Noelina Rissman

#local-mexico - January 28, 2025 at 07:02 PM

Fine with me, @Eric Doty (Superpath)! Will let the other two confirm, though

#local-mexico - January 25, 2025 at 04:50 PM

Saludos desde CDMX! 👋

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - January 21, 2025 at 08:32 PM

@Sveta Golubeva, I think @Katarina Andrejevic (Userlist) is in Serbia 👀

#local-mexico - January 21, 2025 at 07:14 PM

Holis!

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - January 21, 2025 at 05:53 PM

Oooohhh, could we get one for Mexico City?! I'm here currently, and so is @Flavio Juárez and @Nadine Heir!

#intros - June 02, 2024 at 11:34 PM

I guess so! 🫶

#intros - June 02, 2024 at 09:56 PM

Hey everyone! I've been around the community for a while, but realized I may have never formally introduced myself.

Noelina here! 👋 I currently work as a Senior Content Marketing Manager for an ecomm startup.

Bit on my background: I always kid that I didn't choose content marketing. It chose me. (It was the first job I could find in Peru as an English-speaking studied journalist when I moved there back in 2017.) Since then, I've worked both in-house and freelance roles (in content writing, strategy, marketing) across various B2C/B2B verticals — health & wellness, travel & hospitality, HR tech, sustainability, marketing tech, insurance, finance... You name it. Now I work in AI & ecommerce.

Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn! Looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas with other content managers and content professionals worldwide. 🌎

#general - June 02, 2024 at 06:19 PM

@Katie McDonald, ahh OK! Didn't catch that from your original post. When I was still freelancing, I actually worked more agency side vs client side. So, I can't really provide as extensive of answer as I did in the other thread for you. 😬

Tagging in two of my content buddies, who I believe have more client-side freelancing experience (than I do)! @Tanaaz Khan @Nadine Heir

#general - June 01, 2024 at 06:59 PM

Great question. Would love to hear what others have to say here.

My 2c: From Content Marketing Manager (CMM) —> Sr CMM, the main things I upskilled in were:

• Cross-functional collaboration. Literally developing relationships w/ those in Sales, Product, and some engineers and learning how to better leverage their knowledge for Content.
• Conversion copywriting for socials.
• Internal content alignment, for lack of a better term. Basically, working more intimately w/ those in other Marketing departments (Paid, Growth, Partnerships, etc.) to form more cohesive plans and work towards our overarching goal.
Now that I'm a Sr CMM, my plans are to focus more heavily on attribution / getting better at proving the business value of Content to execs. (There's a course for this! Disclaimer: Lauren was my boss, and she knows her stuff! I saw it firsthand during the time we worked together 🙂 ). And I also plan on diving into video creation and more AI to optimize work processes.

P.S. I just posted this comment in another thread that could spark some ideas for you as well.

#general - June 01, 2024 at 06:39 PM

My day-to-day is never the same (can't really provide exact %s), but in general, I'd say what I do is split between:

• Content writing
• Content strategy (kwd/trend research, content brief creation, building out the editorial calendar, etc.)
• Project management (Asana, coordinating w/ and editing the work of freelancers)
• Cross-functional collaboration between internal depts (esp Product & Sales)
Some seasons are heavier in certain tasks. (For example, now I'm dedicating a lot of time to content strategy as we build out our content plan for the 2nd half of the year, and less time writing content as I'm outsourcing work to contractors.)

#general - June 01, 2024 at 06:16 PM

Late to the party here (but better late than never, amirite?!).

Hope what I'm about to say makes sense, but the following is 3 key areas (w/ context) in which I'd focus if I were you. [I'm a writer & strategist turned in-house Content Marketing Manager (CMM), so I'm speaking from experience here.]:

