Freelancers, this one’s non-negotiable.
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I thought sharing posts about accessibility, inclusivity, and anti-oppression was enough.
By sharing practical tips and “oh hey by the way, you can work with me if you want to?” reminders, I thought everyone would know:
what I do, and
how to work with me.
It turns out, that’s not how it works.
Nobody knows what you do - unless you tell them.
But - the cringe!
If you’re thinking “well it’s reasonable to tell people what you do, so that they can work with you if they want to”… I’m jealous of you.
That, dear reader, is not me.
I’m more like:
Oh gosh sorry would you mind awfully if I existed over here?
Sorry I exist so much!
So sorry in advance for taking up your time!
Apologies for my newsletter landing in your inbox! (The newsletter you signed up for).
… And that extends to telling people about my work.
Even though I know - because my clients tell me - that my work is genuinely useful.
Clients tell me:
We had a problem.
You helped us solve it.
You helped us understand and apply inclusive and accessible communication.
And now, we’re clearer, more confident, improving our reputation, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.
Does that reassure me that it’s fine to tell people about my work?
Does it ****.
And yet, we must tell people what we do.
It’s okay, we can do this.
Before you recoil in horror, let’s take a look at:
why they’re a good idea
formatting options
how to create yours
The case for a ‘work with me’ post
You probably have potential clients and collaborators following you.
They enjoy your content.
They learn from it and find it relatable.
They don’t know they can work with you.
If people don’t know, they likely won’t ask.
And if they don’t ask, they’ll go somewhere else.
A ‘work with me’ post:
spells out, in plain terms, what you offer.
tells people exactly how they can work with you.
It’s also a great way to:
clarify what you do (for your own thinking!)
remind your audience you’re available,
attract the right clients,
save time and energy, as you can always repurpose it or pin to your profile.
Well, what’s stopping us?
For me, it’s a combination of:
assuming people already know what we do,
worrying it sounds sales-y,
knowing promotional posts don’t get as much engagement,
fearing rejection,
not knowing what to include,
not wanting to sound repetitive.
If you relate, I’ve got good news:
“Work with me” posts can be subtle!
For instance, you could:
explore the transformation of a service you offer, like my sister Victoria has in this beautiful piece she wrote about coaching
indirectly promote your services by sharing educational content: “Here’s how I ensure my client communications are neuro-inclusive…”
celebrate a milestone (like an anniversary or a new service), while reminding folks what else you do
or um, you could write a Substack all about how important ‘work with me’ posts are, rather than sharing one yourself. 👀
How should I format it?
Often, ‘work with me’ posts are carousels.
(Alas there are major accessibility issues with carousels, we’ll discuss those in a moment.)
Lucy Werner’s is fabulous (obviously, because Lucy is the queen of Hyping Yourself.)
For instance:
Slide 1: 4 ways to work with me in 2025!
Slide 2: one-to-one coaching sessions
Slide 3: group workshops
Slide 4: just here for the tips? Grab more on Substack!
Slide 5: take the next step - contact form, DM, or another call-to-action (CTA)
Collette Philip’s anti-racist brand consultancy Brand By Me shows us exactly how it’s done:
Just bear in mind…
Carousels can be inaccessible
Whether on web or social, carousels can be inaccessible.
Carousels may be particularly inaccessible for people who use assistive technology, like keyboard controls or screen-readers.
If you can, avoid ‘em.
But if you need to create a carousel, make sure you include an image description in the body of the post.
Find what feels right for you
Carousels might not be your cup of tea.
If that’s the case, perhaps you could create a:
single graphic: 1 image summarising all the ways to work with you
video: a quick video explaining what you do
blog post: a longer-form piece diving deeper into your services, with a story behind why you offer what you do, or client success stories
text-only post on LinkedIn: a concise, direct post about your services (in bullet points or short paragraphs)
decision tree (like mine below!): a step-by-step decision guide to help your audience decide which service suits them best.
All credit for this brilliant decision tree to Ellie Perkins. Just one of her many genius ideas.
Create your ‘work with me’ post
1. Define your services
Really think about what you want to offer - what’s fulfilling for you?
