The Side Hustle AI Was Supposed to Kill Is Booming
Freelance writer Steph Spector joins Chris Koerner to explain how demand and pay for human writers has risen since ChatGPT launched, and shares her exact approach to landing high-paying work.
The gist
-
Spector says companies now pay $900 to $1,200 per article because AI-only content lacks the voice and authenticity clients actually want.
-
She picks tools by task: Gemini for video and audio, Claude for voice-matching copy, and ChatGPT for research.
-
You can build a portfolio in 90 days by writing spec pieces for companies you admire and pitching the finished work as proof.
-
Use meeting transcription tools to estimate project time accurately before quoting a flat fee instead of an hourly rate.
"I'll use Gemini for processing video and audio. I think it's particularly great at that. I would tell Cursor, okay, I want you to use Gemini to process the video and audio."
▶ Play at 2:0873 creators recommend it, including Claire Vo, GaryVee, and Dave Blundin.
See all on the Gemini page"I'll use Gemini for processing video and audio — I think it's particularly great at that. Claude for marketing content, ChatGPT for writing and research. Found that was much better at adapting to my voice."
▶ Play at 2:08250 creators recommend it, including Riley Brown, Chris Koerner, and This Week in Startups.
See all on the Claude page"Claude for marketing content, ChatGPT for writing and research."
▶ Play at 2:13160 creators recommend it, including John Coogan, Riley Brown, and Peter Yang.
See all on the ChatGPT page"A lot of them through Upwork. I started out as a freelancer on Upwork. That was how I got my first client back in 2016. And to this day, I still use it. You don't have to collect leads — they're there."
▶ Play at 7:1712 creators recommend it, including Liam Ottley, Ben Leavitt, and Chris Koerner.
See all on the Upwork page"Turn on Granola — capture... Granola is a tool that you can use that plugs right into your video calls, transcribes everything that they're saying, takes notes, knows who's speaking, and after the call you can ask it questions like, 'Hey, what was the due date for the project?..."
▶ Play at 35:5115 creators recommend it, including Peter Yang, Adam Ward, and Daniel Blum.
See all on the Granola page"I recorded myself — like I did a screen record, like a Loom, if you guys use that tool — and I would build the automated workflow and I would narrate as I was building it."
▶ Play at 4:2313 creators recommend it, including Codie Sanchez, Ali Abdaal, and Chris Koerner.
See all on the Loom pageWhat they recommend · 7 picks
AI tools
5 picks · Steph Spector ·Steph's AI tools →
"I'll use Gemini for processing video and audio. I think it's particularly great at that. I would tell Cursor, okay, I want you to use Gemini to process the video and audio."
"I'll use Gemini for processing video and audio — I think it's particularly great at that. Claude for marketing content, ChatGPT for writing and research. Found that was much bet..."
Other picks
2 picks · Steph Spector
"A lot of them through Upwork. I started out as a freelancer on Upwork. That was how I got my first client back in 2016. And to this day, I still use it. You don't have to collec..."
"I recorded myself — like I did a screen record, like a Loom, if you guys use that tool — and I would build the automated workflow and I would narrate as I was building it."
Also mentioned
Ads in this episode
Lease End. They're paid, so we keep them out of the picks above.
See what Chris Koerner on The Koerner Office Podcast recommends without being paid →Related episodes
Episodes covering similar topics
More from Chris Koerner on The Koerner Office Podcast