• Learn how content contributes to the bottom line. As a CMM, you most likely won't be in charge of setting up & managing attribution, per se (someone keep me honest here, but I think that's reserved for Heads, Directors, etc.). But it's important you at least have high-level knowledge of how to track content's value to the organization. And that you know how to access the appropriate systems so you can monitor content metrics.
◦ Also, the higher up you get, the more important it will be for you to be able to speak to execs about Content. They care deeply about the why (strategy) behind the content you created, and how these content pieces are expected to contribute to the overarching marketing plan / fit into Marketing's various channels (Events, Paid, Growth, Partnerships, etc.).
• Get good at cross-functional collaboration. As a writer, it's not uncommon to feel like you work in a silo. The strategist / CMM passes you a brief, maybe some deets for an SME you can reach out to, and then you get to writing. You generally have minimal contact with folks from Sales, Product, and Engineering. As a CMM (again, depending on the size of the marketing team), you often form the glue between their departments and Marketing. As in, it's up to you to synthesize their learnings & needs into content that's attractive to your audience (and in the case of Sales, useful to their team for outreach).
◦ If you probe a bit deeper, you'll see that this involves, as I like to call it, herding a LOT of cats and take a LOT of ad hoc meetings. It's not easy coordinating between people and departments to reach a common goal. Speaking of which...
• Project manage like a boss. As a CMM, you'll often spearhead organic content initiatives, and all the project management that comes with that (oh yes, I'm looking at you Asana, with your never-ending dependencies 👀 ). This can also include managing external contractors + their workloads, taking point on editing their work, etc.
Again, was just spitballing here. But these are the biggest themes that come to mind for me whenever someone asks me about leveling up from content writer to CMM.

In terms of real-world experience, can you create situations in which you can hone these skills? It's one thing to understand them. It's another to be able to say you've done XYZ and produced XYZ results. Can be as simple as planning a trip w/ family/friends (to prove that you can collaborate between people), having your own side project (to prove that you can prioritize and manage tasks involved w/ running it), etc. Goal is to reverse engineer the skill you want to attain.

Last point - Check out job descriptions for your ideal CMM role (even just going through the ones here on Superpath). Again, reverse engineer the job description. What skills do these companies require that you lack, and how can you attain them?

#freelance-talk - June 01, 2024 at 05:44 PM

LinkedIn!

Here are some very general LinkedIn tips that helped me grow a steady freelancing career back in 2020 (after only 3 years of in-house experience):

• Identify and follow ICPs who are active on LI. “Warm up” the relationship some by interacting w/ their posts for a few weeks. Then, send them a connection request and ask if they’re looking for a writer, strategist, whatever you’re selling.
◦ Also, comment on your peers’ posts thoughtfully. This was how I landed my first retainer client. An agency founder saw my comment on another writer’s post and reached out to me.
• Complement this with your own unique content. 15 years of experience is quite a chunk of time. Package all that knowhow into some posts. Make predictions on where you see the content industry going, weave in your specialities, talk about how you’re using AI with your current workflows, etc. Post anything that helps distinguish you from the masses and shows off your experience and adaptability.
• Optimize your profile. Think of it as a landing page. Apart from listing your differentiators, what’s the one action you want viewers to take when they land on your profile? Build all the sections (headline, About, Experience, etc) around that.

Happy to answer more specific LI questions if you have them. 🙂 I credit the platform for getting me to where I am today in my career, and I think anyone who’s willing to put in the work can also reap great results.

#general - May 16, 2024 at 04:25 PM

@Lauren Lang, I feel like you may have some insights here 🙂

#general - May 03, 2024 at 03:31 PM

Gotchu @Nadine Heir 😉 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nadineheir_5-ways-to-never-have-a-pita-client-by-3-act[…]494555717633-3-k5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

#pets - April 17, 2024 at 05:06 PM

That was the best toast emoji I could find. Sorry 😆

#freelance-talk - April 08, 2024 at 03:27 AM

Have you tried Qwoted? You might be able to find more qualified people there, or at least get in contact w/ their PR people who can provide a quote on the experts' behalf. That's been my experience, at least.

Re: replies - What I've done in the past with HAB2BW is only reply back to those whose quotes I used in the piece. And only once published (assuming no edits / clarifications). So the follow-up message is like a 2-for-1. I'd usually send something to the effects of: "Thanks for the quote! I ended up using it in the piece. Here's the link: XXX. Feel free to check it out, share it with your network, and/or let me know if you have any questions. P.S. Would love to add you to my database of experts for future quotes, if you're interested. 🙂 "

#general - April 06, 2024 at 05:20 PM

And when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff re: these "100% remote, work from anywhere" companies, my advice would be to do your due diligence from the get-go and see if you can find out exactly how global their team is.

