Podcast
High-Income Business Writing Podcast
Hosted by Ed Gandia · EN
Ed Gandia, co-author of the bestselling book, The Wealthy Freelancer, reveals how to propel your writing business to the six-figure level (or the part-time equivalent). In this nuts-and-bolts, no-nonsense podcast, you'll discover how to get better clients, earn more in less time, and bring more freedom and joy into your writing business. Ed will walk you through the practical, "doable" systems and strategies he has developed in his own writing business — the same systems he has taught his private coaching clients. He'll also show you what's working for other business writers by bringing you real case studies from the field. And he'll share all this information in an honest and transparent way, with no hype or fluff. Topics covered include: getting better and higher-paying clients; banishing the feast-or-famine cycle; doing more of the work that excites you; how to raise your fees and rates; boosting your productivity; making your business recession-proof; discovering and leveraging your strengths; finding your niche; pricing content writing projects; pricing copywriting projects; writing white papers; writing case studies; writing web copy; writing articles; and much more.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#396: How to Hear What a Client Isn't Saying on the Discovery Call
5d ago00:17:22Tap to summarizeMost prospect calls go sideways before you ever pitch anything. Too often, this is the result of being in "presentation" mode when you should have been in listening mode. In this episode, I walk you through what active listening actually looks like on a live client call. Practical moves you can make in real time, moment to moment, in an actual conversation. A few weeks ago, I recorded an episode on the six signals that tell you what kind of help a prospect actually needs. A few of you wrote in with the same follow-up question: okay, but what does this look like in an actual conversation? What am I listening for, moment to moment? That's what I cover today — three of the most important signals to watch for, the graceful redirect technique for shifting a conversation without making a prospect feel corrected, and why silence might be the most underused tool you have on a discovery call. I also share a story from one of my own clients: a home services company that came to me thinking they needed lead gen campaigns. Within the first meeting, it was clear they needed something else entirely. That early pivot turned a 30-day project into a 14-month retainer. What You'll Learn Why treating a prospect call as a pitch puts you in the wrong mode from the start How to set up your calls so you're free to listen actively, not scramble for notes The three key signals to watch for: symptom-only descriptions, wrong format requests, and capability anxiety What each signal usually means and what kind of offer it points to How to use the graceful redirect to shift a conversation without pressure or awkwardness Why silence is a tool, and how to use it to surface what prospects don't say upfront The 70/30 rule for prospect calls, and why it changes everything about how you show up Key Ideas & Takeaways 1. Listening Session First, Pitch Second. Your only job in the first 15 to 20 minutes of a prospect call is to understand what's really going on. Ask good questions. Sit with the answers. A prospect who feels genuinely heard is far more open to what you suggest next. 2. The Three Signals. Symptom-only descriptions usually mean the client isn't ready for execution yet. They need clarity first, so a strategy session or audit may be a better fit. Wrong format requests are an opportunity to add value quickly by naming the mismatch before anyone commits to a scope. Capability anxiety looks like a content conversation that drifts toward questions about AI adoption, team confidence, or brand voice risk. That's a signal someone wants guidance instead of written deliverables. 3. The Graceful Redirect. Three moves, in order: acknowledge what they came in asking for, name what you're seeing, and propose a better-fit next step. No pressure, no lecture. And it positions you as someone who thinks strategically. 4. Silence Is a Tool. When a prospect finishes describing a problem, resist the urge to fill the space. Wait two or three seconds. What comes out next is usually more revealing than everything they said before. The real constraint. The internal politics. The real reason they're talking to you now. 5. The 70/30 Rule. The prospect should be talking 70% of the time. You should be talking 30%. If the ratio flips, you've slipped back into pitch mode. Action Steps Set up a note-taking tool (Fathom, Fireflies, or similar) to join your Zoom discovery calls automatically, and ask permission at the start of each call to record. This frees you to listen instead of scramble. Before your next prospect call, identify which signal you're most likely to miss: symptom-only, wrong format, or capability anxiety. Prep one or two questions for each. Practice the graceful redirect in low-stakes conversations first. Acknowledge, name, propose. After your next call, review the transcript. Look for the moments when the prospect kept talking after a pause. That's usually where the real information was.
