Since last month it has been possible for all your freelance questions to listen to `Start to Freelance'. The brand new podcast series from HR expert USG Professionals in collaboration with The Podcast Factory and Content Makers, part of our Propaganda Group. The mission? To inspire starting freelancers to take the plunge to independence. An inspiring project!
USG Professionals is a leading HR expert that put experienced project consultants to work at top companies. Think of fields such as finance, legal, change management and ICT. As a business partner with more than 20 years' experience, they support companies facing strategic challenges; as a partner of freelance experts they promote talent.
"Together with the team of USG Professionals, we decided upon the subjects of the various podcasts and went in search of interesting guests with the right expertise. Those we found in experienced entrepreneurs such as Marleen Deleu, Guy Van der Sande, Elke Van Hoof and Warda El Azzouzi," recalls project manager Joke Van Damme.
Once the content has been decided, I started on the copy and audio texts and prepared for all the interviews. In advance, we discussed briefly with the guests how the recording would run. The recordings took place in just a few days, where Joke Janssens, freelance expert at USG Professionals really excelled as a presenter. Afterwards, we collaborated on the editing to finish up with a good, inspiring story. When you listen to the teaser, intros and outros, you can hear my voice. Also nice to do."
Joke Janssens, freelance expert at USG Professionals and presenter of the podcast speaking about the collaboration said: "The big added value of Content Makers was, for us, the content preparation, the recording of the intros and outros, the post-editing and the montage of the different episodes. This is the first time that USG has opted for a podcast, but we certainly want to repeat this!”
Our mission? To inspire starting freelancers with tips and stories from experts. How do you know whether working freelance is something for you? What is personal branding and how do you tackle that? How can you be an entrepreneur in a healthy and sustainable manner? And what is a going market rate? All questions we asked our guests.
The tone of voice is in line with the style of USG: professional and with expertise, but never boring. The series provides starting entrepreneurs with a gentle push and puts the similarly named 'Start to Freelance' route that USG has developed in the spotlight. We are hoping that there will be registrations for that, but are bringing the series out in the first place as knowledge sharing for starters and freelancers who want to take their career a step further. The thought leadership of USG is in this 100% spot-on. With a podcast, the listener sits at the same table as experienced entrepreneurs. Thus we inspire in an easily accessible manner.
The Podcast Factory measures the results on as many directories as possible and keep track of the statistics. But with more than 1000 listeners after the second episode we are certainly reaching a large audience!
Do you have a question as a listener? Then you can put it very simply by means of the voicemail button above the podcast.
"This podcast is the latest achievement in an inspiring collaboration that has been running for 2 years already," comments Joke Van Damme, project manager of Content Makers. "We have previously created a blog series for freelancers and a white paper for companies. We support USG’s communications in the broad sense of the word, from blogging and project work to translations and making customised Christmas cards. Everything is followed up on by a very fine core team with whom I have weekly meetings. USG is very strong in the realisation of a positive, flexible work culture. The collaboration is thus warm and one in which everyone works well together; then you also gladly give the best of yourself."