Many freelancers are in a situation that could work against them in the commercial or media market. Combining freelancing with caring responsibilities, living in a part of the world that has a poor reputation for the quality of its writers, or having health problems or being disabled, for example. In this episode of the podcast, Philippa interviews Mridu Khullar Relph, a freelance writer who has written for the likes of the New York Times, Time magazine, Ms magazine and more, and they discuss how to turn a disadvantage into a strength. Apologies for the inconsistent sound quality in parts of this interview. However, it's well worth tolerating it for the great content! Show notes Mridu's website (UK / US) The Shy Writer: An introvert's guide to writing success by C. Hope Clark Effective marketing for introverts Turn your biggest disadvantage into your biggest strength But how do I know it's good? How you can evaluate content quality and ditch content anxiety Mridu on Twitter Mridu on Facebook. There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, please 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Philippa online, check out these links: Websites Philippa Willitts: freelance writing Philippa: Proofread My Stuff Philippa Willitts: social media, SEO and tech writing Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Facebook: Philippa's main Freelance Writing on Facebook Philippa's Social Media Writer pn Facebook LinkedIn: Philippa Willitts on LinkedIn Google+ Philippa Willitts pn Google+ Pinterest Philippa Willitts on Pinterest Quora Philippa Willitts on Quora Birdsong Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.

People who self-publish books have a lot to prove if they want to dispel the industry's bad reputation. In this podcast episode, Philippa and Lorrie take listeners through a series of self-publishing no-nos offer recommendations and tips to make sure self-published work is the best it can be. Show Notes DIY: How to Understand Self-Publishing Acronyms Lousy Book Covers Fiverr Authors are a**holes Written? Kitten! There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast!   To find Lorrie and Philippa on the web, follow these links: Websites Philippa Willitts's freelance writing website Lorrie Hartshorn's freelance writing website Philippa Willitts's Social Media Writer website Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie on Facebook Philippa's main freelance writing Facebook page Philippa's Social Media Writer Facebook page LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Philippa Willitts Google+ Philippa Willitts Lorrie Hartshorn Pinterest Philippa Willitts Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.  

There are times when freelance writing clients cross a line. Sending text messages to check you got their email, calling you at 7pm on a Saturday night, or emailing 12 times a day to check on progress. In this solo episode, Lorrie goes through some tricks and tips to return professional distance to a working relationship. Show Notes 35 tech terms translated into plain English There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie online, follow these links: Websites Lorrie's website: http://www.lorriehartshorn.com Twitter Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie: http://www.facebook.com/ThatWordyBird LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Logo design by Philippa Willitts.

Writing for agencies can be a great way to boost the stability and income of your freelance writing business - but it’s definitely an acquired taste! In this podcast episode, Lorrie and Philippa discuss how to decide if writing for agencies is for you, and to how to find the best agencies to suit your needs and working style. Show Notes If you’re feeling unappreciated, give someone else credit 14 brilliant pieces of literature you can read in the time it takes to eat lunch Freelance writing: to specialise or not to specialise There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie and Philippa on the web, follow these links: Websites Philippa Willitts's freelance writing website Lorrie Hartshorn's freelance writing website Philippa Willitts's Social Media Writer website Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie on Facebook Philippa's main freelance writing Facebook page Philippa's Social Media Writer Facebook page LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Philippa Willitts Google+ Philippa Willitts Lorrie Hartshorn Pinterest Philippa Willitts Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.

Social media is an unavoidable part of marketing a business nowadays, but thankfully there are tools available that can help freelancers to avoid spending unnecessary time and energy on social channels when it's not absolutely necessary. In this podcast episode, Philippa goes through a series of tools to streamline Twitter marketing and make it a far more efficient process. Show Notes Tweetdeck Hootsuite Buffer ManageFlitter FollowerWonk Tweriod Tweepi Twitter is like… There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, please 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Philippa online, check out these links: Websites Philippa Willitts: freelance writing Philippa: Proofread My Stuff Philippa Willitts: social media, SEO and tech writing Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Facebook: Philippa's main Freelance Writing on Facebook Philippa's Social Media Writer pn Facebook LinkedIn: Philippa Willitts on LinkedIn Google+ Philippa Willitts pn Google+ Pinterest Philippa Willitts on Pinterest Quora Philippa Willitts on Quora Birdsong Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.

Most people wish they were paid more but, when you're freelancing, you will often be called upon to demonstrate why you deserve the pay rise you want! In this podcast episode, Lorrie and Philippa look at ways to make sure you justify the fees you want to charge. Show Notes Writing for different audiences - experts vs beginners Freelance writing: to specialise or not to specialise Why and how to charge more for your freelance writing The art of getting paid How to decide what to charge for your freelance writing services What British People Say Versus What They Mean http://offers.hubspot.com/content-mapping-template https://www.canvas.net/ Other: How to meet and exceed your clients’ needs The hows, the whys and the wherefores of the perfect press release There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie and Philippa on the web, follow these links: Websites Philippa Willitts's freelance writing website Lorrie Hartshorn's freelance writing website Philippa Willitts's Social Media Writer website Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie on Facebook Philippa's main freelance writing Facebook page Philippa's Social Media Writer Facebook page LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Philippa Willitts Google+ Philippa Willitts Lorrie Hartshorn Pinterest Philippa Willitts Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw. NB Some of the above links are affiliate links, which means if you buy after clicking on them it will help to fund the podcast. 

