Why I don’t recommend generic freelance websites for hiring creatives

10.13.21

Why I don’t recommend generic freelance websites for hiring creatives

Say you need to hire someone to design a new website, photograph your products, or manage your social media. Where would you first go? Usually, referrals are the first choice – you find fellow business owners and ask them for people to check out. What if those don’t pan out? The next step usually is to head straight to Google and cross your fingers for a good match.

10.06.21

Free template: Tracking your press mentions

Have you been in business for a while? Then it’s very possible that you’ve gotten some press about your brand. Where do you store all this info? Maybe it’s a folder on your computer or an online text document. Why not put it all in one place with an opportunity to filter by sentiment, product, or type?

11.18.20

On relief

I don’t know about you but this past weekend, it felt like I could take a full, deep breath for the first time in a long while. In October, I had been doing ok in terms of giving myself a break and not doomscrolling at all hours. Last week, though, I found myself attempting to work on the days I said I would work, staring at the computer screen, and then refreshing my Twitter feed for the umpteenth time that hour. The prolonged wait and experience of multiple Tuesdays in one week was bad for many people’s mental health.

10.21.20

How do you define success?

I’ve been watching “Emily in Paris” on Netflix and there was a line that stood out to me: “You live to work, we work to live,” a French person told Emily, his American colleague. Whether it’s success in your career or your life, we’re all influenced by where we grew up, our culture, and the influences of the people you surround yourself with.

10.07.20

Trust: Don’t say it if you don’t mean it

Consumers are savvy today. We see tons of ads on a daily basis in multiple forms, all claiming to be the best in whatever industry they’re in. I’m talking about trust again, a topic I wrote about two years ago. It’s tough to stand out from the crowd and one of the few things that can make you stand out is consumer trust.

09.09.20

All about the press kit 101 (Part 2)

If you need a refresher on the who, what, whys of a press kit, I covered it two weeks ago. In this part, I cover what you can do to expand your press kit. This is assuming you already have a press kit and/or you have additional time to beef it up.

08.26.20

All about the press kit 101 (Part 1)

Press kits make marketers’ lives easier. There are a few different approaches to it and in this first part, I’m going to address the who, what, why questions and what you need in the most basic press kit. You could spend 15 minutes assembling it if you have all the needed items or days/weeks if you want a robust one and you still need to create the content.

08.12.20

A COVID digital marketing audit

Today, we’re going to focus on COVID & your communication (or lack thereof) of it.

In the pandemic’s first few weeks, the news arrived loose and fast, often changing several times within a 24-hour span. It was difficult to keep track of as a business and I’m sure many things fell to the side. Depending on where you are, coffee businesses may be open with precautionary to extreme measures. I wrote about mental health and reopening back in June. Some of these tips still apply today.

07.29.20

So you want to pick my brain

Disclaimer: this is not about you. I have received many pick-your-brain emails through the years. I also volunteer a lot of time to community efforts and provide free content (like this newsletter and blog) because I believe giving back is important for sustaining an industry.

So you want to pick my brain about what I do and how I got here. Before the pandemic, you probably wanted to grab a coffee, now it’s video chats.

07.15.20

Time to reexamine or create your company values

Usually, at the formation of a company, you write up a mission statement and identify your brand values. It’s a good idea to also reexamine these from time to time to see if anything has shifted in light of major events, like operating in a pandemic or the mainstream discourse on Black Lives Matter.

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about

Jenn is a San Francisco-based writer & photographer. On the side, she munches on fun flavored chips & hangs out with her dog Zoey. You can reach her via the contact page or on social media @thejennchen.

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All photos were taken by Jenn Chen, unless otherwise noted, & under full copyright. Photos of me in red & orange were taken by Jessica Caisse. Do not use copy or photos without prior permission. Logos designed by Hannah Ellen.