đ„ OpenAI launches text-to-video tool

Happy Friday! This is the Freelance Gig, where we share news, tools, tips, and tricks to help grow your freelance business.
Mentioned in todayâs email: OpenAI, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, X, and Bali. Plus whether itâs ever a good idea to work for free, and a 10-minute trick to boost creativity.
Read time: 3 minutes and 9 seconds

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Making the Rounds
OpenAI launches mind-blowing new text-to-video tool called Sora
Bluesky soars to 4.8 million users after opening to the public
Instagram and Threads will no longer recommend political content
X is looking to add Grok chatbot summaries of trending topics
Largest text-to-speech AI model yet shows âemergent abilitiesâ
New Bali tourist tax goes live next week
Working With Clients
Is it Ever a Good Idea to Work For Free?

Should you ever work for free?
Itâs a hotly-debated topic in freelancing circles.
Some say yes, some say so.
Us?
We say it depends.
Should you agree to do unpaid work for every Tom, Dick, and Harry in your DMs?
Hell no.
But on the flipside, being strategic about working for free can help you land whale clients.
Hereâs whyâŠ
Emailing one of your Dream 100 and asking them to hire you is a bad idea.
Theyâre busy and they donât owe you anything.
But emailing or DMâing someone on your Dream 100 list to legitimately compliment them and let them know how their work has impacted youâŠ
⊠Then offering a small number of free assets (ads, emails, thumbnails, short-form videos, whatever it is you specialize in) with NO strings attachedâŠ
Now that can be a very effective client acquisition strategy.
Assuming the work youâve done is good and aligns with their brand, of course.
Why?
Because youâve flipped the script and done them a favor.
So the chances theyâll actually look and/or test your assets is much higher.
Now... how do you know which businesses to target with this strategy?
Here are 3 criteria:
1. They run paid ads
2. They email their list regularly
3. They have lots of testimonials and social proof for their products & services
These are all signs of a healthy business with a healthy marketing budget.
Start there, then use your judgment.
POLL: Have you ever done free work to land a client? |
Working For Yourself
10-Minute Trick to Boost Your Creativity

Ever wish you could generate killer new ideas on-demand?
Us too.
Sadly, science still appears to be a ways off on that one.
But there is another science-backed creativity technique gaining popularityâŠ
Thatâs been shown to boost divergent thinking in as little as 10 minutes.
Itâs called ânon-sleep deep rest.â
Non-sleep deep rest (or NSDR for short) is basically a state of deep relaxation without falling asleep.
Meanwhile, divergent thinking is all about combining existing elements in new waysâŠ
A process thatâs facilitated by the increase in âdopaminergic toneâ triggered by NSDR.
Now, the way to experiment with this technique is simple:
Lie down on the couch or bed, turn off the lights, and close your eyes.
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Donât worry about controlling your thoughts or focusing on breathing.
Feel free to let your mind wander.
(just donât let yourself fall asleep!)
Then once your time is up, direct your mind to go into creative exploration and see what new ideas come to you.
If youâre curious to know more and would like to experiment with a guided NSDR meditationâŠ
Try this one narrated by Dr. Andrew Huberman:
Tool of the Week
Optimize your copy and content for readability with Hemingway
Even if youâre not a pro copywriter, being able to write well is a superpower.
It helpsâ grease the skidsâ in all areas of life.
The only problem isâŠ
Writing for business and writing for the classroom are two different things.
Five dollar words might get you an A, but itâs the two dollar words that get your message across.
Thatâs where Hemingway comes in.
Copy and paste your text into the free app and youâll get instant feedback on readability:
Adverbs
Passive voice
Run-on sentences
And those dreaded $5 words
Aim to write at a Grade 5 reading level or lower.
Give Hemingway a try for free today and see how you score.
P.S: Copy and paste the above section into the app to see how we did ;)
Bonus Points
đš Tools: 13 must use no-code tools: (link)
đ„ Storytelling: Pixarâs storytelling formula revealed (link)
đ© Newsletters: If youâre starting a newsletter, do this (link)
đ Books: 7 books that helped me sign 800 clients (link)
đŁïž Audience: Warm vs cold audiences (link)
What'd you think of today's edition? |