Day 1
After attending The Content Byte Summit virtually last year, I knew I had to be there in person in 2024. And Rachel Smith and Lynne Testoni didn’t disappoint with their line-up.
The Summit at the Maritime Museum in Sydney began with a Welcome to Country, and like last year’s Welcome it seemed more than a ‘tick the box’ exercise. Rachel and Lynne organised for an Indigenous Elder to tell us their story. It was moving and underpinned the importance of storytelling.
Then it was time to dive into two jam-packed days of learning from writers, journalists, marketers, copywriters, and content creators. Here’s my wrap up of the sessions.
Price for life
First up was a keynote address by Austin L Church, who had travelled out here from the United States. He spoke about pricing for the life we want to have, showing us how to calculate and distinguish between a “Survival Rate” and a “Dream Rate”. Austin posed two important questions as he gave us the tools to approach pricing with a new mindset:
* What do you want your life to look like in 3 years?
* What’s the story you tell yourself about your scars?
He was so effective as a speaker that some changed their prices on the spot. Nothing like immediate action to get the ball rolling.
Interviewing and the art of storytelling
Kim Kerton moderated a panel featuring Sophie Knox (Senior Content Marketer with HCF), Susan Horsburgh (freelance journalist and content writer), and Shannon Molloy (senior reporter with news.com.au).
As someone who conducts a lot of non-celebrity interviews as part of my work, this session validated my approach so was very reassuring. But it also put a human lens on interviews, showing that when we get down to basics, at their core everyone is human. By creating safe spaces for people to share their experiences, we can get wonderful stories. And when we keep our audience in mind, we can craft those stories into compelling pieces of content. The session also gave us behind-the-scenes access to some celebrity interview stories which was a lot of fun.
Create a new income stream with digital products
Next up was award-winning travel and food freelance writer Lindy Alexander talking all things digital products. Lindy encouraged us to think about what advantage, experience, or edge we have that could be utilised and turned into a digital product. She also revealed the biggest mistakes people make when creating digital products:
* Creating a product without an audience
* Relying only on social media
* Not testing the market (start with at least 250 people)
* Waiting for perfection
* Giving up too soon
Project rates and being paid what you’re worth
The pricing discussion continued with Lynne Testoni moderating a panel featuring Austin L Church and Brook McCarthy. It was all about recognising that pricing is part of our positioning and part of our brand. We need to find the value in what we’re offering and communicate that to our target audience.
From afternoon tea discussions, it became clear that one of the key take-aways was changing the mindset around our competencies or skills. By changing how we view our skills or the context in which we’re providing them, we can alter our perception of the value we provide. Once we separate ourselves from our pricing, and look at the value our service has to the client, we can price accordingly.
Corporate and B2B work
Carrie Hutchinson moderated an interesting panel featuring James Thornhill (editor of Westpac Wire), Michelle Bateman (freelance writer and editor), and Dan Kaufman (former freelance journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and writer/media trainer).
It was reassuring to hear that most businesses understand the need for content, and recognise that it’s a way to build trust with their customers/clients. But there was also a reminder that some may need education to see the full value of our offerings. Two things that corporates love: freelancers who are flexible and can work within their systems, and an understanding of the strategy behind content.
Demystifying email strategy
Kirsty Fanton‘s talk did exactly what it promised – demystified email marketing strategy. She cleverly explained segmentation and personalisation using a party analogy. And I think for the first time ever, I finally felt like it was something I could tackle in my own business.
It sounds almost silly but it was a light bulb moment seeing every interaction as contextual and based on a relationship. Kirsty’s tip was to identify the goal we want to achieve first, and then work backwards to work out how to help the person get there. Because the more that emails feel one to one, the more successful they’ll be. Again, it was about shifting our mindset from:
General >> Specific
Rigid >> Responsive
Monologue >> Dialogue
Website Glow-ups
Susan Reoch (pronounced Ree-ock) is a UX Copywriter who led us through some website glow-ups. The websites were bravely volunteered by people in the audience prior to the Summit. While I was familiar with most of the points made, it was a good reminder to always think about the customer’s journey. Too often I come across construction websites that don’t have a clear navigation, don’t tell the person landing there what they do, and have a host of other problems.
The questions Susan asked us to consider were:
* What is the end goal of the website?
* What is your client coming to the website to find or do?
Once we’ve answered those questions, we can make sure we lead the client clearly and directly to the answer. It’s all about delving deeper and understanding the real purpose of the website. Foe example, they may come to us needing a website (which we’ll deliver) but what they really want is leads. So our copy should reflect that.
Day 2
Finding high-paying clients
Day 2 kicked off with a keynote from the legendary Bernadette Schwerdt. I did her Copywriting course a number of years ago and I love listening to all the wisdom she has to share.
Her talk instilled the realisation that we have to believe that what we do has value. And belief is built through thoughts, words, and actions. Too often we self-sabotage and don’t follow through to grab the opportunities available to us. Bernadette showed us that high-paying clients are everywhere, and they’re not necessarily big corporations. If we can solve a client’s problem, and that problem is sufficiently large, the client will pay us to do that.
