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 a freelance contributor on the sleep side. After that editor moved on, I continued writing for 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 and I’m very excited to be freelancing for Vetted again on the sponsored content side.

The Process

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.

Before a devious Google algorithm delisted the site toward the end of 2024, prompting Forbes to end its freelancer program, I was enjoying myself tremendously and getting excellent feedback.

Here’s what my first editor so kindly shared:

“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.”