Sara Rosinsky • Shiny Red Copy
  • home
  • about sara
  • speaking
  • blog
  • portfolio
    • social media
    • articles
    • dandy candy
    • freezer treats
    • money matters
    • online ordering
    • raise a glass
    • fundraising
    • hair we go
    • education
    • branding
    • thinq smart
    • how entertaining
    • spread the word
    • a few faves
    • sears screed
  • kudos
  • unflubbify
  • freebies
    • resources
    • word search
  • store
  • contact sara
  • home
  • about sara
  • speaking
  • blog
  • portfolio
    • social media
    • articles
    • dandy candy
    • freezer treats
    • money matters
    • online ordering
    • raise a glass
    • fundraising
    • hair we go
    • education
    • branding
    • thinq smart
    • how entertaining
    • spread the word
    • a few faves
    • sears screed
  • kudos
  • unflubbify
  • freebies
    • resources
    • word search
  • store
  • contact sara
  Sara Rosinsky • Shiny Red Copy

sara's Shiny red blog

Answering my inner optometrist.

9/18/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
As a freelance copywriter, I hear this career advice over and over: "You have to have a niche." To which a voice inside my head whines, "But I don't waaaaaaant to have a niche." (I can't even decide whether I want to pronounce that word "nitch" or "neesh." Please don't make me commit my entire career to one skinny vertical.)

Here's the thing. When it comes to effective advertising and marketing, it's really all the same: You are communicating with human beings. First, you identify what your target customer cares about: What do they yearn for? What are they anxious about? What hurdles do they face? You figure out how [insert product or service here] will improve this target customer's life. How will it eliminate their headaches? How will it save them time, money, or effort? And how will they know that it's the best solution, both before and after their purchase? And how can you get your message across to them in a way that resonates?

I've advertised mutual funds and wedding cakes. I've marketed private schools to discriminating families and washing machines to laundromat owners. B2B, B2C, healthcare, software, décor, travel—you name it, I've probably done it. And if I haven't, I feel certain that I could.

But recently, I do keep asking myself: What do I enjoy working on? And who do I enjoy working with? And here, I'm beginning to sense some discrimination.

With such musing, I experience a certain kind of delight: the same one I relish whenever I have my eyes examined at the optometrist's office. "Which is better," the doctor asks me as I peer through various lenses at the letters on the eye chart. "This? Or this?" "Is it better now? Or now?"

I absolutely LOVE that part of eye exams. I love considering the two competing options, occasionally asking to see them again, and then announcing my answer with confidence. And I love knowing that with every honest, accurate declaration, I am getting one step closer to a vision prescription that is going to improve my life.

Similarly, I may be narrowing my freelancing focus just a teeny bit. My interests remain broad, admittedly, but I'm beginning to ask myself the question "Which is better?" more frequently. And giving more consideration to every answer. I can't wait to see what kind of career prescription I end up with.

To leave or read comments, just click on the red "comments" link at the top of this post.
0 Comments

So much to love: The 2018 Freelance Conference.

9/14/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
Freelancing means freedom. The freedom to build your business the way you want, the freedom to pursue the work that interests you, and the freedom to fill your calendar with experiences you find worthwhile and fulfilling. Which is why I spent last week in Austin, Texas, at the Freelance Conference.

I am so glad I went to this conference, and I definitely want to go to others like it. (Please share any suggestions you have!) Here are just a handful of the reasons I loved it:

​
Fellow freelancers. Everyone at this conference was a freelancer, so we had a lot in common. It felt like we all hit it off quite quickly and easily.

Superheroes. I have to give a huge, reverential, and deeply grateful shout-out to the woman who made this conference possible: Emily Leach. Somehow, she managed to make this conference free for attendees—and also extremely valuable: the highest possible ROI.

I'd also like to acknowledge one of the conference attendees/presenters who has worked tirelessly for the good of the freelance community: Billy Park. He created the group We the Freelancers to end the exploitation of freelancers by corporations like 99Designs, Thumbtack, and Upwork that ask freelancers to work "on spec"—in other words, without compensation. You can visit the We the Freelancers site here, but you'll need to become a member to get in. (This is where Billy would entreat you to join! Join! It's free! It's for the common good!)
Picture
Ignite. Have you ever heard of Ignite events? Presenters are given exactly five minutes to speak. They prepare 20 slides, which advance automatically every 15 seconds. The result is a very fast-paced, high-energy talk. I decided to speak about eggcorns, and I had a blast. We'll hope this tweet by Julie T. Ewald was honest, and that it went well.