Transcribe →#395: What Your Prospects Are Really Asking For (And Why You Keep Missing It)
3w ago00:26:00Tap to summarizeMost of us get on a call with a prospect, hear the word "content," and immediately start thinking about deliverables. Blog posts, white papers, email sequences. We jump straight to logistics: how long, how many, when's the deadline? That instinct made sense for a long time. But in an AI-shaped market, where the kinds of help clients need are shifting and expanding, it will cost you. It will cost you in deals you didn't win because you pitched the wrong thing. In engagements that started off on the wrong foot. And in relationships where the client never quite felt like you understood their real situation. In this episode, I share the framework I now use to hear what a prospect actually needs before I reach for any offer. It starts with a simple idea: underneath every surface request, there's a signal. And that signal tells you what the client really needs, which is often different from what they asked for. I walk through six signals that come up over and over in prospect conversations, each one pointing to a different underlying need: overwhelm, skill gaps, skepticism, capacity constraints, wrong-format requests, and clean execution opportunities. For each signal, I explain what it sounds like, what it actually means, and what kind of offer fits best. I also connect this back to a bigger idea I've been building all month: you should have two or three strong offers ready to go. But having offers is only half the equation. The other half is diagnosis, the ability to sit in a conversation, listen carefully, and match what you hear to what you know you can deliver. Your offers are the tools on your bench. Diagnosis is knowing which tool to pick up. You need both.
Transcribe →#394: The 4 Ways Clients Will Pay for Your AI Help
Apr 1200:17:02Tap to summarizeIf you've been paying attention to how AI is changing the freelance landscape, you've noticed something: the types of help clients need are shifting. Fast. A year ago, most conversations were about one thing: how do I keep getting hired when AI can produce a first draft (even it it's low-quality) in seconds? That's a fair question. But it's the wrong place to stop. Because underneath that conversation, something bigger is happening. Clients are recognizing they need different kinds of help. Many don't even know how to articulate what they need yet. They just know they're stuck. And the data backs this up. According to McKinsey's "State of Organizations 2026" report, 88 percent of organizations are now deploying AI in at least some part of their business. Nearly 90 percent of leaders are championing adoption as a core strategic requirement. Yet 86 percent of those same leaders admit their organizations aren't prepared to implement AI into day-to-day workflows. So leadership wants AI deployed yesterday. But teams don't have a plan to do it well. That's where you come in. In this episode, I walk through the four broad ways clients are buying AI-related help right now, so you can figure out where you fit and what you might want to offer. What You'll Learn Why the demand for AI help goes far beyond "content creation" — and what clients are actually buying now The two dimensions that shape every AI-related client need (clarity vs. capability, guidance vs. systems) The four categories of demand: strategic advisory, training and enablement, proof-of-concept builds, and implementation work Why writers are naturally suited for this kind of work, even without a technical background Why you should develop two or three of these offers, not all four How to match your strengths and interests to the categories that fit you best Key Ideas & Takeaways 1. The Opportunity Is Real, and It's Driven from the Top. Leadership across industries is mandating AI adoption, but most teams don't have a clear path to get there. Writers with systems thinking skills are well positioned to bridge that gap. 2. Two Gaps, Two Dimensions. Clients either need clarity (they don't know what to do) or capability (they can't do it themselves). Layered on top of that, some need guidance (a thinking partner) and others need systems (actual workflows and tools). Those two dimensions create four categories of demand. 3. Strategic Advisory. The client needs clarity and guidance. They're overwhelmed, don't know where to start, and need someone to assess their situation and build a plan. You're being hired for judgment, not output. This looks like paid assessments, strategy sprints, or advisory retainers. 4. Training and Enablement. The client needs capability and guidance. Their team is using AI tools inconsistently, with no cohesive approach or standardized workflows. You teach them how to prompt well, build repeatable processes, and review AI output effectively. 5. Proof-of-Concept Builds. The client needs clarity and systems. They've heard about AI-powered workflows but need to see one working before they invest further. You build something small, contained, and tangible that proves the concept and opens the door to bigger engagements. 6. Implementation Work. The client needs capabilities and systems. They know what they want; they need someone to build it. Workflows, automations, prompt libraries, templates, and integrations. This is the highest-volume category and tends to be sticky once you're embedded. 7. Pick Two or Three, Not All Four. Each category requires a different skill set, buyer type, and sales conversation. Trying to do all four leads to muddled messaging and thin delivery. Match your offers to your strengths, your interests, and the clients you already attract. Action Steps Look at the four categories and rank them by where you have the most credibility, energy, and natural pull Think about your last few client conversations and ask: which type of help were they really asking for? Pick two or three categories to focus on and start paying attention to the signals in your prospect conversations.
