IAM352- Creative Content Writer Tells Stories to Connect Communities and Culture

Robin Catalano believes in the power of storytelling to connect communities and cultures. She’s applied her creative approach to content creation and strategy for magazines, books, blogs, websites, and a wide variety of marketing projects, and has published more than 75 articles and 1,000+ blog posts.

As an editor, she has worked on more than 350 books for publishers including Penguin Random House, Workman, and Simon & Schuster. She also serves as a book coach for independent authors, helping them take their ideas from concept to print.

A journalist and avid traveler, Robin is the travel editor of the Greylock Glass, where she specializes in telling the stories of roads less traveled within 5 hours' driving distance of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

• CEO Hack: Structured 30 minutes in the morning – 10-minutes meditating, journaling, reading
• CEO Nugget: Best practices in marketing are not the only practices
• CEO Defined: Connector that brings together resources for other people

Website:  https://robinwriter.com/

My travel writing on the Greylock Glass: https://www.greylockglass.com/author/robincatalano/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robincatalano/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.catalano17
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robincatalano/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robin_catalano

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of.

This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:30

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Robin Catalano of Robin Catalano Digital and Content Marketing.

Robin, it is awesome having you on the show.

Robin Catalano 0:41

Thank you very much. I'm really glad to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:44

No problem, super excited to have you on it and wanted to read a little bit more about Robin so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

Robin Catalano believes in the power of storytelling to connect communities and cultures. She’s applied her creative approach to content creation and strategy for magazines, books, blogs, websites, and a wide variety of marketing projects, and has published more than 75 articles and 1,000+ blog posts.

As an editor, she has worked on more than 350 books for publishers including Penguin Random House, Workman, and Simon & Schuster.

She also serves as a book coach for independent authors, helping them take their ideas from concept to print. A journalist and avid traveler, Robin is the travel editor of the Greylock Glass, where she specializes in telling the stories of roads less traveled within 5 hours' driving distance of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

Robin, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Robin Catalano 1:39

I am ready

Gresham Harkless 1:40

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about your background and what led you to start your business.

Robin Catalano 1:46

Sure. So I started out as a magazine journalist. But when the publishing industry went into a big downturn around 2008, a lot of the big publications closed up shop. I knew that in order to actually pay my bills as a writer, especially while living outside of a major market, I really needed to diversify. So I ended up taking on a series of roles in marketing and corporate communications. As it turned out, my existing skill set from journalism was actually really, really useful. I was able to apply a storytelling approach to everything that I did.

So nowadays, when we hear people call themselves brands, storytellers are talking about how the story matters in marketing, this is absolutely true. And it's something I was doing way back as far as 2008, almost because I really didn't know any other way to do it. So it was my way of getting into the marketing industry and making myself distinctive, just sort of instinctually. As for starting my own business, I've worked as a freelancer, copywriter, freelance writer, editor, book coach, and content marketer, for quite a while now click almost 20 years. And even when I took on full-time office jobs I still kept a foot in the freelance world.

So about five years ago, I was working as the managing editor of digital and social media and the senior copywriter for a midsize home decor brand that I would in my area in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. I really enjoyed the work itself, but the work environment not so much. And I kept thinking, why can't I just do the same type of work on my own and choose which clients I want to work with?

So it was a scary process for a couple of years of wondering whether I could go from that stable paycheck to full-time freelance, took me a while to really make the leap. But I remember really clearly the day after I left my office job, I woke up in the morning with this sense of lightness, and I just knew I can do this. And I can do it and be a lot happier in the process.

Gresham Harkless 3:49

Nice, I definitely appreciate that. And I'm a journalism net and my heart and core. I love the fact that you've been able to take what is a core skill that you had, and of course, good that you've developed over the years and been able to translate it into something that a lot of I think entrepreneurs really struggle with.

Is the ability to communicate, and definitely, of course, to tell their stories, because a lot of businesses and organizations usually start from that story or start from the desire to create something that doesn't exist. I think that people that have your skill set and you yourself have been able to really master that it's been phenomenal for businesses.

Robin Catalano 4:28

I agree with you there. And honestly, I never would have thought I'd say that, as a journalist, these skills would have such application elsewhere because I think we sort of take journalism for granted. But it really has been super helpful and just sort of the trajectory of my career.

Gresham Harkless 4:44

Absolutely, absolutely. And so I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper. Could I hear a little bit more about what you do, and how you help support the clients? Can you take us through like, how I guess from first hearing about you and how a client is actually brought on?

