Jenna Thomas

#local-colorado - June 20, 2023 at 02:47 AM

The 21st works for me!

#freelance-gigs - June 16, 2023 at 07:03 PM

I think The Hardworking Creative is a great name! I just registered my LLC this week and had to go through a similar thought process. I ended up picking something somewhat generic (still meaningful/on brand for me) so that I could move forward, because my accountant said I could change it later

#local-colorado - June 10, 2023 at 02:17 AM

Next Friday works for me too!

#freelance-gigs - June 07, 2023 at 08:28 PM

hi freelance friends! what are some of you charging for white papers these days?

for context, I pitched $4k for a research-heavy white paper for a niche legal audience (with an option to go up to $6k if they wanted me to do the prep work for them: nail down the topic/angle, write the brief, create an outline, etc.) and that felt low to me—but the client told me I was significantly underbid by other writers within the niche. what gives?

#freelance-gigs - June 07, 2023 at 07:36 PM

Depends on your definition of "large" corporation—before setting out as a full-time freelancer this year, I was a marketing manager at a 4k+ employee company?

#freelance-gigs - June 05, 2023 at 07:28 PM

@Anna Burgess Yang when your clients ask and the answer is yes, do you move forward/how do you manage that conversation? I have contacts at companies who offer exactly the same solution, with the only tangible difference being their target customer size (SMB vs enterprise)

#freelance-gigs - June 05, 2023 at 06:48 PM

those of you who work in very specific/small niches—do you ever have clients ask for a non-compete? for context, I have several years experience as a content marketer working in-house in an industry where it's almost impossible to find qualified writers (corporate ethics and compliance), and I'd like to use that to my advantage now that I've gone freelance. I'm really not sure how non-competes work for freelancers, or if they're even a thing.

#local-colorado - June 02, 2023 at 07:17 PM

I’m in denver, would love a content meet-up!

#freelance-gigs - May 31, 2023 at 04:09 PM

Thank you, @Dominic Kent!

#freelance-gigs - May 30, 2023 at 09:12 PM

Hi freelancing friends! Anybody have/use a contract template that they would recommend (at least as a good starting point)? I’ve determined payment terms etc. but would love a more detailed contract template that I can add to/subtract from

#freelance-gigs - May 23, 2023 at 03:40 PM

If you’re confident it won’t take longer than 6 months, I would advocate for setting a project rate of half your annual income goal plus 10% as a buffer

#freelance-gigs - May 19, 2023 at 10:42 PM

No, actually! It was a cold outreach.

#pets - May 19, 2023 at 09:30 PM

maybe I should have had them polish his little talons, then he would have had more fun

#pets - May 19, 2023 at 09:20 PM

I took my little buddy Pip to get his nails trimmed today (see dramatic sad face) and the mom guilt was real afterward (see pup cup)

#freelance-gigs - May 19, 2023 at 08:58 PM

^same as Sheena. Here is a DM that I sent this morning and was able to book a discovery call with:
[name], I've been a fan of [company]'s unique approach to [industry] and witty voice for years—throughout my time at [previous employer in that industry]. If you ever need freelance writing support or content strategy, I'd love to help. You can find me at [email address] whenever you need a hand! Jenna

The recipient replied to book a meeting within 5 minutes. I think what works with the above approach is that
A. it's completely genuine and
B. I make sure to mention my expertise in their niche.

#general - May 09, 2023 at 10:59 PM

thank you both! re-did my portfolio page this afternoon and I'm feeling much better :)

#general - May 08, 2023 at 06:39 PM

Smart! Do you mind sharing a link so I can see?

#general - May 08, 2023 at 05:13 PM

Hi y’all! Is anyone else using Squarespace for your portfolio and if so, have you found a slick way to collect/display PDFs? It’s the one section of my site that still feels a little amateur, and it’s the section that should be the strongest!

#freelance-gigs - May 03, 2023 at 04:11 PM

@Olivia Lucero I don't mind at all!

#freelance-gigs - April 21, 2023 at 07:40 PM

Ooooh support group! Love that idea @Jillian Wood

#freelance-gigs - April 20, 2023 at 09:28 PM

@Jillian Wood it’s so cool to hear from someone pursuing the same dream! I have gotten a few leads from the execs at my last in-house job, which has been great. Just gotta turn the leads into clients 🙃

#freelance-gigs - April 20, 2023 at 12:21 AM

@Mariya Delano that is so insightful, thank you! and thanks to you all for weighing in—knew I could count on this community :)

#freelance-gigs - April 19, 2023 at 05:39 PM

I am 100% interested @Adrienne Smith! Just subscribed—thank you!

