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I just came back from a girls’ weekend away, and any time someone talked about a “difficult conversation” they had to have — whether it was ‘breaking up’ with a babysitter who was flaky or how to respond to a recruiter after they ghosted the candidate — the women were telling me they asked ChatGPT.
I like it when I get out of my work-from-home bubble and community of freelancers and marketers I often interact with online and talk to “normals” to see if they’re using AI as much as I read that everyone is. They are.
That’s one of the reasons I finally sat down to write a lesson on “how I use AI in my business” in the Get Paid to Write freelance writing course I created a few years ago.
Students asked for an AI component, and so I delivered.
I wasn’t holding back because I wanted to keep it to myself; I just didn’t want to “add a lesson” because everyone was talking about AI. I also wanted to think about how I use it and suggest using it so the lesson isn’t only addressing “use it to create an outline.”
I launched my self-directed Get Paid to Write course in 2017 as the step-by-step roadmap I wish I had when I started freelancing 20 years ago. Both then and now, I would have liked to pick the brain of a staff editor who worked on the other side and received pitches, helping me make improvements and telling me what actually gets an editor’s attention and what sells.
Now, I bring that professional background (staff roles at Weight Watchers, Prevention, Muscle & Fitness) and my freelancing expertise (People, Real Simple, Nike, Headspace, Pfizer) to the digital course on Teachable. (Yes, you can complete it on your own time and read/watch it on the app.)
This month, I just added a brand-new AI lesson to the course, where I share 10 ways I personally use AI in my freelance business right now.
These are actual strategies I use with real clients (who don’t have an AI policy to follow) that help me save time and work smarter. I share the ways I use AI to help run certain aspects of my business and how I use it to deliver stellar work to clients.
If you're wondering whether AI has potential for its place in your business, this lesson will answer that for you.
Do you have to use AI to be successful as a freelancer?
No. I don’t think so (as of 2026), but that’s changing quickly, and the more you use it strategically, the more helpful it is.
Remember, this AI lesson is just one piece of what's waiting for you inside Get Paid to Write.
You're also getting 10 core lessons on pitching editors, finding clients, setting rates, and building a steady income. Plus bonus materials that show you how to get published even if you don't have clips yet, a full resource list of places to find freelance writing jobs, and the Successful Freelancer's Marketing Plan.
See what you’ll get (video + text modules). 👇

Students have gotten published in Real Simple, Oxygen, MSN, Columbia Journalism Review, Food Network, Livestrong, and more.
All of the lesson content together is valued at over $150.
You can get in for $49 and keep access forever.
(If you’re reading this and previously purchased the course, log in and check out the new lesson.)
One $50 writing assignment covers your investment, AND it’s a tax write-off.
Student Carlett Spike said the course "gave me the confidence to pitch more and try a wider selection of publications."
Student Ellen Kergosien said she "couldn't suggest an improvement." (Thanks, Ellen. I made one anyway with this AI lesson.)
These are real writers who showed up, did the work, and got results.
You can be next. Freelancing is still possible in the age of AI.
The new AI lesson is live right now, and I'd love for you to check it out.
Diana
What I’m Reading / Listening To / Recommending / Watching / Publishing
What I’m reading: The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
What I’m listening to: Do this every morning before you get dressed on the Mel Robbins podcast
What I’m working on: New Product Detail Pages (PDP) for a sleep client, editing blogs for a CPG business, and writing blogs for an emergency preparedness company.
Freelance and Creative Jobs I Found
Here’s a roundup of creative, full-time, part-time, freelance, remote, and hybrid jobs in the editorial, copywriting, content writing, and creative fields. Good luck.
Digital PR medical content writer, $65K/year, FT remote
Senior copywriter for Lightstream, FT with benefits 4 yrs exp, remote, salary NA
U.S. Video editor, based in NYC area, hybrid, for Manchester City Football Club, up to $80k/yr
Sr. Product Marketing Manager, FT, LawnStarter, remote up to $150K
Content, copy & creative specialist $42-55K, North Carolina

Ready to get personalized feedback on your freelance business? I’m now booking MAY 1:1 coaching sessions; it’s a 40-minute call + an edit of a 600-word piece of your choice. If you don’t see a time that works, just hit reply or email me to find a slot that I might be available.
Enroll in my Teachable “Get Paid to Write” online course. You’ll learn how to pitch, what to pitch to editors, and how to run a freelance business. Course students have gotten published in: Real Simple, Oxygen, MSN, Columbia Journalism Review, Livestrong, Robert Irvine magazine, Food Network, Centennial Publishing, and more.
Book a sponsored slot advertising in my newsletter in MAY (Join brands like Morning Brew, Shortform, Fiverr, HUBSPOT, Get Response, Freshbooks, Found, Authory, and more)
Hire my freelance writing company, DKL Content Services Inc., to help with SEO content writing, GEO writing, video script writing services, ghostwriting, thought leadership, newsletter writing, and copywriting services for websites. I’m a NY State and NYC MWBE-certified business.
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