Robin Catalano 4:58

Sure. So well let me back up first and tell you a little bit about my business in general. So primarily I craft content strategies, brand messaging, and original engaging content for websites, blogs, and social media emails, I do a lot of traditional print projects as well, I wouldn't have thought I would still be doing this many print projects at this stage of my career, but there's still a real demand for them. And I still really enjoy them because they have a different set of rules than digital. I really focus on helping small and medium-sized businesses, especially women-owned businesses, find their distinctive voice and engage customers, which also in exchange helps drive revenue. And as far as how people find me, it's a little bit of a mix, I would say right now my business is still very heavily word of mouth.

So it tends to be customers that I have worked with before either coming back to me or referring me to somebody else who needs my services. And then I do have people who just surfing to my website because I tried to be really careful about making sure I keep everything up to date. I keep it optimized and easy to find.

Gresham Harkless 6:03

Nice, yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I think that's just the product of this day and age. And so I guess would you consider your that journalistic background to be what I call it, like their secret sauce? What do you feel kind of distinguishes you or your organization? Do you think that's what that is?

Robin Catalano 6:19

I think it's related to that. I like a lot of sauce. So I have a few secret sauces. The first one is that, I focus heavily on brand development. And this definitely goes back to that storytelling angle. I feel like when most people start a business, they have a great idea. And they plow ahead with it. But they don't really take that step back to really take a look at what makes their business special and how they want to communicate their value to the world.

So that's something that they often end up addressing later, which is where I come in to help them create that message that they're going to put out there into the world. If you really want to differentiate, differentiate your brand from the guy down the street who's doing exactly the same thing or something similar. How are you going to communicate that, I also have been developing a niche with people who really don't like or who are burned out on social media and want other effective ways to market their business. I have used social media to grow businesses before and I've done it effectively.

But I'm sort of in that same boat where I feel like there have to be other ways because I don't want to be on social media 24/7, it just feels like too much in addition to running our businesses, right? So it's certainly not a bad thing to be on social, but it isn't the only way to do it. And so I'm finding a lot of people who are coming to me wanting to know other ways that they can keep their business going and get the word out there without that constant social.

And then finally, I would say because I've been a longtime editor, and in my editorial role, now I'm working primarily with authors who aren't professional writers, they are usually experts in their field, and they have something really important to share. But they feel intimidated by the writing process, or they just don't really know how to get started or how to keep it going. So for them, I am somebody who helps them develop targets, I help them create schedules to carve out time to do the work and stay accountable all the way through until they get to that finished manuscript.

Gresham Harkless 8:15

Nice. Definitely appreciate that and there's a big need for people to be able to articulate exactly what they do and stay consistent with it definitely. And then of course, be able to tell your stories, and as you mentioned, your brand usually starts from that story of why you're trying to do something. And I think that a lot of people will sometimes fall short on how to articulate that, articulating that as well as they would hope. So I appreciate you for helping out these organizations and businesses in order to do that. So I want to just switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Robin Catalano 8:57

This is actually one of my favorite parts of your podcast. By the way, I just have to say that because I love hearing everybody's little secrets, for just what makes their business or their life their productivity better. For me, I would say it's actually about things that are not work. So for instance, in the morning, when I get up, I spend my first 30 minutes in a very structured way I don't check email or phone notifications or anything else. I spend 10 minutes journaling about whatever professional or personal issue I think is the most pressing that day. Then I spend 10 minutes reading for pleasure. So no news, no business books, just anything that I'm interested in a novel that I've been wanting to read for a while.

And then the last 10 minutes I spend meditating, and I know this is something that a lot of people talk about and they want to do it and they don't know how to do it and oh, I don't have 20 minutes you don't need 20 minutes. I'm also a part-time yoga instructor so maybe this is where it comes in. For me. I know that you can meditate pretty much anywhere and for as much time or as little time as you have. But that 10 minutes for me in the morning are really crucial. I have a super busy mind, my to-do list is always scrolling in my mind. So to take that moment to just sort of sit and be quiet and create mental space, because that's where the really good stuff happens is when I create that space for myself to actually make other decisions or be creative. And that goes into a little bit later in my day, I typically will take a break about midway through the day, and I take an hour-long walk outside, I like to be in nature, and I like to be silent.

Gresham Harkless 10:30

Yeah, I think that's huge. And the podcasts will always be there when you come back from your walk as well.