Those who are truly distributed (with teammates worldwide) often shout it from the rooftops. In addition to job listings, check out their Careers page. Stalk employees on LinkedIn, and see where they're based (<< not 100% accurate, but could give you a general idea).

And then, just ask or clarify things in the first few email exchanges or interviews.

^^^ Speaking from experience here. The company I'm at is actually 100% remote with employees worldwide (Central & South America, India, Singapore, Australia, etc.). And when I was interviewing with them back in 2022, I was in Cusco, Peru. Based on their website, employee LI profiles, etc., it seemed like it wouldn't be an issue. But I still mentioned it during interviews. And their reactions to the news (especially the CMO - "That's badass!" lol) confirmed it was OK.

#general - April 06, 2024 at 05:05 PM

As a close friend of mine would say, "'tis a loaded potato of a question." 😅 I think the answer to this can be chalked up to several different factors, including (in no particular order):

• "Thinly veined discrimination," as Eric stated so perfectly.
• The inability to hire / cost of hiring freelancers who don't have U.S. / Canadian bank accounts. Even though companies like Deel and Oyster are making it easier to hire contractors overseas, not every business can afford their fees. Then, they're left figuring out how to pay their contractors who may not (be able to) accept payment via some of the most common and widely accepted methods (bank transfers, PayPal, Stripe, Wise, etc.).

• Time zones are always an issue, epecially if the role calls for high collaboration with a US-based team. I've personally been unable to hire APAC-based freelancers for this reason. (In one instance, the main POC on our team lived in Washington, which is GMT-7. And the freelancer in question was based in Pakistan, which is GMT+5. That 12-hour difference is unfeasible for synchronous work.)

#freelance-gigs - January 25, 2024 at 04:09 PM

Hey @Shannon Mulligan! Answers to your questions below:

• This is a contracted role, preferably with a freelancer (over an agency). I’m not the hiring manager, so I’m not 100% sure on the number of hours/ week. But I would think it’d be quite a lift starting off (15-20ish?) and then tapering off the longer the engagement. I don’t foresee this role lasting more than 3 months, but again, the hiring manager could provide more clarity here.
• We’re looking to work with just one freelancer for this project, not various people.
Disclaimer: I’ve already passed the hiring manager a bunch of qualified candidates, and she may be closed off to receiving more.

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - January 25, 2024 at 12:51 AM

Ah! Nvm. I'm a tier below. (But this may be just the nudge I need to bump up.)

#CJE3XC0H3-announcements - January 25, 2024 at 12:49 AM

Oooohhhh, how do we sign up for the 1:1s? I think I may have totally missed that announcement 👀

#freelance-gigs - January 23, 2024 at 10:27 PM

Hi everyone! We’re looking for an SEO strategist — preferably someone who sits at the intersection of on-page and technical SEO (pic attached for reference).

Context: We are a tight-knit Marketing team at a high-growth SaaS startup that sells to enterprise ecommerce companies. We have aggressive pipeline goals for this coming year, and we want SEO to be a main channel to help us reach them.

We’re currently working with an agency for an initial content audit. This strategist will use that audit + provide their own expertise to identify opportunities and help us find gaps in our current SEO plan.

Couple notes:
• Preference will be for someone who aligns well with U.S. time zones.
• This is a short-term commitment. (I believe no more than 3 months to begin.)
• Nice-to-have (but low-key need): While our current SEO strategy is blog post-heavy, we publish a variety of content assets (white papers, guides, cheat sheets, etc.). We’re looking for someone who has experience with SEO / increasing quality traffic via all kinds of content assets, not just blog posts.

