Jake Safane

#local-los-angeles - January 21, 2025 at 06:40 PM

Hey everyone, excited to meet more LA folks from this group! I'm a sustainability writer in the South Bay

#content-collab - May 22, 2024 at 10:55 PM

@Nadine Heir You'd be surprised! Lots of people break their budgets into very distinct categories. Debatable if that's how it should be done, but some people have an entertainment category for things like certain streaming services, drinks, concert tickets, etc.

#content-collab - May 21, 2024 at 05:54 PM

Has anyone here lowered their budget for entertainment expenses and want to be interviewed about it for GOBankingRates? Please feel free to reach out here or through DM!

#content-collab - May 16, 2024 at 08:53 PM

Has anyone here had their student loan debt affect their homebuying process in some way and want to be interviewed about it for GOBankingRates? Please let me know! Feel free to DM

#content-collab - May 10, 2024 at 05:19 PM

Anyone here consider themselves a car expert by any chance that could quickly comment for an article today?

#content-collab - May 07, 2024 at 07:24 PM

Looking to interview someone who's stopped shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods for a GOBankingRates article. Separately, if you're a Dollar Tree enthusiast, would love to interview you for that!

#content-collab - March 18, 2024 at 09:38 PM

I'm looking for someone who considers themselves to be a middle-class American to break down their monthly budget for a GOBankingRates article. Please DM me if you're interested!

#freelance-talk - March 07, 2024 at 07:58 PM

GreenGeeks, no complaints

#freelance-talk - February 06, 2024 at 05:53 AM

I took a month off last year for paternity leave. A few months before, I told my clients and let them know I was available beforehand if they had some projects they wanted to work on, which in some cases worked out. Probably worked a bit extra leading up to it, but nothing too bad.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have budgeted for two months off. Even if you're only taking one month off, you don't want to feel so much pressure to ramp back up as soon as you're back.

#freelance-talk - February 01, 2024 at 08:31 PM

@Matt Robare I started with reporting on ESG investing as an in-house journalist, and over the years that's expanded to doing some work for climate tech startups. A lot of it is relationships though, which I know is frustrating if you're looking for work now.

I think it's important though to have some stability as a freelancer, like an anchor client in another sector, which takes the pressure off as you look for work in your desired sector. But when I started freelancing I worked at a fast-food restaurant so that I at least had a baseline of income. And in 2020, I was struggling to find freelance work, so I took a six-month contract job, and that helped me gain some breathing room.

#freelance-talk - February 01, 2024 at 08:16 PM

@Leanna Lee Gotcha. I'm not really sure how much of that work is outsourced to freelancers. My guess (but I definitely could be wrong) is that you'd have better luck finding a part-time/temporary communications type role, as I would think they want someone more embedded in the company. But if you do want to cold pitch, maybe try using a resource like the B Corp database to find ones that would be a good fit: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/

#freelance-talk - February 01, 2024 at 06:51 PM

Hey Leanna, I write a lot about ESG/sustainability. Not a ton of internal content so I can't give much advice on that, but I write things like long-form blog posts.

My advice would be to start gaining samples by suggesting these topics or incorporating them when possible for current clients. Like if you're writing an article about remote work, you could work in a section on the environmental advantages and include stats on how employees care about working for companies that have a positive impact.

You can create your own clips in this space too. I have a corporate sustainability blog that I frequently use for samples, and even writing on a site like Medium is helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions!

#content-collab - January 25, 2024 at 04:51 PM

Does anyone happen to be a big user of sites like Swagbucks/other rewards apps and want to be interviewed for a GOBankingRates article? Feel free to DM me if it seems like a fit. Thanks!

#content-collab - October 04, 2023 at 07:50 PM

I'm looking to interview someone in the U.S. who saved $10,000 in a relatively short period. If that's you, please feel free to comment or DM me. Thanks!

#content-collab - August 09, 2023 at 06:22 PM

I'm putting together a brief 10-question survey of corporate sustainability leaders. If anyone here happens to be in a leadership role at a sustainable business or your company has a chief sustainability officer type of role and you could put me in touch with them, that would be much appreciated! Respondents get some perks like early access to the results. Please comment here or DM me and I'll send you the survey!

#freelance-gigs - March 16, 2023 at 10:08 PM

Cold pitches are hard in any environment. I'd try looking more on LinkedIn, here, or other job boards for companies that are specifically looking for freelancers. The competition might be higher with these open calls, but since you have very specific niches, you might have more success than you think responding to companies in those areas.

#freelance-gigs - March 16, 2023 at 06:20 PM

I would try to remind yourself that there's no such thing as perfect for something as subjective as writing. There's always more you can add, a word you can swap, a comma to agonize over, etc.

Try giving yourself a time limit and see what happens!

#freelance-gigs - March 15, 2023 at 06:12 PM

Glad to help!

#freelance-gigs - March 15, 2023 at 03:27 AM

@Tina Sendin no problem!

#freelance-gigs - March 15, 2023 at 12:47 AM

I came across Qwoted's job board today, just wanted to share as it seems like they have some pretty good freelance roles: https://app.qwoted.com/job_postings

#freelance-gigs - March 13, 2023 at 11:47 PM

I agree with @Jessica McKeil. You could frame it as a positive to your client, like "To make the most of your time and mine, my process is..." And then politely say that you're happy to make additional edits after uploading if needed for X rate, but hopefully this new process will avoid that.