#freelance-gigs - April 19, 2023 at 04:53 PM

@Rachel a pitch deck is one thing I haven’t done yet—great tip!

#freelance-gigs - April 19, 2023 at 04:47 PM

@Emma Siemasko I’ll DM you!

#freelance-gigs - April 19, 2023 at 04:46 PM

This is super interesting! And exactly the reality check I needed. I’m curious @Jodie Coher if this is an opportunity you’re uncovering during discovery, or after working with the clients for a little while?

#freelance-gigs - April 19, 2023 at 03:58 PM

hi folks! I'm having a crisis of confidence and hoping this group can talk me off the ledge. I made the jump into freelance content strategy consulting in March and got a few referrals sent my way—but those have either dried up or postponed projects into the future. There are SO MANY freelance gigs out there for content creation, but I'm having a harder time finding strategy-focused jobs. I know how much value I can add, and I know there's demand for this kind of work, but I am just struggling to find it.

For those of you who have been doing strategy consulting awhile, how do you find new clients? did you take on content creation and writing gigs at first to pay the bills?

#freelance-gigs - March 16, 2023 at 04:14 PM

Thanks all for the validation! It sounds like this client came from an enterprise company previously, so really wasn't familiar with this type of freelancer arrangement. She also wants ongoing work—I floated a retainer set-up billed at the beginning of each month, but I will likely walk away before too much more back-and-forth!

#freelance-gigs - March 15, 2023 at 11:51 PM

It’s not a retainer, just a rather extensive/time-consuming project that will likely require me to work only for this client for up to a month. I’m not sure yet what the hang-up is (I am wondering if this particular point of contact at the client is new to working with freelancers), but if it turns out to be a red flag/dealbreaker situation, I’d be reluctant to refer them onto someone else who will then have to deal with the same thing

#freelance-gigs - March 15, 2023 at 11:03 PM

Hi friends! Those of you that charge a deposit up front (for example, 50% due up front and 50% due at completion), what do you do when a new client balks? I have a new prospective client telling me that in her experience, most companies have policies about only paying upon completion.

#freelance-gigs - March 09, 2023 at 04:51 PM

Do you all have a standard project minimum? And if so do you mind sharing what it is?

#freelance-gigs - March 06, 2023 at 11:12 PM

Thank you all so much—love the passion and detail around your thinking.

#freelance-gigs - March 03, 2023 at 05:36 PM

this is all super helpful and confirms what I was thinking! thank you!

#freelance-gigs - March 03, 2023 at 05:15 PM

Hey all! I'm looking to hear from freelance content strategists (in other words, not looking for freelance writing rates) for answers on this question—do you charge by the hour or by the project (ex: content audit = $5k)? and if you charge by project/flat fee, do those rates fluctuate based on company size/maturity/etc. or are they truly flat?

#general - January 05, 2023 at 04:21 PM

being able to attend industry events has been a gamechanger for me in terms of coming up with ideas for new content and learning how the market speaks about certain topics. I think when you're in-house it can be easy to get blinders on, so to speak, where you are exposed to the same point of view over and over. Getting out into the market at events is a great way to refresh your perspective on what other brands and experts are saying.

#general - October 04, 2022 at 11:40 PM

the advice about evaluating potential managers is golden! wish someone had told me that much earlier in my career—but at least I've learned some good lessons along the way.

#general - September 30, 2022 at 08:20 PM

I could be wrong, so please, experts, validate or invalidate this! but here's what I believe is true: You may not require an opt-in to your email list; instead, you must provide an opt-in option (rather than an opt-out) at the point of download.

#general - August 23, 2022 at 03:13 PM

My experience with this topic has varied widely from one company to another—at my current and last companies, Content was compensated better than Demand Gen and Marketing Ops. However, Product Marketing has always been compensated the most highly. I've assumed it's because they're straddling the marketing/product department line, and product team roles are always compensated very generously.

#pets - August 19, 2022 at 05:15 PM

This is my puppy, Pip, yesterday after he got stung by a bee 🤕 his fat lip is back to normal now!

#intros - August 19, 2022 at 04:55 PM

Hi everybody!

My name is Jenna, and I'm the Senior Content Marketing Manager at OneTrust. I come from a journalism background, specifically broadcast, and I wandered around in the general marketing world for a few years before I learned that content marketing was a thing—and I've been happy here ever since.

My favorite projects have been episodic content like podcasts and web series. I've also built a content strategy from the ground up and been a one-person content team, though I am now part of a content team of 10!

I'm excited to meet you all and learn from each other—yay for community!