Angela Tague is an Iowa gal born and raised. She grew up in Eastern Iowa, then migrated to the central region for college and have finally landed in the northwest corner of the state bordering Nebraska and South Dakota. Angela currently work from a home office in Sioux City Iowa.
In her free time, she love to be outside in nature as much as possible, go cabin camping, snap photos, dig in the garden, explore nature trails, walk her dog, go on road trips, spend time with loved ones, go to rock concerts, make art, practice yoga, try new recipes, go thrift store shopping and so much more. She is never bored.
– How did you become a journalism-trained writer?
I attended the University of Iowa in the late 1990s. I studied journalism and mass communications and hold a Bachelor of Arts. I also have a second area of concentration in global studies. I completed that during a study abroad year in Australia. After I graduated in 1999, I worked for several newspapers in the Midwest before transitioning into marketing work.
– What skills does a freelancer, or any person, must have to become a successful journalist/writer?
To become a successful journalist or writer I think you have to be very inquisitive. I’m always asking questions, doing research and excited to learn about new things. As a writer, it’s your job to understand and communicate topics to your readers in a digestible, interesting way.
– You cooperate with many content marketing platforms, marketing departments, digital marketing/SEO agencies, website design firms and media publishers. How did you manage to achieve so many collaborations?
Time and patience. I’m not new to freelancing and I have worked for many years to establish the relationships that I have with various businesses, digital marketing agencies and platforms. It all started with chatting about writing in an online forum in the early 2000s. Remember those? Writers were talking about great places to find freelance work. I put in the effort and reached out directly to various publications and companies, and now almost 14 years later as a full-time small business owner, I have built up a reputation in the industry that nurtures ongoing relationships and referrals.
– What topics do you cover as a writer, do you specialize in some areas or can you write about anything?
Over the years I have tackled a variety of topics, but now I’ve settled into writing mostly about health and wellness, pets, small business, lifestyle topics, home, personal finance and of course the freelance writing lifestyle. On my writing website, Web Writing Advice, I have a blog filled with tips for making it as a freelance writer in the content marketing space. I share insight and lessons learned directly from my desk with my readers to help inspire them along in this crazy creative career path.
– What is more difficult, to start cooperation or to continue and make it permanent?
I really think both starting and continuing partnerships take an equal amount of work. I really try to focus on timely communication, drafting clean copy, meeting my deadlines, asking productive questions and at the end of the day, being human. Although we’re all working behind screens, life is happening beyond our writing assignments so having empathy for what your colleagues are managing can go a long way. This might mean being flexible with your deadlines when an emergency pops up, scheduling interviews to coordinate with a different time zone or even the way that you connect with your interviewees. For example, in the past I’ve worked with hearing-impaired individuals and they prefer to have questions sent to them on email versus taking a phone call. I’m happy to collaborate in a way that is best for all involved.
– Can you give advice to new writers on the easiest way to get new clients?
The easiest way to get new clients is to do excellent work. There seems to be a snowball effect in the freelance world. When you are kind to your collaborators and turn in excellent copy, they talk to their colleagues and people in their network. Then, emails start to pop in asking about your availability. At this stage in my freelance career, most of my work comes through organic inbound communications.
– I see you are also involved in the Cupcakes and Yoga Pants healthy lifestyle blog. Can you tell us something about that role?
The Cupcakes and Yoga Pants blog is my little corner of the web to share inspiring ideas about making healthy choices one day at a time. I started the blog years ago to keep myself accountable for making healthy choices while managing mulitple autoimmune diseases and health challenges. I chat about everything from nutrition and supplementation, to mental health, exercise, trauma therapy, acupuncture and yoga from a first-person perspective. This personal lifestyle blog has also become a marketing tool to attract health-focused content marketing work, including my previous “Living Well With Rheumatoid Arthritis” column in Everyday Health magazine and my current work with medical suppliers and pharmacies.
– If someone wants to hire you, how far in advance should they contact you?
