Heather Youmans, MBA

This is excellent news for freelancers operating as LLCs, sole proprietorships, or those who file a Schedule C. The elimination of "Loan Outs" could have been the final blow to the already delicate support system that is the backbone of TV and film production in California. At the same time, don't think for a minute that larger corporations didn't also have their hands in influencing this outcome. Without "Loan Outs," all those workers would need to be W2 employees, which means a greater expense to the studios. https://lnkd.in/gjccP2eA

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I am launching a new Substack newsletter for writers called "Writing is the Way." If you have always wanted to be a writer but don't know where to start, this is for you. If you are a seasoned writer with decades of experience, this is for you, too. "Writing is the Way" is a place where anyone with a story within them can find advice and inspiration. First post will be up tomorrow morning. Please subscribe to get notified every time I post. #writers #writing #newsletter #motivation #forwriters #amwriting #storytellers #poets #bloggers #writingtips #joinme

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When we’re not present in life, our ability to see atrophies. The full force of reality dulls and the brightness of beauty dims, demoted as they are to background players in the central drama of our own small, performative lives. When *seeing reality tangibly* becomes less compelling to us than *being seen virtually,* we lose perspective and, ultimately, purpose. How can we regain true, life-giving sight? How can we develop a stronger hunger to see the beauty of God’s creation more than to have others see us seeing the beauty? My latest for The Gospel Coalition:

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Have you ever worked with someone considered highly valuable at the company while also being the absolute worst person to interact with? I spoke with Kimberly Williams, VP of people, culture and compliance at Walker Advertising, about how companies can identify these “brilliant jerks,” and why corporate Americans need to deconstruct the myth of the “mad genius.” Read more on Employee Benefit News. #workculture #productvity #leadership #mentalhealth #retention https://lnkd.in/gt3_chaj

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Top 10 ways to ensure your press release don't get binned by the editor at the news room 1. Don't write the press release in news format. 2. Why is your client quoting themselves in third person? Are you saying your client has an out of body experience? 3. Yes. Write a press release please, not a news story. 4. If you want to write a news story, be a journalist. Not a PR practitioner. 5. The paragraph in quote marks are actually the most boring part in the so called press release anyway. 6. Where did you learn to write press releases this way? 7. Which university? 8. Even the prestigious universities too? 9. You mean all universities are teaching PR students to write press releases this way? 10. Oh my god.

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"The industry needs to hire more nonwhite staffers in marketing, publicity, and sales." Hiring and spotlighting a few token editors doesn't mean anything without also diversifying your marketing and sales organizations. You can have an all Black editorial team, but if they don't have the support of marketers and sales reps that know White women aren't the only large group of readers, and Amazon and B&N aren't the only possible sales channels, they're just being set up for failure. Also, it's 2024, so maybe we can finally stop pretending the Big 5 are the only publishers worth paying attention to? There's far more diversity beyond the Big 5, but they get less attention because the entire publishing ecosystem is built to support and prioritize their needs — including well-intentioned media coverage like this. #publishing #diversity #cmonson https://lnkd.in/eEx7A6rf

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Don't end your essay with a section called Conclusion. We can tell it's concluding; we see your prose end two paragraphs later. Every subheading should contribute to the message. What's the takeaway? Worst case use "Looking forward." #AmEditing

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We are all susceptible to the dangers of misinformation, especially during election cycles. Have you ever wondered what misinformation is and how it's spread? I had the privilege to speak with Alan Miller, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the founder of the News Literacy Project. This non-partisan group is dedicated to educating people on spotting misinformation and understanding who benefits from it. We are constantly bombarded with a tidal wave of misinformation, especially during elections when the stakes are so high. Alan dives deep into the data and shares practical tips on how to critically assess and vet information to protect yourself from falling victim to misleading narratives. Join the conversation! What steps do you take to ensure you're not misled? How do you vet your information sources? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! #Election2024 #Misinformation #NewsLiteracy #AlanMiller #StayInformed #CriticalThinking The News Literacy Project

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Thanks to CanvasRebel Magazine for the interview. Read it to find out how freelance copywriting made me cry. https://lnkd.in/eS-QY2pf

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“Ghost Jobs.” As a person seeking employment and gigs, this practice that has come to light infuriates me!!!!! Those job listings I’ve been responding to could be FAKE!!! What a waste of my valuable and precious time and resources. How can HR departments think this is morally acceptable? #ghostjobs #humanresources #hiringmanagers #wasteoftime #jobseeking #jobhunting #seekingemployment #moralsinbusiness #unfairpractices #unethicalpractices #cbsnews #news #jobseekersbeware

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How could you possibly compete with a giant like Google? With thoughtful, strategic messaging like what we see in this email from Perplexity. Scroll down for my full dissection. The first paragraph creates a sense of solidarity and anticipation. The second paragraph establishes a problem we can all relate to. The competitor here is Google, but the writer maintains a tactfulness by not naming them, instead focusing on a negative user experience that we have all had. The problem is presented as a universal truth, implying that the reader is not alone in their frustrations. The third paragraph not only proposes a solution to all the problems mentioned in paragraph two but contains an additional solution to problems not mentioned so far – the need for trustworthy sources. They are, effectively, saying that not only does this product offer a superior user interface to search engines but also superior results. The fourth paragraph introduces the product that solves all the problems mentioned in paragraph three. See how this paragraph is shorter than the second and third? When you beat a reader over the head with a brand name and how awesome the product or services is, they will ignore you. Its like going on a date with someone and the first thing they say is, “Hey, I’m awesome because I go to the gym, am good at cooking, and have a nice car. Please date me!” What would you think if you met someone who talked like that? A lesser email would have finished with a call to action like, “Download our app or visit our site today” but instead, we get “Where will your curiosity take you?” followed by links to the app. This email wants us to download the app, but it never asks us to do so directly, it never pushes anything on us. This indirect call to action gives the reader a sense of agency. There’s probably a lot more to be said about this brilliant piece of communication. The usage of the pronoun “you” is also interesting – how it only appears in the context of a solution, not a problem.  

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New Canon Fodder Podcast episode!

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I keep seeing this narrative: "Everyone needs a podcast." I'm not sure I agree. For one thing, the podcast space is incredibly crowded as it is. If *everyone* has one, then we're drowning out even more people in this cacophony of noise. And for what? For all of us to hear ourselves talk? Don't get me wrong. I love podcasts. But they have to have a purpose. A voice. Something that makes them unique. The worst thing someone can ask about your podcast is, "Why is this a thing?" If I'm going to invest my (admittedly limited) time and resources in creating and hosting a podcast, I need to be sure of my "why." To say nothing of the fact that I'll need to stand out somehow. Having one just to have one serves no one. Not me, and certainly not my potential, theoretical audience. When creatives talk about being strategic, this is the sort of thing we mean.

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This Week's Creative Writing Prompts This week we're moving farther into the second half of 2024. This is a great time for some personal reflection, so I have some nonfiction writing prompts to help you do that. But don't worry. If you're looking for prompts that help you start on some new fiction, I have 7 prompts for fiction, too. https://lnkd.in/eScVvGpP

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