Do you ever find yourself faced with a blank Word document? Clueless about how to get 500 words onto the page, incorporating SEO keywords, heading tags and a call to action? In Lorrie's solo episode, she goes through some non-linear ways to approach copywriting, where you don't necessarily start at the top and finish at the bottom. Show Notes Episode 19: How to proofread your own work There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie online, follow these links: Websites Lorrie's website: http://www.lorriehartshorn.com Twitter Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie: http://www.facebook.com/ThatWordyBird LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Logo design by Philippa Willitts.

In this podcast, Philippa and Lorrie discuss several options for additional income streams for freelance writers. Income from freelancing can go up and down and taking time off sick or for a holiday can be a scary time, financially. Because of this, it can be a good idea to have an extra income stream or two, but many writers have no idea what they could do to gain any kind of passive or residual income. Tune in to get some great ideas! Show Notes Amazon affiliates Google AdSense Clickbank E-Junkie Commission Junction Affiliate Window This is what petunias look like, in case you were wondering Constant Content Amazon Kindle CreateSpace Lulu Philippa's t-shirts on RedBubble ... and on Zazzle There is also Society6 and CafePress Ding ding: 9 Knockout Inbound Marketing Tips Fiercety, Seriosity, Debonairity: 14 Abstract Nouns We Need to Bring Back. There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie and Philippa on the web, follow these links: Websites Philippa Willitts's freelance writing website Lorrie Hartshorn's freelance writing website Philippa Willitts's Social Media Writer website Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie on Facebook Philippa's main freelance writing Facebook page Philippa's Social Media Writer Facebook page LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Philippa Willitts Google+ Philippa Willitts Lorrie Hartshorn Pinterest Philippa Willitts Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw. NB Some of the above links are affiliate links, which means if you buy after clicking on them it will help to fund the podcast. 

Some days you will be bursting with ideas, but everybody has those moments when the Word document is empty - and so is their bank of inspiration. This solo podcast episode by Philippa is full of ways to get content inspiration.  Show Notes Feedly Topsy Quora Google Trends Google Adwords Keyword Planner Ubersuggest Google Alerts StumbleUpon There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, please 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Philippa online, check out these links: Websites Philippa Willitts: freelance writing Philippa Willitts: social media writing Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Facebook: Philippa's main Freelance Writing on Facebook Philippa's Social Media Writer pn Facebook LinkedIn: Philippa Willitts on LinkedIn Google+ Philippa Willitts pn Google+ Pinterest Philippa Willitts on Pinterest Quora Philippa Willitts on Quora Birdsong Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.

Despite being thought of as a bit of an outsider, Google+ actually has a lot to offer a freelancer. It has powerful features, smart personalisation options and an ideal B2B marketplace. In this episode of the freelance writing podcast, Philippa and Lorrie go through Google+'s functionality, dos and don'ts, best practice and hacks.  Show Notes Top 20 stats to get you active on Google+ Better than Gmail for Android: Boomerang for Android Reviewed The 5-step editing process for a perfect resume There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie and Philippa on the web, follow these links: Websites Philippa Willitts's freelance writing website Lorrie Hartshorn's freelance writing website Philippa Willitts's Social Media Writer website Twitter Philippa: @PhilippaWrites Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie on Facebook Philippa's main freelance writing Facebook page Philippa's Social Media Writer Facebook page LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Philippa Willitts Google+ Philippa Willitts Lorrie Hartshorn Pinterest Philippa Willitts Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.

Lorrie outsources some of her work to other freelance writers, and writers all over the world hire proofreaders and editors to help them perfect their masterpieces. But how on earth do you go about finding the right person for the job? It can be a big decision, and a big responsibility, so Lorrie gives you the dos and don'ts for hiring a freelancer in this episode! Show Notes   Copywriting contract template Episode 20: Goal Planning - Your Freelance Aims for 2013 Episode 23: How to Decide What to Charge for your Freelance Writing Services Episode 24: The Art of Getting Paid Episode 25: Why and How to Charge More For Your Freelance Writing 7 Sins of Newbie Entrepreneurs     There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! To find Lorrie online, follow these links: Websites Lorrie's website: http://www.lorriehartshorn.com Twitter Lorrie: @ThatWordyBird Facebook: Lorrie: http://www.facebook.com/ThatWordyBird LinkedIn: Lorrie Hartshorn Birdsong   Courtesy of http://www.freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk, thanks to: Justkiddink, Dobroide, Acclivity, Percy-duke, Ingsey101, 3bagbrew, Inchadney, Sean Townsend, Soundbytez, Urupin, reinsamba, 28-yuen-po, Tomlija, cakeje, gr8sfx, Bansemer, hutsvoid and Corsica_S, Jaturo. For artwork snippets, thanks goes to James Nash and Amir Rowaichi, for also Creative Commons Licensing their bird illustrations. Pippa’s good at putting things together, but can’t draw.