Transcribe →#393: The Capability Gap Is Closing Fast (and What That Means for Your Business)
Mar 2500:27:38Tap to summarizeFreelancing used to reward the people who could do the work. Now it's starting to reward the people who can direct the work—clearly, strategically, and with the right tools. If you've felt that shift lately (more demands, broader scopes, faster timelines), you're not imagining it. In this episode, we're breaking down what happens when the old limitation—"I can't do that (yet)"—starts to disappear. You'll learn a simple mental model for thinking about capability gaps (the classic learn the "how" vs. hire the "who") and why AI is quickly becoming a third option: a "who" that's available on demand... if you know how to direct it. In this conversation, you'll take away: · Why capability gaps have always capped solo business growth (and why that's changing now) · The practical difference between using AI and directing AI (hint: the second one is where the leverage is) · How to use AI to fill knowledge gaps in real time, without outsourcing your judgment · What this shift means for the kinds of projects you can confidently say yes to If you're ready to move from "I can't offer that" to "I can lead that," press play.
Transcribe →#392: Your Core Advantage in the Age of AI Is Knowing What Questions Deserve to Be Asked
Mar 1100:29:30Tap to summarizeIf you've been telling yourself, "AI can't replace what I do because I bring the human touch," I want you to hear this: that belief might be costing you work. In today's episode, I'm sharing a deceptively simple (and very practical) way to future-proof your value as a freelance writer in an age where "good enough words" are getting cheaper by the day. The premium isn't in your ability to produce powerful sentences anymore. Rather, it's your ability to produce meaning. And meaning comes from judgment: knowing what to chase, what's true, and how to shape it so it actually strikes a chord with the reader. I start with a real email from memoir ghostwriter Michele Roldan-Shaw. From there, I present the five types of questions that deserve to be asked. These are the questions that uncover stakes, tension, specificity, transformation—and ultimately the story your client can't see on their own (and AI can't reliably pull out without your guidance). I'll show you what that looks like in real projects too, from interviews that completely change the direction of a case study to memoir work that goes far beyond a simple chronology. If you've been struggling to answer, "Why should a client pay me when AI can generate drafts?"... this episode will help you build a clearer, stronger, more confident answer.