My calendar fills up quickly these days. I appreciate when potential clients loop me in on their ideas as early as possible — at least a month or two before they want to start actively onboarding. I am managing a full roster of anchor clients at the moment and only take on new projects as others wrap up. With that said, when a potential client reaches out to me I love for them to have their content needs outlined. Do you have a content strategy and editorial guidelines that you can share with me? Are you working with buyer personas that I can review? Do you have an editorial calendar with project timelines and due dates? This information helps me discover if I’m the best match for their content needs and how their project would fit onto my calendar.
– Do you offer any other services besides writing? In fact, what all services do you offer?
I focus on a variety of writing services including blogging, ebooks, articles, feature writing, social media blurbs, newsletters, landing pages, employee feature profiles, staff bios and product descriptions. I’ve also worked with marketing directors to create content calendars and buyer personas. Lately, some of my clients have reached out about reviving published content to make it more SEO-friendly, update old sources and add personality with new quotes or expanded content. So, I guess I do some editing too!
– Do you have any advice for people who want to hire you? How should they prepare and what should they do before contact you?
Before a potential client reaches out to me, I hope they have a clear understanding of what they need. I love to review assignment briefs, content strategy, editorial guidelines and content calendars. I’m also going to ask questions about the workflow, payments, deadlines and how you manage the revision process. I prefer to work with clients that use project management software (like Asana or Basecamp) and/or content marketing platforms (such as Contently or Skyword) for collaboration. This approach streamlines the communication and collaboration process.
– Do you have any habits that you believe have contributed to your success?
I feel like my success as a freelancer is largely based on my belief in personal wellness. I’m intentional about how I start my day, I listen to my body, I rest as needed and take naps most days. There’s no badge of honor in becoming burnt out and working from morning till midnight. I learned long ago that I’m actually more creative and productive when I’m at my desk fewer hours and spend the rest of the time nurturing my physical and mental health. When I’m not looking at my keyboard, I’m either exploring a nature trail with my dog Leo, enjoying a yoga class at my local studio, visiting with my mental health therapist, playing around in the kitchen, reading for enjoyment or spending time with loved ones. So many of my creative ideas come to me when I’m not at my desk, so I’ve definitely found the value in rest and play as part of my business plan.
– What was the best advice you got at the beginning of your career?
Some of the best advice I heard at the beginning of my career is to simply do my own thing. It’s really easy as a freelancer to fall into a rhythm of emulating what others are doing, or mirroring your past scheduling and expectations from an employer. You don’t have to work 9-to-5. You don’t have to write the same amount of words as others. You can start a personal blog as a side project. You can do whatever you want to do that positively influences your business goals and creative needs. That might mean spending a weekend at a seminar learning more about your craft or relaxing at a fancy hotel solo. Do whatever works for you, and keep on doing that.
– More and more people decide for the freelance lifestyle. What are the advantages of such a way of life in your opinion?
There are so many advantages to adopting a freelance lifestyle. I personally love the freedom and flexibility of working during the times of day that I feel most inspired, focused and creative. Since I don’t have to punch a time clock, I can intermix personal time with errands and writing tasks. It brings a nice balance to my days.
– Do you think there are any disadvantages?
I think freelancing would be very hard for individuals who are not self-motivated, time conscientious or able to put themselves out there. Successful freelancers must be able to promote their services, which can be difficult for those just starting out because it can feel egotistical. I would advise those people to remember that you’re promoting your business. Yes, that means promoting yourself, but you’re also explaining the services that generate your income.
– What do you love most about your job?
I love that I get to learn about new topics and meet new people all the time. I’ve come away from so many interviews with information I never expected to gather, insights about myself and a new respect for various situations. It’s never a dull day at my desk. Also, you never want to play Trivial Pursuit with me. This career has led me to tally up quite a few random pieces of knowledge.
– What is the best way to organize multiple jobs and private life?
Use a calendar! I used to be a freelancer with a perpetual to-do list that stressed me out. Using a calendar with time blocks has made me take a realistic look at how much time it actually takes to complete various tasks. Once my day is filled on the calendar, that’s it. I used to overbook myself and try to get too much done in a day when I simply used a list. With that said, all things – work and personal – go on my calendar to better organize and manage everything that needs to get done in a day.
This interview was published in
Freelance Life Magazine #5.
