Episode 39: UX writing compensation, negotiating your salary, and working in tech (EMEA focus) In today's episode, my guest Fran Cantanuso and I talk about negotiating salaries and perks as content designers as well as our experience with compensation levels as we developed our careers. The episode also dives into how UX writing is different from other content and writing disciplines, why it often pays more, what salary levels in EMEA look like, and what working in tech feels like. Come for...

Episode 38: Why you don't need to hire a native English UX writer UX writer or Content designer but not native in English? This shouldn't limit your success. Sadly, the reality often is that it's difficult to get hired if you're not on a native English level. In today's episode, my guest Stanislav and I discuss the challenges non-native English candidates face and how we can overcome them. Learning outcomes: Why native English doesn't automatically make you a better writer How to...

Episode 37: Career transitioning to UX Writing and building content guidelines from scratch Final episode of the year! Join my guest Aladrian Goods (Senior Content Designer at Intuit) and me in an episode where we talk about her path into UX Writing, tips and tricks when working with content partners, setting up content guidelines from scratch, and much more. Learning outcomes: Career transitioning into UX (from marketing and startups) Establishing yourself in UX Writing Working...

Episode 36: Content design hacks for your everyday life Content design is awesome! But did you know you can apply it to your everyday life and communication as well? In this episode, I talk about some of the content design tools and approaches you can take to e.g. writing emails, asking for input from colleagues, and writing documents. A short but sweet exploration of content design thinking for anyone - even content newbies.  Learning outcomes: Writing better emails Glossaries for...

Episode 35: UX Writing, but not in English - how culture shapes writing in different languages In today's episode, my guest Gladys and I talk about how writing for UX in other languages than English differs from writing in English. We discuss how culture affects your writing approach for each language, how the market for UX writers in various languages differs from the English market, how you can write in several languages, and how you can start out as a UX Writer in any...

Episode 34: Writing and designing for a neurodivergent audience - and how you can be sneaky about inclusion! In today's episode, my guest Katrin Suetterlin and I introduce you to neurodiversity. We talk about what it means for content and user experiences, and what you can do to raise awareness.  Learning outcomes: Intro to Neurodiversity Neurodivergencies vs disabilities Advocacy Raising awareness Challenges in user experience design Ebook...

Episode 33: How UX Writers and UX Designers collaborate - or why you should always keep asking questions Magic happens when UX Designers and UX Writers collaborate as equals. But how do you set up the collaboration and what are some of the challenges? Today's guest, Silvi Toader from Adobe, shares her experience of working with writers throughout her career and has some encouraging words for those just starting out in the field. Learning outcomes: How UX Writers and UX Designers...

Episode 31: Burnout and exhaustion while working in content - you're not alone Today's episode is a discussion with two guests, Jane Ruffino and Candi Williams. We talk about how common burnout is when working in content and specifically as UX Writers in tech. We discuss our experience, what you can do to help yourself and others experiencing exhaustion, and how you can involve managers to help you. Most of all, we acknowledge that there are systemic issues when working as a UX Writer or...

Episode 31: A/B-testing designs and copy In this episode, I interview Product Designer Anna who works on a Growth team and runs A/B-tests every day. We talk about what to look out for when designing A/B-tests, what you can do when you're first getting started with testing, and how the day2day in a Growth team looks like. Learning outcomes: What is A/B-testing? A/B-testing for copy A/B-testing top tips Working in Growth Examples of easy things to test and how to break down more...

Episode 30: Your first 90 days on the job as a UX Writer/Content Strategist Are you starting a new job or project as a UX Writer, Content Strategist, or Content Designer? Congrats! I've bundled all my tips and tricks into this quick episode. Focus on what matters most (relationships, processes, metrics, your well-being) and educate others about what you do. Bookmark contentrookiepod.com! Learning outcomes: What to focus on first Documentation Who to build relationships with How...

Episode 29: Why everyone wants a Senior UX Writer, negotiating your salary, mentoring and developing your skills It was hard to find a title for this episode, which is a fruitful discussion between Patrick Stafford, Co-founder of the UX Writers Collective, and me. We talk about mentoring and coaching and why they are important, why everyone wants Senior Content Designers, and how to (potentially) solve this, plus other topics such as salary, development, and diversity challenges in the...

Episode 28: UX Writing and Content Documentation Starting on a new project or new to the Content Design world? Documentation is key to creating a consistent experience with your content. But what type of documentation do you need when and how should it look like? In this episode, I share what works for me when it comes to documentation and why I think this could be valuable for you even if you're not a writer. Learning outcomes: What is content/UX Writing documentation? What formats...

Episode 27: Breaking into UX Writing, being a Generalist, and why UX Writing salaries are higher Need some practical tips for getting into UX Writing? Are you wondering if being a generalist is even appreciated? And why the heck are UX Writers paid more than most other writers? Well, in today's episode with Yuval Kreshtcher we dig into all these topics and more. Join us for a fun episode that'll is aimed to make you feel a little more welcome in the field of UX Writing. Learning...