Could you group services into packages?
Will your rates be based on hourly/daily/project fees?
Try to include a mix of options that suit different needs/budgets.
Should I also offer freebies?
Not everything you do needs to make money right away.
(A lot of us are many, many years in and wondering when or if the big bucks are going to roll in).
Occasionally, working for free can lead to paid work later. I’m always wary about recommending this, because there is so much exploitative harvesting of freelancers’ unpaid labour.
But I do think free work can be strategic - whether it’s:
educational social media posts
newsletters full of insights
downloadable guides/templates
In my experience, giving something away makes it very unlikely you will ever be paid for that same thing.
But you also need proof of what you can deliver.
And if you have evidence it may get you in front of a paying client. But try not to give away the delivery of those skills.
For example: creating a free calendar of events or a checklist that prospective clients could use? Smart and strategic.
Giving away a massive chunk of actual consultancy work? Probably not so much.
And I say that as someone who gives away well over 100 hours of consultancy/project work for free every year.
(It’s planned pro bono work btw. I’m not just accidentally doing that work for free!)
Not everything you do needs to make money right away. Sometimes, giving something for free can lead to paid work later
Making knowledge accessible has always been my priority.
At times, I’ve spent 30+ hours a week creating free content.
I’ve (finally) found a way to stick to my values without combusting - by:
building free and reduced-cost access into my pricing model,1 and
making my Substack free for the first week (then, it goes behind a paywall).
My advice? If you want to share free resources:
check that it fits your values or helps your long-term plan, and
figure out your practical limits.
Set limits in advance, and stick to them.
Otherwise, you might find yourself saying yes to hundreds of requests. (Ask me how I know).
2. Include the right amount of detail
If you want to share prices up front, share them clearly.
Sharing prices up front can help save your time and theirs.
If you don’t want to give prices, you could give a broad price range.
My absolute favourite example of how someone talks about their prices is from the inimitable Sulaiman R. Khan.
In Sulaiman’s content, he sets out the price, that payment is due in advance, and that prices will include value added tax (VAT, that’s a legal thing that applies to sales) and also Disability Added Tax (DAT. Not a legal thing, but it is a Sulaiman thing).
Including Disability Added Tax on the investment is a reminder of deep principles, realities (the cost of being disabled is enormous) and the kind of integrity and imagination that you get, when you work with Sulaiman. So show people who you are, and how you work.
“The investment (payment/fee) is due before the event day and is non-refundable. This investment includes VAT charged at the current rate of 20% and DAT (Disability Added Tax at 10%). Thank you” - Sulaiman R. Khan
Keep it clear and concise. If you’re writing text, can you keep it to just a few sentences? If you’re creating a video, can you keep it under 1 minute?
You could use icons and/or photos to keep it engaging.
3. Show you’re a human
If you’re comfortable, show your face. (As Mel Barfield - @allcopymel would say: “get your face out for the algs”)
I absolutely love the Werks’ “Meet the Werks” post. It packs incredible value into just 9 slides. You learn what they do, how they do it, what they’re known for, how clients feel before and after working with them, and you get an insight into the people you’ll be working with.
In a subtle way, you can feel like you know the Werks after seeing this post. Because they haven’t just said “we’re great to work with”, they’ve shared a small part of their lives with you (former youth-workers, co-parents, married).
You’re a human, not a CV. As Lucy Werner would say: “show some ankle.” Let them know who you are.
Another lovely example of showing who you are? Emma Cownley/Jot Jot Boom doesn’t offer a power hour. No, you book in for a witching hour. Take my money, now.
Canva is a great tool for designing carousels and single graphics.
3. Include a testimonial or two (optional)
Show the impact of your work.
Social proof is transformative. Humans place huge value on other humans’ recommendations, and knowing that someone else has taken on the risk so we don’t have to.
Include social proof before the call to action (CTA).
4. Make the CTA clear
End your post with 1 clear next step, like:
Message me to save your spot.
Book your free intro call.
Sign up for the workshop today.
