Jen Eastwood - Social Media Marketer
This Freelance Insights interview features social media marketer Jen Eastwood.
As you’ll see from her interview, Jen really does everything from a place of wanting to help people and create community - something I like to think motivates what I do too. Chatting to Jen was such a pleasure, as is following her on Instagram - she is authentic, honest and warm.
If you feel like you should be doing more with social media but don't know where to start, sign up for Jen's monthly email newsletter and you'll get instant access to her Social Media Checklist too! It gives prompts for the things you should be doing daily, weekly, and monthly on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Click the button further down this page to get your copy.
How do you describe what you do for work?
I'm a social media marketer and I also dabble in bits of copywriting. My heart is definitely in writing and communicating with people, so I'm leaning more towards that at the moment. I'm not a social media manager - I try not to manage clients' social media accounts. I enjoy coaching other people and helping them understand marketing better. I've learned that people outsourcing their stuff to me just isn't as fulfilling. People who want their marketing to be out of sight, out of mind aren't my people! I like to work with clients who have a purpose and help people, so I feel like in some small way I'm helping people too. I try to take a heart-centred approach to things - doing things intuitively, not just chasing big numbers for the sake of it. I'm all about doing things for the right reasons and building up community.
What's your favourite thing about working freelance?
When I started working freelance, my mental health was the worst it's ever been. I'd never thought about working for myself before and a lot of people thought it would be too much pressure and stress for me, but at the time I couldn't commit to a full-time or part-time role. I was completely in the gutter but I needed to keep a roof over my head. I was only ever thinking of it being a short-term thing, but after about 9 months I was like, "you know what, I quite like this!". Now I couldn't imagine doing anything else. The big thing for me is that it allows me the flexibility to work when I want. I get to have autonomy over my own life, which I really appreciate at the moment as my sister's poorly - I can just take a day off to spend with her. And I get to work on projects that lift me up and that I believe in, which is something to get out of bed for.
Where do you usually work from?
I moved into my own tiny office a few weeks ago. A space to call my own, get me out of the house, feel a bit more professional. Of course, now things are a little topsy-turvy so I'm back working at home, sharing a tiny dining table with my other half. It's cramped but at least I've got someone to share tea-making duties with!
What does a normal working day look like for you?
I normally have breakfast at my desk while doing a bit of journaling. It takes a while for my brain to wake up, so I like to get a few little admin tasks done so that my brain thinks I've ticked a few things off my to-do list. Then I try to tackle something big. I usually walk the dog in the early afternoon. Afternoons are always the biggest struggle, because after I've done the dog walk and sit down to have lunch it's like game over! It's really difficult to motivate myself anymore, so afternoons tend to get written off. Hopefully now I have my new office things will be a bit different...
What one tip would you give other freelancers about running a freelance business?
Stay in your own lane and don't look at what anyone else is doing. Do what feels right for you! There's so much stuff on social media that would make you think no-one has any struggles and everyone is thriving from day 1, instantly knows how to run a business, has all the tools they need, is selling out events all the time, is making 6 figures... It can make you feel really inadequate and make you follow a path you don't necessarily want. There are lots of different ways to grow, so it's a question of learning what you want from your business.
Free resource
If you feel like you should be doing more with social media but don't know where to start, sign up for Jen's monthly email newsletter and you'll get instant access to her Social Media Checklist too!
