Melissa spent over a decade in PR & Comms. She was good at it but she was drawn to the ocean.

So she started pitching dive magazines on the side, moved to Mozambique to volunteer with a marine conservation charity, and when the pandemic sent her home, decided to go all-in as a freelancer rather than look for another job.

Still it was PR work she was picking up but frustrated by.

“I just want to write about fish” she told her mastermind friends in the Being Freelance Community.

They encouraged her. And she went for it.

Three years ago Melissa became The Ocean Writer. Now her work appears in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, and a growing list of major publications around the world. Editors come to her when something pees in the ocean.

This episode of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland we take a deep diver into the life of The Ocean Writer:

Pitching editors constantly - and dealing with rejection
Turning down work that doesn't fit the niche - even when it's hard - and why that's what made the niche work
Using LinkedIn actively and how it keeps sending opportunities anyway
How Ocean Writer branded clothing sparks recognition and conversations
Building financial resilience - even six weeks off sick this year didn't derail her
Hiring a VA to handle the bitty stuff so she can focus on writing
Stop getting in your own way - why you should pitch sooner than you think you're ready

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EPISODE SPONSOR
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Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.