#freelance-gigs - February 27, 2023 at 07:21 PM

I'd recommend keeping it short, much like any other pitch. Share how your experience fits with what the client is looking for (e.g., I can help you create content about accounting, as I've helped several tax prep companies build out their blogs), and share 2-3 relevant writing samples.

The key is to focus on ones where you truly have expertise, rather than trying to compete with everyone as a generalist. That will help you land better paying jobs too.

#freelance-gigs - February 10, 2023 at 12:34 AM

That's genius, @Rachel! Thanks for sharing!

#freelance-gigs - February 10, 2023 at 12:33 AM

It depends if you have any contract restrictions with your clients (might want to ask as a courtesy too), but I think I've only had one instance of a prospect questioning why my name wasn't on the work. Most understand, and over time you'll build up your own bylined samples. You could also ask current clients for some sort of deal, like one out of every four articles you write for them will have your name on it.

#freelance-gigs - January 25, 2023 at 12:53 AM

Thank you, @Angie Moody!

#freelance-gigs - January 24, 2023 at 08:58 PM

Hey @Angie Moody, I was wondering if you can weigh in on what to do if you started an LLC after the start of the tax year. My work has essentially been the same, but would I separate the income on two Schedule Cs, one for my pre-LLC work and for my post-LLC work?

#freelance-gigs - January 05, 2023 at 08:08 PM

Not sure if they still need freelance help, but I'd be happy to put you in touch with editors at The Balance or CBS MoneyWatch

#content-collab - October 27, 2022 at 10:49 PM

Thanks everyone for responding, I think I found someone but if all goes well there will be opportunities for more articles like this, so I'll keep you all in mind!

#content-collab - October 25, 2022 at 11:36 PM

Hey everyone, I'm looking for interesting coffee stories ☕! If you have a unique take on what coffee means to you/how you came to love the beverage, I'd love to interview you for a major coffeemaker's blog. While it's coffee-focused, I can share what you do in the article and what your coffee ritual looks like while working.

#freelance-gigs - October 07, 2022 at 06:20 PM

Normally I'm on here looking for freelance clients, but I'm switching hats today to see if any email marketing freelancers are available to help with my sustainability site: www.carbonneutralcopy.com.

I have a ConvertKit account but could use help setting up a newsletter template, as well as potentially getting help with writing the newsletter and growing the email list.

Please DM me with your approximate rates -- I'd say I can probably afford more of a beginner's rate, but I'm open to other pitches, as I might decide to bite the bullet and go with someone with more experience. Thanks!

#freelance-gigs - October 07, 2022 at 06:12 PM

With the disclaimer that this isn't financial/tax/legal advice: From my experience, there's no tax difference between a sole proprietor and a single-member LLC. A business expense is the same for both. The difference is more so if you become an S Corp, where you pay yourself a salary and save on self-employment taxes.

That said, LLC's have more legal protection than sole props. It also can help provide a sense of professionalism. And if you're eventually gonna hire people, it might make more sense to form an LLC. Overall, I'd recommend forming an LLC, but don't expect things to be drastically different.

#freelance-gigs - September 13, 2022 at 10:03 PM

glad to help!

#freelance-gigs - September 13, 2022 at 08:01 PM

I went to CEX this year, it was great! They just announced the 2023 conference: https://cex.events/

#general - September 13, 2022 at 06:14 PM

@Jimmy Daly (Superpath) that would be great! @Brittany Berger i'm in the South Bay (Redondo) too!

#general - September 12, 2022 at 11:56 PM

Any other LA area folks here? Wonder if there's enough for a local channel to go along with the other cities on here.

#general - August 23, 2022 at 06:00 PM

This seems to be the case of creators vs. sellers that's true in so many industries. It used to drive me crazy as a journalist to see how much more sales/marketing in the same company made, when without quality content, they would have nothing to sell. Even in restaurants, it's not uncommon for waiters (sellers) to make more than kitchen staff (creators) due to tips, but many people choose restaurants based on the food, not service.

So, until society naturally puts more monetary value on creation, we need to more explicitly tie content to business results. Even if it's anecdotal, like getting recommendations from salespeople who can speak to how our content made their jobs easier, then that helps.

#freelance-gigs - July 11, 2022 at 06:28 PM

One option is to work as a contractor via a staffing agency. You can get health insurance through the agency, and since these tend to be hourly roles, you might be able to freelance a bit outside of your contract work. Eventually you can build up your freelance business and go full-time with that, or you might like the contract work and look for a permanent role there.

#content-b2c - May 17, 2022 at 12:47 AM

I think the meditation app Headspace does a great job with their content marketing. They have educational blog content, a podcast and a Netflix series.

#intros - August 09, 2021 at 11:08 PM

Thanks Jimmy!

#intros - August 02, 2021 at 03:36 PM

Hey everyone! I'm Jake, a freelance journalist and content marketer in LA! I create blog posts and other long-form assets primarily for finance and tech companies, and I often write about sustainability. Excited to learn from other marketers here!