Two key take aways for me were:
* What’s the worst that can happen? If we’re willing to risk it all knowing we can live with the “worst case scenario” then we should go for it.
* Someone has to be the most expensive and it’s okay for it to be you.
Love a good mindset shift.
Freelance systems and processes
Pricing Queen Jasmine Parasram moderated a panel featuring Grant McCall (Founder and Head of Product at Rounded), Monica Davidson (from Creative Plus Business), and Steven Lewis (from The Obvious Choice and Taleist Agency).
I love a good analogy and this panel used a restaurant analogy to distinguish between systems and processes. They explained it as the restaurant (front of house, overall operation) being the system, and individual tasks (how meals are made, how food gets delivered) being the processes. The key take away was to start with processes and then move to systems – so in keeping with the analogy, start with the recipes rather than how to run the whole restaurant.
This makes perfect sense because it’s easier to manage smaller tasks, and also to identify problems and rectify them. On that note, the panel also had another tip – review your systems and processes on a regular basis. You can have annual overviews, but you can also schedule in a Monday Morning Meeting with yourself where you can review everything that needs to be done for the week. I kind of did that this week and I’m achieving a lot more. Another idea was a Monthly Money Day where you review all your finances. It doesn’t matter whether you use an app, or do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper or Post It Notes – find what works for you.
Sales pages
Next up was launch strategist and conversion copywriter Ash Chow who blew everyone away with her sales page presentation. Even though I’ve done previous work with sales pages, it’s not a service in high demand in my industry but it was still refreshing to hear it explained in a new way. I really should work on my own offerings using Ash’s guide.
What I found really valuable was Ash’s explanation of the research she does before writing the sales pages for her clients. She very generously gave us insight into her processes, and then led us step-by-step through a couple of sales pages she had written. Ash also candidly talked about what people can charge for sales pages and what factors to consider when pricing one. I loved that she mentioned VIP Days because I’ve also seen the value of them in my own service offerings.
The key take away was to make the sales page a conversation. Lead the customer through a journey so they can make an informed decision.
How to nail the pitch
Theresa Miller moderated a fascinating panel that included Kate Barracosa (Editor of Officeworks magazine), Katrina Strickland (Editor of Good Weekend), and Farah Celjo (Managing Editor of SBS Food Online). Although I don’t do any newspaper or magazine writing these days, I still remember the angst of thinking up story angles and pitching them to editors. I had a number of pieces published and the highlight was a First Person feature in Sunday Life magazine. It was a real buzz and sometimes I miss that excitement. But I digress.
It was fascinating to hear just how many hundreds of pitches these editors receive in their inbox each week. It’s impossible to open them all, let alone read them and consider them. I wish I had known that when I didn’t hear back from an editor. Sometimes it’s just a numbers game. And also how exciting to hear that there’s still so much opportunity for freelancers. I hope this reassured and encouraged freelance journalists among us.
Marketing Plan
Brook McCarthy‘s session was filled with little nuggets like “Consistency is impossible”, “Professionalism is subjective”, and “Modesty is dangerous”. In keeping with the theme of the Summit, she drove home the point that we need to be unwavering in our self belief.
Brook gave us ideas on how to market as she encouraged us to carve out thinking time to develop ideas. As someone who has let her marketing slip a little of late, I found hope in Brook’s Minimum Viable Marketing Plan:
* Choose a content theme for each month
* Write 1 piece of long-form content for your website (owned media where people should go to binge on your work)
* 1-2 mass emails to your list (treat your list like VIPs)
* 2-3 social media channels (have fun and test creative ideas)
* Life’s a Pitch – reach out every day to individuals and ask for what you want (purposeful relationships and networking)
Growing beyond a solo business
A tough gig to be the final session of a two day Summit but this panel moderated by Lynne Testoni and featuring Sara Howard (from Writers Australia) and Brooke Hill (from Wonderthink) was amazing.
The panel gave real insight into what it’s like to manage an agency, and what other models for growth are available. Some people are happy to remain solopreneurs (like me) and that’s okay. But for those who do want to take the leap to an agency model, I think some of the important take aways were:
* Ensure you have 4-6 months of wages in the bank to pay yourself and your team
* Your first hire should be better than you at the task you don’t want to do
* Leadership is about educating and empowering your team, not micro managing them
Finale
Rachel and Lynne hosted an open mic session at the end of the day to find out what people had learned. This was inspiring. A room full of writers and creators brimming with ideas. Some had already implemented things they had learned. Others shared their wins from last year’s Summit learnings.
All in all a great two days spent with people who give me a real business and personal boost. After the Summit, we headed back to the Aiden for food and drinks – and heartfelt conversations.
Special mentions:
* The Content Byte team including Claire Chow who kept the whole thing running smoothly
* The sponsors who made the event possible
* The people I had amazing conversations with over the two days – too many to mention individually
* My ReMarkable that allowed me to take notes and organise them so efficiently – first time I’ve had one at a conference and I’m a convert
* The Aiden Darling Harbour – really enjoyed my stay
Watch my reel of the weekend here.
P.S. There was also a cocktail party on the Thursday night before the Summit but I didn’t attend.
P.P.S. All speakers are linked to their LinkedIn profiles but you can find some of them on Instagram as well.