Transcribe →#391: Your Dreams Just Got Closer — A Different Take on the Matt Shumer + Ann Handley AI Debate
Feb 2501:18:27Tap to summarizeIn the past couple of weeks, two smart people looked at the same moment in AI and came away with opposite advice. Matt Shumer says wake up, this is urgent, denial is dangerous. Ann Handley says slow down, stop panicking, protect your judgment. I agree with both of them. And yet I think their arguments are incomplete. In this episode, I offer a third stance: value doesn't just vanish during disruption. It gets rebundled. Reorganized. Repackaged into new bundles of tasks, trust, judgment, and responsibility. And whoever understands that process early gets to position themselves on the right side of it. I steelman both arguments, push back on both, and then spend the bulk of the episode on what excites me most: the new paths opening up for writers and marketing professionals right now. And why this is all scary and very exciting at the same time! What You'll Learn Why Shumer is right about urgency and capability, and where his argument breaks down Why Handley is right about protecting your agency, and the uncomfortable question her advice raises What "value rebundling" means and why it matters more than any AI prediction Three rebundling patterns reshaping how work gets organized Why the career ladder is breaking and what replaces it Whether "slow down" is a luxury belief, and how runway changes which advice applies to you Three new business paths for writers and marketers (Micro-Agency of One, Productized Workflow, Operator-Teacher) Four additional micro business examples to expand your thinking Why anything you build from here may have a shorter shelf life, and why that's actually freeing Four practical plays you can run this week, including a 14-day micro-offer challenge Key Ideas and Takeaways 1. Both Sides Are Partly Right: Shumer is right about the engine. Handley is right about the road. AI capabilities can jump fast AND adoption can still be messy. These are different layers of the same reality. 2. Value Gets Rebundled: Jobs are bundles of tasks, responsibility, trust, and context. AI lowers the cost of tasks. Organizations redesign the bundle. The question isn't "Will my job disappear?" It's "What will my work be repackaged into?" If you do nothing, someone else rebundles you. 3. Three Rebundling Patterns: The Orchestrator: human value shifts to scoping outcomes, setting standards, making tradeoffs, and integrating outputs. This is product thinking, not prompting. The Judgment Premium: when speed is cheap, the bottleneck moves to accuracy, brand risk, accountability, and trust. Judgment becomes more valuable where stakes are high. The Adaptive Builder: durable edge goes to people who experiment fast, chain tools into workflows, ship, measure, and rebuild when the tools change. 4. Runway Changes Everything: Your financial position determines which advice even applies to you. If your runway is short, your first goal should be financial runway. Reduce burn, increase reliable income, create a second stream. Runway gives you options. Options give you agency. 5. New Paths Beyond Your Current Job Frame: AI collapsed the cost of building. You can rebundle value outside companies, on your own terms. 6. Shorter Shelf Lives Are the New Normal: Anything you build from now on will likely have a shorter lifespan than you're used to. That's okay. The durable skill is getting good at building, shipping, learning, and rebuilding. That cycle is the skill. 7. Speed Without Panic, Intention Without Paralysis: No denial. No doom. No thrash. Choose one lane, build one proof asset, ship one offer. The future belongs to finishers. Action Steps Push AI into your hardest, most time-consuming work. One hour a day, one workflow per week. Identify what compounds in your work (judgment, taste, relationships) and protect it. Automate what doesn't. Map your work on the stakes/trust 2x2 grid. Migrate toward high-stakes, high-trust work. Launch one fixed-scope micro-offer in 14 days. Build proof. Ship. Iterate.
Transcribe →#390: When Clients Ask: "Shouldn't This Cost Less Now That You Use AI?"
Feb 1100:16:57Tap to summarizeHere's a question you may have heard already from a client or prospect when you submit a quote or proposal: "Wait… you use AI now. Shouldn't this cost less?" On the surface, it sounds like a pricing question. But underneath, there's something much more important going on. It's a sign that the client is still thinking in terms of time, keystrokes, and effort—while you're trying to sell judgment, standards, and outcomes. In this short episode, I walk through how to handle that objection without getting defensive, without negotiating against yourself, and without pretending AI doesn't make parts of your work easier or faster. We talk about: · Why this question is natural (and why it doesn't automatically make someone a "bad" client) · The core reframe that moves the conversation away from hours and toward responsibility and value · Simple talk tracks you can use on the spot when a client presses on price · How to reduce the chances of having this conversation in the first place · And why, long-term, the goal isn't to win every pricing debate, but to work with forward-thinking clients who actually get the value you bring to the table If you've ever felt caught off guard by this question, or unsure how to respond without sounding defensive or vague, this episode will give you language you can actually use.