Robin Catalano 10:36

When you're doing chores around the yard, right,

Gresham Harkless 10:39

Exactly, exactly, exactly. So, I think that's a really phenomenal hack, just because I'm real big believer in space, and how important it is to create that space. And I feel like especially for creatives when you have that, quote-unquote, structure, and especially at the beginning of the day, it allows you to be even more creative at a later time. But you have to create that space in order for that to happen. Because sometimes, especially if you're juggling a lot, you can get so drowned in the tasks and the To Do lists that you don't really ever have and can tap into that creativity.

Robin Catalano 11:10

Absolutely. You're so right about that.

Gresham Harkless 11:13

Nice. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self,

Robin Catalano 11:23

I would say my nugget is probably that best practices in marketing, and especially in social media marketing are just that they are best practices, they are not only practices or do-or-die practices, you definitely have to experiment and find what works best for you and your business. And don't be discouraged if it's not the same thing, as somebody that you met at a conference who told you that they do things a certain way, or somebody that you read about and then who had a tremendous amount of success.

Gresham Harkless 11:53

Absolutely. And I think maybe as a result of social media, which is just expanded or expanded upon that comparison is very easy to see what somebody else is doing. Because you can just hop on your phone and do that. So I think that's a great nugget, just because a lot of times you get so obsessed with seeing what that person does that you want to do exactly what they do. But in reality, you're running your own race, you are running your own business, and you have your own different goals if you really drill down. So you may not necessarily want to take that strategy or do that specific thing that person is doing. And now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're all gonna have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Robin, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Robin Catalano 12:37

Well, I would say being a CEO really means being a connector. I like being a resource that brings together different businesses and service providers who can actually help them move their businesses forward. I think especially as I've gotten older, I've really started to appreciate this role, a lot more of being somebody who can develop connections for other people, and really draw them all together. Because I think as a community, as business owners in a community, we do better when we work together, we do worse when we're trying to compete with one another. And there is enough work to go around. It doesn't always feel like that.

But I think we have to be cognizant of the fact that as long as we all understand our places and that sort of business ecosystem, we can all get along very well. And we can all be successful and work together really, really nicely. I also really appreciate being a champion of business owners who are just starting out or who are growing their businesses. I think part of it is because I felt like MIDI, I didn't have as many resources as I wanted when I started myself. So for me, it's been really important to get out there and make sure that I'm generous with my time and advice and just sort of drawing other people along.

Gresham Harkless 13:53

Absolutely, and definitely appreciate that. Because there are so many resources and information out there, it's just a matter of knowing what they are and knowing where they are. And being that CEO, that connector as you spoke to is definitely helping out a tonne as far as people being able to reach their goals, but also being able to be connected with the people that can help them to do whatever their goals might be. So I definitely appreciate that definition. Appreciate you for doing that. And Robin, I appreciate your time again, what I want to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional, you can let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get a hold of you.

Robin Catalano 14:28

Yeah, I've got a couple of quick comments. So I've got one specifically for writers because I've been talking to a lot of young writers lately. And they always ask me what's my best business advice and the best thing I can really tell a writer is don't expect to sit behind your computer all day. While the work just finds you because it does not work that way. You could be the best writer in the world, but your connections still matter. So get out and meet people in person and be a referral source. So just like I was talking before about being generous, you really have to be generous with those referrals and they will come back to you.

So that's a really important thing that I like to share. And this one is just a little bit more general, maybe for everybody in the audience, be prepared to invest in your business. I think we as creatives especially, tend to have this system when we first started out where we want to barter for a lot of things. And I do understand that because budgets are limited, but you do have to pay for the good stuff. So just like you can't afford to give away your products or services, a graphic designer or web developer or copywriter, or photographer, they can't afford to do those things for free either without getting paid.

So we all have to kind of understand Yeah, you know what, I'm going to need this service. So I need to start saving up or I need to find an arrangement, you know what payment installment plan, whatever that works for me, rather than always looking for the barter.

Gresham Harkless 15:48

And I appreciate it again, and people that want to get a hold of you what's the best way for them to do that?

Robin Catalano 15:53

The best way is to go to my website, which is robinwriter.com.

Gresham Harkless 15:57

Awesome. So we'll make sure to have that link in the show notes as well. But thank you so much again, Robin for your time you've provided loads of tremendous value and I appreciate you I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Robin Catalano 16:08

You too. I really enjoyed talking to you. Thanks.

Outro 16:11

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

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This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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