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If you’ve been in content marketing for a minute, you’ve probably heard of Erica Schneider.

She’s got over 40,000 followers on LinkedIn, a popular newsletter, digital courses (that I’ve taken), a 1:1 content creation program, and a group coaching program.

It’s safe to say that Erica knows her stuff (and makes great money doing it).

So when I hopped on Zoom with her a few weeks ago, I had an agenda: I wanted to hear about her earliest days of freelancing — the messy, underpaid, pre-success days that often get overlooked.

And Reader, she delivered!

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😬 $10 Projects On Upwork

It's 2018. Erica is teaching English in Thailand, making just enough to get by. That's when she meets some travelers who are funding their adventures through this platform she's never heard of: Upwork.

"I had no idea what content marketing was," she told me, laughing as she scrolled through her old profile. "I'd never heard of SEO. I absolutely never thought marketing was going to be in my career whatsoever."

Her first job was proofreading a 25-page magazine for $10.

But instead of getting discouraged by the low rates, Erica hustled. She paid for Upwork credits and started applying to jobs like crazy. "I needed reviews to get hired," she explained, showing me her early job history. "So I played the game."

And when she says she took ANY job, she means it. A few highlights from her early freelance hall of fame:

• A 10,000-word guide about goat health (which she now admits was "probably terrible")
• 200-word descriptions for queer nightlife clubs around the world
• Blog posts about genetics and male pattern baldness
• Digital magazine articles that paid less than a cup of coffee in the U.S.

"I literally got pennies," she shared, "but I didn't care because I needed to have stars on my profile. And honestly, in Thailand, even $10 was two good meals."

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😏 Getting Good

As Erica kept racking up 5-star reviews on Upwork, she started landing more steady clients. She was writing SEO articles and learning the technical requirements of content marketing on the job.

"I was getting really good feedback, and people were impressed. They were tipping me, which was wild. I started to think, 'Okay, maybe I'm good at this.'"

Then, in May 2019, she spotted a job posting that marked a pretty clear moment in her freelance journey.

"Grizzle had posted a job on Upwork, which they never did. It was just random that they decided to. They were looking for a freelance editor."

She applied and got the gig. And then she did something that new freelancers don't realize they can (and should) do: she negotiated a better contract.

"I was like, 'If we're going to be doing this, you should pay me the same amount every month.' I talked my way into making a bigger opportunity."

Something I took note of here is that Erica didn't have years of experience or an impressive portfolio when she made this ask. She simply recognized her value and had the confidence to propose an arrangement that worked better for both parties.

This is important because some freelancers believe the myth (albeit subconsciously) that they need to "pay their dues" — charging low rates until they've been at it for a while.

But Erica was getting good feedback from clients and chose to believe them. She knew the value she brought to the table and advocated for herself. (Go Erica!)

This monthly retainer became her steady paycheck while she kept working on other writing and editing projects on the side. Having that reliable income meant she didn't have to say yes to every low-paying gig that came her way.

And eventually, she became the Head of Content at Grizzle.

We didn't get into exactly how she worked her way up to HOC, but I'm guessing it went something like this: she did consistently solid work, spoke up when she had ideas, and continued to advocate for the value she offered. When clients find freelancers like this, they tend to hang onto them.

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🤔 The (Accidental) Personal Brand

In 2021, the CEO of Grizzle suggested everyone on the team should start building their personal brands.

Erica's response: "I was like, what is a personal brand? I had never had a Twitter account. I had posted on LinkedIn maybe once ever."

Her first attempt at social media was a complete flop. She tried Twitter first and hated it. (Same.) She posted twice, got annoyed, and then gave up.

But then, in January 2022, something interesting happened on LinkedIn.

"I posted this thing about reviewing 44 content writer applications, and only like two passed the test. It just took off — got over a thousand likes. That's only happened to me again once since then."

That post gave her the push she needed to keep showing up on LinkedIn.

Something that stood out to me here was that Erica didn’t have some ‘grand five-year plan to become a thought leader’. She didn't have a content calendar, a personal branding strategy, or even a clear goal of where she wanted her online presence to take her.

She just started showing up and sharing what she was learning and doing in her day-to-day work.

Of course, she's strategic with her content now. But in a lot of ways, where she's at today started from her showing up, seeing what worked (and what didn't), and refining her content over time. To put it plainly: she didn’t get caught up in making the perfect content plan — she just started.

(Side note: Erica didn't say the words "I just started" - this is my interpretation. And apparently, this can be a spiky topic that I have a LOT more to say about, but it was taking away from the core part of my interview with Erica. So stay tuned for next week where I dig a bit deeper into this trap of procrasti-planning, and why for some of us, forcing ourselves to just start is better than laying out a “perfect" content plan. Now, back to Erica!)

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🤫 The Secret

If I wanted to wrap a pretty bow on this conversation, I could say something cheesy like: "If you want to find success, just keep showing up and doing the work."

But I won't, because… barf.

That's just not everyone's reality. A lot of people have been 'showing up' consistently online, grinding away, and still struggling to get any momentum.

So, what's the difference between a freelancer who's been struggling for years, versus Erica, who accelerated her career in content marketing rather quickly?

Well, that's what I asked Erica. And her answer was refreshingly simple.

"I started to think about why the content I was creating needed to exist," she said. "It became less about the deliverable and more about what is the point of this deliverable."

She paused, then added:

"If you want to make the most money, you need to understand how what you're doing makes businesses money."

This mindset shift — focusing on the "why" behind content instead of just cranking out words — helped evolve her from a writer into a true strategist. Which is a fundamental shift in how you approach content work.

When Erica was writing those early pieces on goat health or male pattern baldness, she was focused on completing assignments. But as she evolved, she started asking deeper questions: "Why does this client need this content? How will it drive revenue? What business goal will this help achieve?"

It repositioned her from someone who takes orders to someone who solves business problems. And businesses will pay more for problem-solvers.

Another way to look at this: Nowadays, a client can get any writer to produce 1,500 words about their product. But they'll pay premium rates for someone who can explain how those 1,500 words can generate leads, nurture prospects, and fit into their broader content ecosystem.

There's a lot more I could say here, but this feels like a good spot to wrap it up for now. And, my daughter is waking up from her nap which means it's go time!

Just for funsies though, here's a picture of Erica and me hanging out at SparkTogether last year!

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💜 A Few Cool Things in Freelanceland

1. Want to learn from Erica? Her courses on content writing are available at ericaschneider.me. She uses parity pricing, which means you'll automatically get a discount based on where you live.
2. I binge-watch ​this podcast​ like it's a cult documentary. (But really, it's a great business podcast hosted by Eman Ismail, who is a fellow writer and strategist.)
3. ​This is the LinkedIn post I mis-linked in the last email. It brought in four leads and I closed the deal with one! 🎉

I'll be back in your inbox next week with a 'secret snack' — which is what I'm calling the bi-weekly addition to this newsletter... but smaller. You'll see what I mean. 😉

Talk soon,

Erika

Ps - Can you help me grow this newsletter by forwarding this link to a freelancer friend who would appreciate it?

Pps - I've become a bit unhinged with my use of emojis, but I can't help it. I just love 'em. You might have to pry them out of my cold, dead, millennial hands. 🤷‍♀️

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Thanks for hanging out! I'm Erika, a content strategist, freelance ghostwriter, and fractional content lead @ ZenMaid. When I'm not writing this newsletter, I'm probably looking up cheap flights to surprise (stress out) my hubby.