresa Miller to talk about her book Speak Up on becoming a successful presenter and media spokesperson. Theresa shares why knowledgeable people often stay quiet, why it matters to "speak up" in an era of misinformation and AI fakery, and how to manage those all-too-common nerves. She outlines practical strategies including researching your audience, tailoring your message to their needs and pain points, using structure and story (including the hero's journey), and ending with a clear, ideally dated, call to action. We also chat about pathways into speaking, the role of in-person events, as well as Theresa's career lessons and favourite tools of the trade. To buy her book https://www.theresamiller.com.au/books  Her online course: https://www.theresamiller.com.au/online-course Ten tips to nail your media interview https://www.theresamiller.com.au/media-interview-tips   Eight-attention grabbing openers for presentations https://www.theresamiller.com.au/openers   Or connect with her on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-miller-tm-media/   Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details. Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Hosts Rachel Smith (from Rachel's List) and journalist and content writer Lynne Testoni are serving up weekly short bites of advice, tips and strategies, plus special guests, for freelancers who make a living from using their words. We're shooting for 15-minute episodes, but can't promise anything because we can both talk the leg off a chair.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachel Smith and Lynne Testoni
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    283
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © This content is copyright and the property of Rachel Smith and Lynne Testoni.
  • Show Website
    The Content Byte

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