Episode 26: How to do UX writing without a UX Writer Don't have the budget for a UX Writer, Content Strategist or Content Designer yet? Well, there's plenty you can do to improve your microcopy anyway and it will pave the way for future UX Writers. This episode is especially for young companies and start-ups looking to create better UX copy on a small budget. Learning outcomes: Who can do UX writing in your team? How to keep track of copy throughout the design process How to get...

Episode 25: Your UX Writing Portfolio  All your questions around UX Writing portfolios are answered in this episode with Senior UX Writer Anjana Menon (currently at Spotify). Anjana and Nicole talk about whether you need a UX Writing portfolio, what should be in it, how it should look and how a portfolio review works. Tune in if you're looking to break into UX Writing or get your portfolio up to speed. Learning outcomes: UX Writing portfolio yes or no? How many cases do you need? ...

Episode 24: UX Writing and Content Design Stakeholders UX Writing, Content Design, and Content Strategy are all about collaboration. Your day-to-day work will likely involve people from Design, Legal, Tech, Localization, and many more. So how do you best build functional relationships with all these people? Two experienced UX Writers/Content Designers share their thoughts in today's episode. Featuring Mario Ferrer, Lead Content Designer at King. Learning outcomes: Who are common UX...

Episode 23: UX Writing, Content Strategy, and Content Design - Then, now, and in the future (Working title: Labels are for icons, not people: but apparently nobody gets what we’re doing) In this episode with guest Jane Ruffino, we discuss all things UX Writing. How did it start years ago? Where is it now? Why are the titles so confusing and how do they make our job harder? The longest episode of Content Rookie to date! But it's so worth it. Learning outcomes: What is UX Writing...

Episode 22: How to get paid I wanted to give this episode a fancy title, but really it's just about this: how to get paid as a writer or content marketer. I talk about how I got started freelancing and give full transparency of my rates through the years. What impacted my rate, how did I increase it, and what can help you negotiate your salary if you're working in-house? Learning outcomes: Starting from 0, building your portfolio Rate vs experience/value Negotiating your rate/salary ...

Episode 21: How User Research can take your copy to the next level A conversation with User Research Estelle van Ravestyn that goes into the basics of User Research and how it can benefit your writing (and design!).  Learning outcomes: What is User Research? User Research for (UX) Writers How to do your own User Research How to work with your bias Connect with my guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estellevanravestyn/ Connect with the...

Episode 20: You don't need to be a writer to be a copywriter A conversation with my friend Jörgen Kjellgren on how our backgrounds affect our writing and our ways of working. We talk about topics such as staying creative and focused on personal projects while also working creatively, how music-making could make you a better writer, and how being very firm with who you are can make it easier to find the right clients. Learning outcomes: A different perspective on writing How creativity...

Episode 19: How cultural context affects your UX writing  With hundreds of markets and different cultures, creating a one-size-fits-all approach to writing is simply not possible - no matter if you're a UX Writer, Copywriter or Content Marketer. Join me and my guest Robin Reidl (Spotify) in today's episode on Culture + Design. How can you test for cultural aspects and immerse your writing processes with the right amount of context? What are low- and high-context and how do they differ? And...

Episode 18: From Copywriter to UX Writer - Which writing discipline suits you? Many writing disciplines, even more career opportunities. But what does a Content Writer do vs a UX Writer? How does Content Marketing differ from Content Writing or Content Management? Who needs to know SEO, have a thing for data or design? And who does the actual writing? Tune into this episode to get insights into my experience from working across various writing disciplines and find the one that suits your...

Episode 17: How localization can accelerate the quality of your content Join me and my guest Martina Russo (Movingwordstranslations.com) in a conversation about how localization works in practice, how to manage it, and the tools that can help you achieve the next level of quality. If localization is more than just translations, how do you ensure you have all the tools and knowledge you need to achieve top quality? Martina has been working with localization for many years and has managed a...

Episode 16: Why you need to pay attention to localization Join me and my guest Hristina Racheva (Google, Skyscanner) in a conversation about the importance of lozalization and why it can make or break your user experience. Most companies hire specialized writers only for their master language (usually, English) and foreign-speaking markets can suffer from bad translations, even damaging a brand's reputation. But localization is more than just translations.  Learning outcomes: What is...

Episode 15: 7 common UX Writing issues In this episode, I take you through some of the most common UX Writing issues and how you can approach them - from writing error messages and designing onboarding to choosing your casing and punctuation. Spoiler alert: consistency always wins! Learning outcomes: Quick fixes for UX Writing Why details matter When to bring a designer into the picture Writing buttons Writing error messages Why you don't need to name everything Designing...