◦ Added bonus: Can make SEO recos for emerging / “non-standard” content types and channels as well, like ChatGPT/ Bard, LinkedIn and other socials, etc.
Please DM me your resume + portfolio (along with case studies). I’m shortlisting candidates for the hiring manager 🙂

#freelance-talk - January 18, 2024 at 12:22 AM

@Theresa H, not at all. So I haven’t worked on retainer for an agency since 2020-21. But back then, to give you an example of rates - Thru one agency, I was receiving $0.30/word to write 3-4, 1,500-word B2B blogs / month (they had a set fee they paid freelancers). Thru a diff agency, I was charging $0.50/word for 2, 800-word B2B blogs / month.

#freelance-talk - January 16, 2024 at 04:24 PM

I’d say stick with your rates… but at the end of the day, depends on how much you want (or need) to work w/ this agency, your level of comfort w/ the reduced price, etc.

When it comes to any agency project, either priced hourly or per project, I’ve lowered my rates slightly (no more than 30%) to work with them on monthly retainers. Reasoned it as the cost of not having to do outreach, managing the client relationship, billing, etc. On the flip side, I’ve also successfully charged agencies full price for deliverables. One such instance was writing sell sheets for insurance brokers at $80/hour.

But again, all depends on how comfortable you are w/ lowering your rates for the amount of work you’re being asked to do. I tend to go by: If any part of you feels icky or taken advantage of (you believe it’s not a fair trade), don’t do it. You won’t be motivated to do a good job long-term.

#freelance-talk - January 16, 2024 at 04:09 PM

I work in ecomm and have hired writers in the past to work with us. First choice is always referrals (via word-of-mouth, communities like Superpath). Second choice is LinkedIn. I’m connected w/ a lot of writers there (used to be a freelance writer myself) and follow those who come highly recommended, write in the ecomm space, have a strong presence on the platform and share their processes, etc.

So agree w/ Dominic re: creating your own presence to attract prospects who can familiarize themselves with your work before reaching out 🙂

#freelance-talk - January 12, 2024 at 02:11 AM

Have used Wise for bank transfers (lower fees than PayPal) + Stripe for CC payments 🙂

#general - January 10, 2024 at 10:03 PM

cc @Aaman Ahmed 🙂

#freelance-talk - January 09, 2024 at 04:05 PM

@Tanaaz Khan may have some insights here, too 🙂

#freelance-gigs - December 21, 2023 at 02:56 PM

We're not still looking, but thanks everyone for the interest!!

#general - December 17, 2023 at 12:37 PM

For us, deciding what aspects to keep in-house and what to outsource is a mix of our budget, our in-house team’s strengths, how long the project will take, and its part in helping us hit our OKRs. For example, we’re currently working with a multimedia freelancer to create some short explainer videos of our product. It’s something that our designer could do in-house, but we’d rather dedicate her resources elsewhere. Plus, it’s a short-term project that’s relatively easy to oversee.

Re: challenges when striking a balance - I’d say it’s both an art and a science. Trickiest part is probably knowing the bandwidth and strengths of internal team members. Our marketing team is pretty transparent when it comes to capabilities, but I’ve worked on teams before where team members say they can do something (in reality, they can’t) and the end result turned out much different than expected — which required even more time and budget to then course correct.

#freelance-gigs - December 14, 2023 at 02:20 PM

💻 Hi everyone! We're looking for a website developer to join our team on a part-time basis. Specifically, someone who wants to be part of a high-growth startup and:

• Is a creative and knowledgable WordPress developer, preferably with Elementor experience
• Can help us with ongoing website updates
• Can help forge the future of our website with small, incremental changes based on our new branding and CRO data
• Is fluent in Slack (i.e., can communicate effectively online with weekly check-in meetings)
Please comment in the thread if this is you or someone you know! 💬 (P.S. I am not the hiring manager, just passing this on for the person on our team who is.)

#freelance-talk - November 09, 2023 at 02:58 AM

Personally, I would consider no less than $0.30/word fair when writing for B2B — even post-brief, outline, keywords, etc. When I was freelancing full-time a couple years ago, I worked with B2B agencies who paid me $0.30-0.50/word for SEO blogs. They provided me the brief with keywords and brand guidelines, and sometimes even an outline. All I had to do was write and follow up with edits. I know many freelancers who command more than that working with direct brands — also writing B2B SEO blogs.