Transcribe →#389: She Shut Down a Profitable Agency (Here's Why Writers Should Pay Attention)
Jan 2800:51:23Tap to summarizeToday's episode is a little different. Over the past year, I've been talking more openly about the shifts happening in our industry. And a few weeks ago, I made a clear decision, which I announced in my first newsletter of 2026: the focus of this podcast and my newsletter going forward will center on AI… and the disruption, changes, and opportunities it's creating for writers. AI is reshaping business models, demand, pricing, and even the types of roles writers are being hired for. And I know this conversation can make a lot of people uncomfortable. It forces us to look at signals we might rather ignore. That's exactly why I wanted to bring today's guest on. Sara Howard is a longtime writer and agency owner based in Sydney, Australia. She's been in the business for nearly two decades and has lived through multiple cycles, recessions, and industry distruptions. But recently she made a decision that surprised a lot of people: she chose to shut down her content agency... even though it was financially healthy. Not because the business failed. Not because the work vanished overnight. But because she could clearly see where things were headed… and she was willing to act before waiting too long. In this conversation, Sara and I talk about what actually changed behind the scenes as AI adoption accelerated inside the large organizations her agency served. She explains: How corporate clients moved faster than most people expected How running an agency can suddenly become a liability instead of an advantage What writers may need to rethink about identity, specialization, and where real value comes from now. This is not a doom-and-gloom episode. It's a candid, grounded conversation about timing, positioning, and paying attention to the right signals. And to be crystal clear: this is NOT an endorsement for shutting down your freelance business. Not at all. In fact, Sara believes 2026 will be the year of the freelancer, but only for those who are willing to make critical shifts in mindset and value proposition. If you've been feeling unsettled, conflicted, or quietly wondering whether the path you're on still makes sense, I think this episode will give you a lot to think about. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn. Sara's book, Beyond Solo.
Transcribe →#388: How to Quickly Go from Messy Transcript to Clear Outline with AI
Jan 1400:07:52Tap to summarizeWorking with transcripts can feel overwhelming. Client calls. Workshop recordings. Interview transcripts. Pages and pages of raw material—good ideas buried under tangents, half-finished thoughts, and off-the-cuff remarks. The problem usually isn't lack of content. It's too much of it! In this episode, I walk you through a simple, repeatable workflow I use to turn messy transcripts or rough notes into a clear, usable outline—without losing the nuance that actually matters. If you've ever dropped a transcript into AI, asked it to "summarize this," and felt underwhelmed by the result… this episode will show you a much better approach. What You'll Learn Why asking AI to "summarize" is usually the wrong first move How to give AI better signal by starting with context, not content A practical, copy-and-paste prompt for structuring messy transcripts How to preserve nuance, tension, and unresolved thinking Where AI's role ends... and where your judgment matters most Key Ideas Covered in This Episode 1. The Real Risk of AI Summaries AI summaries are often: Clean Organized And emotionally flat When you ask AI to summarize too early, it tends to: Smooth over tension Resolve ambiguity prematurely Erase the very moments that make the thinking interesting But those messy moments are often the most valuable parts of a transcript! 2. Start With Context Before Content Before pasting anything into AI, clarify: What this material is (a client call, interview, workshop, etc.) What you're trying to create (article outline, memo, talk, case study) Who it's for What matters more here: clarity, persuasion, or depth This framing alone dramatically improves the output. 3. Don't Hide Your Own Thinking If you were part of the conversation—or listening closely—you already have insight. You noticed: Patterns Tensions Strong opinions What felt important (even if you're not sure why yet) Dump that thinking into the chat. You can literally say: "Here are my rough and random thoughts so far. None of this is locked in." That gives the model far better signal than a raw transcript on its own. 4. Ask for Structure—Not Writing Before asking AI to write anything, ask it to: Identify themes and recurring ideas Group related concepts into buckets Flag contradictions or unresolved thinking Preserve nuance instead of smoothing it out You're looking for a skeleton here. That's it. 5. A Simple Prompt You Can Use Here's the exact type of instruction I recommend at this stage: Take the role of a skilled research assistant helping me make sense of raw thinking without oversimplifying it. Study the transcript I've attached, along with my rough notes and early thoughts. Nothing here is finalized. I need you to: · Identify the main themes, tensions, and recurring ideas · Group them into a clear outline · Flag nuance, contradictions, or unresolved thinking · Do not write prose, conclusions, or clean summaries This keeps the AI in the right lane. 6. Where Your Role Becomes Clear Once you have structure: You decide what stays You decide what moves You decide what gets cut or combined AI gives you a map. Now it's up to you to choose the route. At this point, writing becomes easier. Not because AI wrote it for you, but because the thinking is no longer chaotic. The Big Takeaway Think in layers. So instead of asking AI to finish the job in one move, use it to: Identify patterns Clarify structure Reduce cognitive load When used this way, AI amplifies your judgement. And that's the goal: to let smart tools handle the grunt work so you can focus on framing, meaning, and persuasion. Listener Reflection Here's the question I'll leave you with: What part of your current workflow would benefit most from letting AI point out patterns while you keep the final call? If you found this episode useful, make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss future conversations on using tools thoughtfully, without giving up your edge as a creative professional.