​Austin. This is my favorite part of Texas—funky, flavorful, and fun.

Picture
I made this on the plane to Austin to practice Adobe Illustrator.
Picture
Seen on South Congress.
Neato know-how. Ohmygosh, where to begin with the knowledge I gained? I learned about all kinds of great apps like UNUM, Smarthash, LastPass, and Appear.in. Some, like Evernote and Zapier, I'd known about, but now I'm fired up about their functionality. I also got ideas about using social media, finding new business, gaining efficiency, and more.

The chance to travel! I absolutely love going new places. And it's dawning on me that freelancing can afford me this opportunity. This trip really whetted my appetite, and a presentation at the conference by Alicia White called "Speak to Grow Your Business" is fueling a fantasy of mine to start speaking at various events.

​So stay tuned, and we'll see where the freelance life takes me next!

To leave or read comments, just click on the red "comments" link at the top of this post.
4 Comments

On working where you want.

8/9/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Geraldine Lewa on Unsplash
I've been attending a nifty little series hosted by AIGA Colorado for freelancers and entrepreneurs. Last night, the topic was "Workspace Matters," and the panel of speakers discussed coworking spaces, work habits, and the like.

At the conclusion, the moderator asked us to assess our own working spaces. And so I will.

Many days, I commute a whopping two miles to a fabulous coworking space called Confluence. I take advantage of their "hotdesk" membership, which lets me grab any open spot in a lovely central room. Confluence has free parking (though I may start biking or walking), a great kitchen and dining area, and complimentary coffee, soft drinks, and yes, beer. They host social/networking events where all of the members can get to know one another and learn what each of us does for work. We're going to start doing some volunteer work together, too. Possibly my favorite part about Confluence is the book club they hold every three weeks. To me, nothing beats a good book club, particularly one taking place about 20 paces from where I work. So my assessment of my coworking office is A-double-plus.

Now, some days (like today), I work from home. I love my home office, too. I can nap and fold laundry as needed, and I can work whenever I like—including before sunrise.

The central feature of my home office is my coworker, who shares an office chair with me. Little Guy is a chiweenie (chihuahua + dachshund) who loves to snooze on an old sleeping bag directly behind my back. My husband is chagrined by the ergonomic implications of the way I sit and implores me to invest in an Aeron chair. But if I were to do that, I think I'd have to keep Little Guy and his claws off of it, and I don't think I could bear it. I mean, really: could you?

​
Picture
Picture

To leave or read comments, just click on the red "comments" link at the top of this post.
2 Comments

Learning to swipe left and right.

12/3/2017

4 Comments

 
As it turns out, I've been married for 25 years (in a row, to the same man). Consequently, I've never experimented with OkCupid, Tinder, and the like. So when I recently discovered the app called Shapr, it was a real novelty to me. 
Picture
Picture
Shapr (a name that evokes a workout plan, in my opinion) lets professionals introduce themselves to other professionals who might make good business partners or clients. (As a copywriter, I'm on the lookout for freelance designers and folks with marketing needs.) The app Bumble has a similar feature called Bumble Bizz, but it also offers modes that cater to dating and friendship.

ANYway. As an utter newbie to this swiping business, I have occasionally swiped right by mistake (the horror!), and it took me a while to realize that reciprocal interest was required for an introduction. But I am learning!

I've had two face-to-face meetups this week, and they've been wonderful. I've really enjoyed the interactions, and I believe I might actually get some good business and possibly friendship out of the deal.

So, though I'm new to the swiping game, I'm happy to be here.
4 Comments
Forward>>

    Archives

    May 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    May 2024
    December 2023
    September 2023
    March 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All
    Advertising & Marketing
    Books
    Boston
    Colorado
    Comedy
    Creativity
    Design
    Dogs
    Etymology
    Florida
    Freelancing
    Language
    My Life
    Other
    Podcasts & Audiobooks
    Punctuation
    Skepticism
    Travel
    Typography
    Words
    Writing

    RSS Feed


​Copyright © 2024