5. Keep it accessible
Use large, clear, easy-to-read fonts. They’re often the most readable option. Though sans serif fonts are not automatically the best choice everywhere.
If you’re creating a graphic or carousel, use a high-contrast colour combination of text and background.
Here’s my favourite tool for checking colour contrast: colour.contrast.cc
If you’re creating a video, captions are essential (a video without captions is incomplete).
make sure your captions are synchronised to the audio, clear and easy to read. Dark text on a light, solid background can be good. Avoid Hormozi or karaoke-style captions, as many people find them harder to follow.
Include alt text and image descriptions. You know what I’m gonna say: images without descriptions are incomplete.
Right, all done. I’ll be off now.
Oh wait, you want me to… oh no.
Okay, here goes.
6 ways to work with me 👋
You can work with me through:
1. Talks and workshops
I create custom training sessions on inclusive language and accessible communication.
Everything from 1 hour lunch and learns, to multi-part training workshops.
I most often design workshops about inclusive language (especially LGBTQIA+ inclusive language), inclusive conversations, inclusive feedback, accessible writing, accessibility in meetings/slide decks/email/social media, neurodivergence, and neuro-inclusive communication.
Nothing generic, every single one designed from scratch.
Interactive, lively, and - perhaps shockingly - fun.
2. Power hours
A power hour is a 1 hour “ask me anything” session.
It’s an “ask me anything” so you can, well, ask me anything about inclusive language or accessible communication.
Clients have booked in to discuss campaigns, review job adverts, brainstorm solutions to problems around inclusive communication, feedback at work, neuro-inclusion and more.
3. Audits, reviews and guidelines
I just finished a dream project, auditing the amazing youth-focused breast cancer charity CoppaFeel’s education resources.
(It was the best. They’re the best.)
The audit dug into all of their education resources, analysing each one in detail to make sure they work brilliantly for blind, d/Deaf, tired, distracted, neurodivergent (and more) folks.
An audit puts your content under a spotlight, showing what’s working well, and what needs to change. It’s always accompanied with deeply practical recommendations and guidelines for how to make your content even better.
3. One-to-one coaching
Practical support for people who communicate - whether you’re in HR, DEI, marketing, content, copy or comms.
Normally that’s 6 or 12 sessions,
We focus on real projects and challenges, like:
planning a neuro-inclusive marketing campaign
checking if your messaging is anti-racist, anti-sexist, and so on
working through tricky projects step-by-step
The sessions contain a mix of:
guidance (mentoring)
support to reflect so you can find your own solutions (coaching)
4. Group courses: learn together
Craving deeper insights and a supportive community?
Bold Type: 12 weeks to help you create better content for everyone.
Our next cohort starts on Tuesday 23 September.
If you're part of a team, your lovely employer might cover the cost through a training budget.
If you don’t have funding, you can apply for a solidarity place.2
5. Consultancy: plug me into your team
I’ve worked on campaigns to make fashion ads more disability-inclusive, mobile ads more accessible, and ad agency hiring more equitable.
Whether you call it a fractional CDO (chief diversity officer) or “inclusive and accessible communication support, on hand, when you need it”, I can plug in and become a part of your team.
I particularly love running drop-in sessions and office hours with your staff.
I have the honour of working for Collette Philip’s anti-racist brand consultancy, Brand By Me. And I’m part of a team there with Collette Philip and Sulaiman R. Khan.
We’ve run drop-in support sessions for clients such as the Wellcome Trust.
Clients can tap into ongoing support. As well as feedback that these sessions were incredibly helpful, informative, strategically useful and practical, you know what else they said? Joyful.
So my final reminder: whatever you do, however people work with you: find the fun. ✨
Want to work together?
Fill out my “work together” form.
Which means folks who can afford to pay for courses help fund access for those who can’t.
Most Bold Types join us with scholarships or reduced-cost spots.
I love this! In fact I am going to do a new work with me post and will tag you ! (Also, oh the cringe - but I also think this is driven by conditioning of oppressive systems)
Your "the horrors persist, but so do I" meme is one of my all-time faves. Thanks for the tag 😊