Dana Cass

#local-nyc - January 21, 2025 at 06:33 PM

help it’s so cold 😭

#general - August 26, 2024 at 11:36 PM

I’m happy with Google Workspace. One caveat: sign up with Google directly rather than through a third party (such as your website provider), otherwise getting support is a PITA

#general - August 20, 2024 at 05:08 PM

This is geared toward literary writers, but I really enjoyed it - Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

#freelance-talk - July 19, 2024 at 03:03 PM

I keep a to-do list on a pad of paper next to me on my desk. Every task I need to complete (whether it’s writing a draft, editing a draft, sending an invoice, sending a contract, etc.) goes on there. I’ve tried Notion but just found it to be overkill for my needs.

#general - June 20, 2024 at 02:03 PM

That was exactly how I phrased it in my interviews - I told them the job and reporting structure ended up being different than what was offered. I didn’t go into detail, and they didn’t ask (although I had fun dishing with one of the interviewers much later after I was hired!). I would generally just be polite and discreet.

#general - June 19, 2024 at 02:26 PM

I left a new job after 4 months and regretted nothing. I similarly got sold a bill of goods and when a better offer came in, I felt no obligation to a company that had promised me something totally different from what they delivered 😂 You want to be mindful of not leaving EVERY job after a few months, but in my experience folks generally understand that every once in a while, you get a clunker of a role. Just find a way to explain it tactfully in interviews (hiring managers don’t need to know the gory details).

#freelance-talk - June 17, 2024 at 09:37 PM

I would be mindful about how much budget companies might realistically be able to spare for executive ghostwriting. A venture-backed startup is going to have a lot more spare budget for marketing than a boutique agency.

#freelance-talk - June 02, 2024 at 05:22 PM

Definitely engage your existing network. Make it clear on LinkedIn that you’re freelancing — you don’t have to explicitly say that you’re looking for work. Just mention your freelance career in your posts — in my experience, whenever I do this (every month or two), I get a new flurry of requests from people I’ve worked with over the years who are looking for freelance support.

Reach out to people you haven’t talked to in a while to catch up — again, you don’t need to make this a sales pitch. Just have a catch-up call, tell them about what you’re doing, and maybe they’ll need your services someday or they’ll hear of someone else who does.

You’re in a great position to build up a solid, lucrative client base. I started freelancing after 10 years in-house and I didn’t do a great job of engaging my existing network at first, but now that I’ve started doing that more intentionally, almost my entire client base is from my pre-freelancing network (these gigs are also higher-paying than the gigs I found initially when I was just getting jobs through Slack, job boards, etc.).

#content-collab - May 20, 2024 at 04:43 PM

I LOVE Loom as a freelance writer and editor, both for giving and receiving feedback. I typically use to to scroll through a document and add context to the edits I’ve provided, or to mouse over sections that need significant structural edits. (And vice versa when receiving edits.)

It’s often helpful to hear someone talk through their edits, rather than just sending Google Docs, but that doesn’t necessarily need to be a two-way conversation (with all the hassle of scheduling, time zones, chatting about the weather for three minutes at the beginning, etc.).

This is silly, but I also really appreciate occasionally getting to see and hear my clients! I don’t actually interact face-to-face with many of my clients, so the occasional Looms go a long way toward reminding one another that we’re people.

#general - May 08, 2024 at 02:13 PM

I wouldn’t call myself an event marketer per se but have done a lot of event work over the years - happy to chat if that’s helpful, feel free to DM me 🙂

#general - April 29, 2024 at 08:39 PM

It’s been a while and I only used it briefly, but I found it SO clunky and unintuitive. I felt like I was trying to write blogs in a website editor rather than a purpose-built tool for writing longform content.

#freelance-gigs - April 18, 2024 at 06:32 PM

Check out Kerry Hoffman 🙂

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - April 11, 2024 at 11:30 PM

This is Jiji helping me write / threatening to knock everything off my chaos desk

#freelance-talk - March 27, 2024 at 07:59 PM

I like Mercury except that I cannot get it to connect to my primary personal bank account. Not sure if that’s their problem, or Plaid’s, or Morgan Stanley’s (my money’s on the latter tbh). I have to send money to my Wells Fargo account and then transfer it to my Morgan Stanley account

#freelance-talk - March 15, 2024 at 08:36 PM

is Wave down for anyone else?

#general - February 07, 2024 at 06:54 PM

I don’t read business books or books for work but a few of my faves that I’ve read so far this year: Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin (the book “Oppenheimer” was based on), and A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crump. Also currently reading His Majesty’s Airship and really enjoying it (but I suspect it has an unhappy ending!!!)

#freelance-talk - January 29, 2024 at 08:31 PM

Hey copywriting peeps! What do you charge for web copy? Not necessarily the specific number, more curious how you approach structuring the price / package (if you’re doing multiple pages).

