THE PROJECT

An editor I worked with at Healthline (kind of a trend for me) moved to a sleep editor position at Forbes Vetted. After jumping through a number of hoops, I came on board as well as a freelance contributor on the sleep side. After that editor moved on, I had the distinct pleasure of working with the two sleep editors who took her place. My name was passed around, and I ended up writing content for the deputy beauty editor and the sponsored content team as well. Check out my author bio page here. I also stepped up as a freelance editor on the sleep side. It was an incredible few years!

THE APPROACH

New publication, new style guide. Writing and editing for Forbes Vetted was rigorous and fast-paced, but boy, was I into it! We worked in a custom CMS and there were new directives sent down pretty regularly, which kept things interesting. I referenced the style guide regularly to ensure I was meeting expectations in every way.

THE UPSHOT

Before the latest Google algorithm delisted the site and prompted Forbes to end its freelancer program, I was enjoying myself tremendously and getting excellent feedback. A little review from Lindsey Vickers, my very first editor at Forbes Vetted:

“Jessica is a tremendous asset to any team. She’s the type of writer most editors hope they’ll find, but seldom come across. She’s extremely responsive, never misses a deadline (or a beat, for that matter!), and is quick to implement and adapt to editor feedback. I had the pleasure of working with Jessica for more than a year at two different news outlets. Her dedication, attention to detail, unique voice, and diligence were unwavering in that time. She was one of two freelancers I immediately and wholeheartedly recommended to my colleagues for additional work.

What’s more, Jessica is incredibly versatile. I sent her a range of assignments, from educational stories that required lots of digging and research to simpler pieces that highlighted a certain brand. She always delivered clean, well-written, and lively copy that was easy to work with. She is eager to learn and tackle any story, and we quickly developed a delightful working relationship.”