The Freelancer Life: Nicola Smith
Meet Nicola, a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter covering a diverse range of areas including sport, fitness, health and travel, as well as business and marketing.
We chat to Nicola about why she first became a freelancer, where she loves to work, and some of the great projects she’s worked on.
“I quickly started to build up my client base and really enjoyed, not just being my own boss, but the freedom to work on a diversity of subjects, and to pursue areas of particular interest to me.”
Hey Nicola, tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for?
I have worked as a freelance journalist and copywriter for more than 15 years, covering a diverse range of areas including sport, fitness, health and travel, as well as business and marketing. I regularly contribute ideas and articles to a range of titles from The Sunday Times, The Times, Guardian.co.uk, Coast, EasyJet Traveller and BBC Countryfile, as well as Econsultancy.com, BBC.co.uk and Marketing Week. I also carry out copywriting projects for companies from start-ups to giants such as Unilever and Sodexo.
Why did you first become a freelancer?
It was more luck than judgement - I left a business magazine in London because I didn't agree with the company's ethics, and I planned to freelance for a short time while I secured another job. I quickly started to build up my client base and really enjoyed, not just being my own boss, but the freedom to work on a diversity of subjects, and to pursue areas of particular interest to me (for example, I wrote for a fantastic non-league football web site for a while, as well as a hockey magazine, and could balance this fun but relatively poorly paid work with more lucrative but arguably drier copywriting projects). After a couple of months, I decided I would stay freelance and try and make it work. That was over 15 years ago!
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home and why?
I live in Cornwall, a few minutes walk from the beach, so I sometimes take my notebook to the beach cafe, or walk around the coast path and sit on a bench to think and write. There is also a lovely artisan coffee shop in town where I hide out with my laptop on less clement days.
Share your struggles – what do you find hardest about working for yourself and why?
Sometimes it can feel isolating, which is why I head out to the local coffee shop to see a friendly face and chat with a few other lone workers tapping away on their laptops. I also think you can lack the stimulation that can come from chatting to like minds and brainstorming ideas. Fortunately, there are a couple of collectives in Cornwall who I have worked with.
Share your perks – what do you enjoy most about working for yourself and why?
Freedom! I can pretty much work the hours I want, which in the spring/summer often means getting up at 6am and working until lunchtime, and spending the afternoon paddleboarding, walking or cycling. Or working on a wet weekend so I can enjoy a sunny weekday. I really believe that my quality of work is high because I can work to suit myself. Even being able to take off on a long walk in the middle of the day is fantastic if the words or thoughts aren't quite flowing.
“I really believe that my quality of work is high because I can work to suit myself. Even being able to take off on a long walk in the middle of the day is fantastic if the words or thoughts aren’t quite flowing.”
What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?
Do the sums, make sure you know what you need to earn each month and roughly where it will come from. And be proactive. You have to knock on doors and pitch ideas and make phone calls and be able to handle rejections (or worse, silence), as well as being tough enough to persevere. Once you have got an editor to give you a chance, and you have proved yourself, the work often flows. But don't wait for people to come to you - you have to earn that! Similarly, copywriting opportunities can arise from contacting companies in sectors in which you have an interest, suggesting ideas and improvements and forging those relationships. Once you have proved you are good AND trustworthy, the relationship will blossom. But it's hard work to start with.
What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration etc. and why?
Too many to mention, but Twitter and Instagram are a great way of aggregating news, following (and finding) people of interest, and unearthing opportunities.
What role does collaboration play for you?
I sometimes work with companies on copywriting projects where we have to collaborate, but generally, it plays a very small role. That isn't to say I wouldn't be up for collaborating more if the chance arose!
What do you love to do? What makes you tick and what do you simply love doing?
Cycling, walking, running, swimming and paddleboarding - being out in the fresh air is wonderful, and great relaxing and thinking time.
I am also an avid reader, and I love writing fiction. I published my first novel 18 months ago (www.nicolaksmith.com) and I'm working on another...
When it comes to work, I love finding sparks of inspiration and formulating feature ideas, particularly when I flesh them out, pitch them, write them, and see them published.
What are you really good at? What’s your marketing superpower?
Interviewing business people and turning complex or dry subject matters into engaging and interesting copy. I recently had a long and convoluted chat with a guy about his very full and impressive (but highly technical) career and distilled it into a short, powerful bio which helped to secure him the chairmanship of an esteemed organisation. I have written whitepapers, blog posts and case studies on a diverse range of subjects, often dealing with technical areas (think underground utilities and health and safety at work) to produce clear, accessible and engaging copy geared to a specific audience.
What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?
I've enjoyed some fantastic experiences writing travel pieces for magazines and newspapers - from paddleboarding and foraging for gin botanicals in Scotland, to skiing in Colorado and covering the Atlantic Rowing Challenge in Barbados. But I've also really enjoyed getting stuck into copywriting projects, most recently writing a 30,000-word global marketing report on how marketers can optimise their marketing budget when times are tough...
What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?
Much the same! Writing for a range of magazines and newspapers, as well as working with a number of companies producing copy for marketing collateral. I am always learning but the key is never to be complacent, to keep forging new contacts and exploring new avenues, and to take a step back every now and then and make sure you are heading where you want to go.
“I am always learning but the key is never to be complacent, to keep forging new contacts and exploring new avenues, and to take a step back every now and then and make sure you are heading where you want to go.”
Want to learn more about Nicola? Visit her website nicolaksmith.com or give her a follow on Instagram @nicolaksmith740 or Twitter @NicolaKSmith740.