Transcribe →#387: The Freelancer Health Reset—5 Micro-Habits That Actually Stick, Including Key Midlife Insights for Women
Dec 3100:56:07Tap to summarizeFreelancers are great at pushing through. We hit deadlines, juggle clients, and squeeze productivity out of thin air. But here's the truth many of us avoid: Our physical health often pays the price. In today's episode, we're talking about the side of freelancing that rarely gets airtime — the slow erosion of our health when the business becomes the only priority. And we're doing it with someone who brings deep experience, grounded wisdom, and a refreshingly simple approach: my friend Lucie Robazza, a certified health coach, personal trainer, kinesiologist, and founder of Strenxia. This conversation started because this past summer I made a real commitment to improving my own health. No crisis. No big scare. Just a decision that the way I'd been operating wasn't sustainable. I shifted to a concierge-style medical practice, partnered closely with my doctor, and began tracking meaningful health metrics — the biomarkers that tell the real story of how your body is functioning. With his guidance, I'm working one day at a time to make real improvements through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. As I dug in further, it became impossible to ignore how many freelancers are quietly struggling with the same thing. So I asked Lucie to help us understand what's actually going on, especially for the women in this audience who face unique challenges in midlife that mainstream advice often misses. This episode is practical, simple, and surprisingly encouraging. What You'll Learn · How long hours, stress, and irregular routines affect your key health markers · Why midlife health — especially for women — doesn't follow the "standard" playbook · Why fatigue, brain fog, and stubborn weight changes often aren't moral failings but physiological signals · How to work with your doctor more effectively and ask smarter questions · Simple, sustainable steps to start rebuilding your health without blowing up your life Key Ideas & Takeaways Most freelancers operate in a chronic low-grade stress state: This affects everything from thyroid function to inflammation to metabolic health You can't improve what you don't measure: Baseline labs — cholesterol, triglycerides, thyroid panels, fasting insulin, A1C, and more — are biomarkers, not judgments Midlife changes are real, especially for women: What worked at 25 doesn't work at 45, and that's not a discipline issue Small, consistent improvements beat dramatic overhauls: The "1% better" approach is not only sustainable but often more effective Your doctor is a partner, not a vendor: Preparing questions, bringing context, and understanding your metrics changes the entire experience Download Lucie's 5-Day Writer's Reset Challenge If you're ready to reclaim your energy, improve your daily habits, and build a healthier foundation for your business, download Lucie's 5-Day Writer's Reset Challenge. It's FREE, and it's built for writers who want meaningful change without a complicated program. Disclaimer: Before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health routines, always consult with a qualified medical professional. The information in this episode is for informational purposes only and not to be treated as medical advice. Neither Lucie nor I are doctors. If this episode resonates, share it with another freelancer who's been pushing too hard for too long. This might be the nudge they need.
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