#freelance-talk - October 31, 2023 at 06:13 PM

Good question. Haven’t read the full report yet, but maybe the answer could have to deal w/ where content teams are allocating their increased budgets / your line of work? For example, our content budget is increasing, but we’re placing more emphasis on production of premium content assets — case studies, white papers, templates, one pagers, etc. — that bring in more MQLs vs SEO blogs, which are what we used to outsource more of.

#general - October 23, 2023 at 01:01 AM

I created a content writing playbook detailing my entire process for creating long-form (SEO) content pieces — from researching to outlining, writing, and editing. It’s been on the market for just over a year now. Currently updating it to launch the 3rd edition (probs early Q1 2024). Happy to answer any questions you may have on the process via DM.

Re: pricing - I follow what I call the 10X rule. Is this product worth 10X the current sticker price? For example, if you price it at $49, do you feel like it provides at least $490 worth of value? If you price it at $200, do you feel like it provides at least $2,000 worth of value? etc etc

I learned this approach several years ago from the copywriter Stefan Georgi, and it’s stuck with me ever since.

#general - October 18, 2023 at 11:30 PM

If you have no experience in B2B whatsoever, I think getting an in at an agency to build your portfolio and get first-hand expertise — without having to directly manage the client relationship — would be a good route to go. That’s what I did a few years ago. (And I actually just touched on this approach in my blog, in a piece I wrote about the pros & cons of agency vs direct brand work. 🙂 )

#freelance-talk - October 17, 2023 at 07:59 PM

@Tanaaz Khan may be able to help as well as she’s ramping up her strategy offerings 🙂

#freelance-talk - October 16, 2023 at 02:51 PM

@Tanaaz Khan, do you know?

#general - October 12, 2023 at 02:06 PM

I think Antonio is spot on. We try and do a mix of both (leaning more heavily on zero-click content) at the company I work at. Seems to be working as our follower count (I know, vanity metric) is growing much faster than competitors’.

#general - October 10, 2023 at 11:47 PM

Haven’t checked out your samples, but here are some general suggestions to add onto those from Luke, a couple based on personal experience (feel free to take them or leave them!):

• Do you follow any fellow writers in your niche who have cracked the higher pay barrier? (many openly talk about it on LinkedIn) Who are they working with? Are those companies actively looking for more writers?

• Are there any tangential fields to sports & betting you can branch into that you know pay well? Maybe a sub-niche in health & wellness? If you’re not having any luck with your original niche, maybe try translating your knowledge & skills into a related one.
• Become more active on platforms where your ICP hangs out. For me, that was LinkedIn back when I was freelancing full-time. I had a pretty consistent posting strategy where I would freely share my writing/ industry knowledge + client feedback + anything else that distinguished me from the masses. Paired with a strong networking + engagement strategy, I was able to secure high-paying inbound leads (like a high-end B2B marketing agency that paid me $0.50/word).
• Getting spiritual on this next one. Again, take it or leave it! - Deep down, do you feel like you’re worth more than you’re currently getting paid? Maybe you’re holding onto limiting beliefs of unworthiness / not being enough that are prohibiting you from earning more? Speaking from personal experience, my content career pretty much took a 180 after I worked with a hypnotherapist to let go of limiting beliefs picked up during my childhood that were no longer serving me. I know; it may sound “woo woo.” But that session has honestly forever changed my life, and the quality of clients & companies whom I now work with has improved tremendously. (Goodbye nickle-and-dimers who want more for less!)

#freelance-gigs - September 30, 2023 at 09:08 PM

As a close friend of mine would say, ‘tis a loaded potato of a question. 😂 But assuming you’re talking about blogs specifically…

More general advice: When you see all the other content that looks the same, do you ever stop to think about what would make it 10X better? Do that.

More specific advice: Try including SME input (either from internal SMEs or external experts, whom you can send content requests to via platforms like HelpAB2BWriter, Terkel, Qwoted, etc.).

From there, it’s up to you to figure out how to weave their inputs into the piece so 1. It makes sense for the audience, 2. It adds real value to conversations happening within the company + industry as a whole, and 3. The overall blog doesn’t read like SME soup, lol.