#general - January 11, 2024 at 03:51 PM

This is a much better take and far more informative than the content goblins disaster of 2023 😂 also reminded me that my first foray into content marketing was actually back in 2012 when I did SEO blogging for a personal injury law firm (I can never unsee everything I learned about the risks of mesh implant medical devices)

#general - January 08, 2024 at 09:53 PM

Social media fell into my remit when I ran content at my old company. I popped in occasionally during the day to make sure nothing was on fire and reported weekly. I also did some additional reporting quarterly when we got brand survey results from our third-party vendor, and ad hoc reporting as needed (during crisis comms moments, big events, etc.).

#general - December 17, 2023 at 06:19 PM

Agree with both points - focusing on SME-led content and distribution.

I'm advising my consulting clients to double down on thought leadership (e.g., perspectives on industry news and trends) and educational content (e.g., frameworks for solving problems). Stuff that positions them as credible experts with a unique POV. Using SEO best practices, but not not treating SEO as something that's going to drive business.

I'm also advising them to double down on distribution with a focus on making content platform-first. Nothing crazy - a lot of repurposing and adaption so content drives value on multiple channels. If they're writing a post to promote a blog on LinkedIn, I want the LI post to contain some insights from the blog so it's valuable enough on its own. If they're running a webinar, I want to turn that into blogs, infographics, LI posts, etc.

#general - December 05, 2023 at 03:33 PM

Makes sense and seems totally reasonable if your client can swing it.

#general - December 05, 2023 at 03:11 PM

I don't, but I think other people (with stronger backbones than me lol) do! FWIW I do try to invoice Net30 when possible so I'm not waiting so long for a payment, but this is def one of the downsides of freelancing

#general - December 05, 2023 at 03:01 PM

I bill my retainers at the end of the month, but it's a "use it or lose it" model — I charge the pre-agreed amount no matter how much they do or don't use.

#freelance-talk - November 17, 2023 at 02:07 PM

I also use the free version of Toggl and love it!

#content-collab - August 24, 2023 at 01:09 PM

This is so kooky and original, I love it! Liked and followed 🙌

#general - August 14, 2023 at 07:15 PM

Me! I've actually gotten much better about working on my creative writing since I switched to freelancing. I treat it like I'm switching to a new assignment - turn on my Pomodoro timer 1-3 times a day and spend 25 mins working on my manuscript. I just finished the (really bad) first draft of my novel and am now trying to make it less bad 😂 I definitely could not write like this when I was working FT in house, and I think it helps that I work PT as a freelancer (~20h/wk)

#general - July 21, 2023 at 06:12 PM

When I was going to conferences last year (trade shows for my previous FT job in govtech), people were exchanging business cards and people who didn't have business cards were saying "I wish I had business cards, I need to order a new box" 😂 That sector's demographics skew older and less tech-savvy, but I personally would much rather exchange a business card than have to get out my phone and futz with a QR code.

#general - July 19, 2023 at 05:35 PM

Definitely hated arguing with legal over contracts 😅 but the biggest issues for me have always stemmed from the fact that freelancers/agencies don't work for your company. I mean, duh, but I would have to manage my frustration when third parties didn't intrinsically "get" something quirky about the company, or when you can't expect an immediate response to something that feels urgent to you, or when it just feels like they're not as passionate about the project as you are. By extension, it was also challenging for me (as the middleman between the agency/freelancer and my company) to set expectations for how to work with third parties.

I should admit that now that I'm a freelancer, I LOVE this setup and it's been hugely beneficial for my mental health to be able to remind myself that I can't bill my hourly rate for stressing about a company that doesn't employ me, etc etc 😂

My best clients have a clear understanding of how the relationship with a freelancer/agency works — they set realistic timelines, they provide sufficient background info for me to deliver good work, and they understand that they may need to make up for the fact that I'm not steeped in their lingo/culture by making a few edits on their end. So... if you can get a magic wand to make every company that hires freelancers to do that, that would be amazing 😂 (also, yes, formatting in Webflow too!!!)

#general - July 12, 2023 at 08:23 PM

I also did my first podcast recently! (Yes, it did make me feel like a celebrity 😂) In terms of prep, I had some sample questions in advance so I wrote down answers to those and then spoke them aloud a few times to have my talking points in my muscle memory. Felt like I had the right balance of knowing what I was going to say without being overly scripted. (I've done so much speaker prep over my career but have never prepared myself to speak before - it was fun!)

#freelance-gigs - July 12, 2023 at 12:55 PM

This one's an oldie but a goodie (and it's in the realm of security): https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/08/08/what-are-tech-companies-getting-wrong-about-data-security/?sh=727ad2ab3f68

#general - July 02, 2023 at 02:12 PM

As a writer who works with agencies, some of the contracts I've signed bar me from providing services to their clients for a certain time period after the contract concludes. I also vaguely recall this kind of provision being in contracts that I signed to hire agencies in my past life working in-house (i.e., your client agrees not to solicit your employees).

