Today’s guest is Ben McCluskey. He is a scientific writer, editor, and consultant. In this podcast you will learn:
Why Ben chose a freelance career to control his own schedule and opt out of organizational hierarchies
How to make the transition into freelancing and avoid relying solely on luck to get clients
How to do a self-audit to find your niche and generate demand for your work
Ben McCluskey on freelancing
Why Ben chose a freelance career to be the owner of his own schedule
How you can thrive as a contributor in self-employment compared to a manager in an organization
How Ben got his former employer to be his first freelance client
How Ben’s first client recommend his services to other clients and he tapped his network to get up and running as a freelancer
Ben was lucky moving into freelance work, but he recommends stashing away a nest egg and moonlighting to get started
How Ben got his foot in the door in the science industry, took advantage of a skill shortage, and found consistent demand for well paid work
The content marketing principles Ben borrowed to help him propel a successful career in science writing
How a background in journalism has helped Ben gain credibility and trust with his clients
How to do a self-audit to find your niche and generate demand for your work
Ben McCluskey on writing
How Ben optimizes and structures his day on the scientific and neurological principles he’s learned from writing in his industry
Why design and aesthetics are important for presenting web copy and how two writers are geek out about Invision
How to trigger flow: Ben’s productivity playlist is made up of classical inspired composer like Max Richter, nicolas jaar, Jon Hopkins, nils frahm, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
Use deliberate practice to become better at anything including becoming a better writer.
“It’s difficult to analyze language in such depth and keep it engaging and open to most people.”
Tools, resources, and people:
Invision
Scriver
Book to become a better writer, Sense of Style by Steven Pinker
About our guest, Ben McCluskey
Ben McCluskey is a scientific writer, editor, and consultant. He has spent the last few years building a portfolio career, so when he's not writing copy and content for tech startups, he's juggling assignments as a science journalist and event photographer. Ben specializes in accessible content for startups with really complex products and services. If anyone needs a 'fixer', he's that guy.
Find Ben on:
Twitter: @FreelanceSciWri
About our host, Adam Rogers
Adam Rogers is the host and producer of the Boston Content Podcast. By day, he is a content marketer at Shopify, the ecommerce platform. By night, he is still Adam Rogers but it's nighttime. He loves writing, but he's sure it hates him. He's a lover of books, music, guitars, and his wife Lacey.
Find Adam on:
Twitter: @AdamRogersUK