#freelance-gigs - September 29, 2023 at 04:58 PM

Something I used to do to “warm up” the relationship a bit was connect/follow them on LI, and then interact with their posts (reacting, leaving thoughtful comments, etc.) for a few weeks before making the initial outreach. A few times this even led to them reaching out to me before I ever did them.

Not a direct answer to your question, but maybe will get some more juices flowing. 🙂

#job-listings - September 23, 2023 at 03:38 AM

@Ritoban Mukherjee

#general - September 20, 2023 at 03:46 AM

By keyword generator, do you mean more affordable alternatives to Ahrefs and Semrush? As in, you plug in a primary/main keyword, and the tool provides additional keywords? Back in the day when I worked for a company that had $0 budget for tools, we used Google Keyword Planner. I also hear good things about Keywords Everywhere. Possibly check out Ubersuggest as well?

And re: the affordable content brief generator, maybe check out Content Harmony? (I think they have a promo going that’s 10 briefs for $10 each). You can also create a free account in copy.ai. The SEO briefs they create are a good to get you off a blank page, but I wouldn’t follow them to a T.

#freelance-gigs - September 20, 2023 at 02:29 AM

I feel like Paul from Literal Humans would be a good person to speak to here, but not sure he’d be able to make the tight deadline! Might be worth reaching out anyway 🙂

#freelance-gigs - September 19, 2023 at 07:52 PM

@Theresa H It definitely does take a lot of time, that much I can say. I tried this LI approach back when I was full-time freelancing and was able to secure several clients in B2B tech & SaaS, mainly high-end content marketing agencies. It took about 3 months for it work, but it did… Alas, those were different times and pre-AI hype. This year presents different challenges.

IF you wanted to revisit this approach, if I were you, I would develop a very solid plan before beginning that combines learnings from your last pass at LI + insights from current market demands (both as a writer & in your niche) + a sprinkling of service differentiators (your years of expertise? process? writing style? researching skills?). I’d also lean heavily into posting zero-click / platform-native content (both for LI algorithms and reader experience).

#freelance-gigs - September 19, 2023 at 07:09 PM

A lot of good insights have already been presented. Sharing my two cents just in case - It honestly sounds like you’re doing everything right. Only thing I’d ask - Are you still building your personal brand on LI, actively posting and connecting with target audience there? Even if no one is currently coming through, prospects are always lurking. Staying active on the platform with the right content + approach keeps you top of mind for when they’re ready to hire.

I’m on the other side of the fence, as someone who works with / hires freelancers. We moved a lot of our content ops in-house at the turn of the year. It was both a budget move (as I was hired on as CMM to replace them) and for strategy’s sake as we pivoted to creating more product-led content in-house vs outsourcing SEO content.

#freelance-gigs - September 15, 2023 at 06:36 PM

For maintaining focus / maximizing productivity:
• Changing up scenery (going to a cafe instead of working from home, etc)
• Listening to frequency music for concentration (this is my go-to Youtube video; also a fan of classical jazz and other types of non-lyrical/instrumental music)
• Recognizing when I’m most productive & blocking out those hours for deep work. Doing admin during times of the day I’m generally least productive / not able to focus.
◦ Also making sure I’m well-fed during those blocks of focus time.
• Coffee 😂
Beating procrastination:
I still haven’t found surefire ways. But I’ve found I procrastinate the most when I don’t have a clear path forward (as in, I have an end goal, but haven’t broken it down into doable steps).

And I guess a big help for me in general has been to remove all social apps from my phone (prevents feeling the need to doom scroll if they’re not readily at my fingertips).

#freelance-gigs - August 23, 2023 at 09:23 PM

If you’re interested in using an AI tool for this - Are you connected w/ Nick Bennett on LinkedIn?

I feel like some time ago (last year possibly), he was the one who recommended an AI platform that helped him repurpose a bunch of long-form videos into short clips to be used across social platforms. Might be worth shooting him a DM.

(I’m like 83% sure it was him who shared this tip on LI. And a quick Google search doesn’t bring up any results that ring a bell.)

#pets - August 19, 2023 at 08:59 PM

Works with binge watching TV, too (if he sleeps at the foot of the recliner / sofa)