#freelance-gigs - June 02, 2023 at 12:47 PM

I haven't lost clients but I AM trying to figure out how to be creative when suddenly my entire workload is ghostwriting bylines about "AI in [insert industry name here]" 😅

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - May 31, 2023 at 05:07 PM

Thanks for including me in your piece!

#local-nyc - May 16, 2023 at 02:45 PM

So fun to meet peeps in person 🙂 Thanks for organizing, team! Looking forward to the next one!

#freelance-gigs - May 11, 2023 at 04:37 PM

That reminds me - I set up my LLC in Delaware although I live in New York to avoid some of the hoops you have to jump through with a NY LLC. Doesn’t mean I get to skip out on any of those great New York taxes or anything, but I did get to avoid publishing a notice of my LLC formation in a newspaper 🫠

#freelance-gigs - May 10, 2023 at 09:52 PM

I used BetterLegal to set up my LLC, of which I’m the sole member. I wanted the LLC to protect myself from liability and used BetterLegal on my husband’s recommendation (he had recently used it to set up his own LLC) but I’m sure any of the providers out there offer more or less the same service!

#freelance-gigs - May 09, 2023 at 03:00 PM

Annoying but I don’t think it crosses the line into “unethical”

#freelance-gigs - May 02, 2023 at 10:51 PM

I set up a business website and email before starting out. It’s important for me to be able to choose when I see work emails, so I didn’t want anything cluttering up my personal inbox! I almost never give out my phone number, but have used my personal number for the occasional intro call or coordinating an in-person meeting. (If a client started texting me, I would nip that in the bud.)

#general - April 19, 2023 at 04:51 PM

Thirding this. I always saw freelancing as this mysterious thing that only people with special entrepreneurial instincts could do, and now I have a full client roster (almost all found on Superpath). ❤️

#content-collab - April 04, 2023 at 01:36 PM

just responded! “Barbecue content” is a cute phrase 😂

#freelance-gigs - March 29, 2023 at 05:54 PM

Great opportunity - just submitted 🙂

#general - March 21, 2023 at 04:55 PM

Definitely might be, though sometimes I think it’s helpful to reset expectations around what an agency (esp a PR agency) can actually do for you. What kinds of issues have you and your teammates run into?

#general - March 21, 2023 at 04:35 PM

I feel like there are 2 big questions to think about here:
• Budget - fundamentally this is a budget question, working with a solopreneur is presumably always going to be more cost-effective than hiring an agency, and can be a great option if you have a limited budget for PR but feel it’s a must-do. I think the most important thing is hiring a consultant who is well versed in your industry and has established reporter relationships with the outlets you’re trying to reach.
• Are you getting quality people - a common concern around engaging a large agency is whether you’re getting their B team just because you’re a smaller client. I think this is a fair concern, although in my experience if you’re dealing with a quality agency, they usually have quality people regardless. I have noticed that you deal with a lot of personnel shuffle in dealing with larger agencies (and I suspect that smaller clients paying less $$ probably bear the brunt of that). IMO this isn’t a huge issue, but if that’s going to be a pain for you, a consultant may be a better fit.
Also always worth considering whether you actually need PR. I love PR and think it can be a super valuable asset for building brand awareness and protecting your reputation, but it’s not always the best $$ investment for SaaS companies.

Love this topic and happy to discuss further!!!

#general - March 10, 2023 at 06:54 PM

Lulu is awesome! I got introduced to her a while back through one of the companies she used to advise. Def one of my favorite PR commentators, she doesn’t pull punches

#general - March 10, 2023 at 06:24 PM

Yeah this is wild. Second-biggest bank failure in history according to WSJ. Lots of chatter about yesterday’s messaging in a PR community I belong to — TL;DR is that if you’re the CEO of a bank in danger of failing, maybe don’t have your messaging be “Don’t panic”

#freelance-gigs - March 08, 2023 at 08:12 PM

I spent 9 years at Palantir and am freelancing now, feel free to DM me

#local-nyc - February 27, 2023 at 05:23 PM

I have a flexible schedule now that I’m freelancing 🙂 Either of those times works for me!

#general - February 25, 2023 at 03:23 PM

I certainly hope so!!

#general - February 24, 2023 at 03:30 PM

“As a result, lifestyle publishers like Bustle Digital Group and Leaf Group are moving resources away from SEO-driven content and into original stories and personal takes.”

Setting aside any professional interest I may have in the enduring success of SEO… this seems like a great thing for content quality on the Internet. I know I’m not the only person who has mostly tossed out Google in favor of looking things up on Reddit because I don’t want SEO content from a random company selling me something adjacent to what I’m trying to learn about, I want to hear from people about their personal experiences.

#general - February 22, 2023 at 05:59 PM

I just opened an account for my LLC with Mercury on my husband’s recommendation (he’s been using them for several months for his business and has been happy with it). Though I’m guessing you’re UK-based and I’m not sure if they operate there!