We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Midori ZImmerman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.
Sarah, thank you for taking the time to share your story and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on recently is a website rewrite for Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. This was a wonderful project not only because I was able to work with a former colleague from Rubenstein (the NYC Communications firm where I was a Senior Writer for 12 years) but also because it is an organization that is doing such important work in terms of advocacy and research. Its patient support programs are innovative and inspiring.
Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I always knew that I wanted to be a writer. I studied English at Yale, and wrote for The Yale Daily News. After graduation, I moved to NYC to work in book publishing while freelancing on the side. I wrote book reviews, author profiles, and articles, which helped me to amass a portfolio of clips. I also got a Master’s in Fiction Writing from NYU by attending classes at night. Studying with novelists E.L. Doctorow and Mona Simpson gave me expert training in storytelling, which proved to be an important asset in my career.
I was then tapped to be the founding editor of a special issue of Avenue Magazine, profiling 500 Influential Asian Americans on a tight deadline. I networked like mad to find appropriate individuals to include and researched and fact-checked every single profile myself. This was a great lesson for me that, if I put my mind to it, I could accomplish a goal that felt almost impossible. The issue’s success ended up landing me an interview with Town & Country magazine, where I was hired as associate features editor. T&C was a dream job where I was able to write, edit, travel, and meet so many fascinating people.
I left Town & Country to begin freelance travel writing. Shortly after, a friend told me about a job as a Senior Writer at NYC PR agency Rubenstein. At Rubenstein, I wrote op-eds, speeches, business proposals, and articles for clients such as BMW, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Tribeca Film Festival, Rockefeller University, and Fortune 500 companies. I regularly interviewed CEOs and founders and learned a lot about strategy and brand building. I was also able to immerse myself in industries ranging from tech and entertainment to the arts, healthcare, and finance.
I moved with my family to London 12 years ago and continue to offer writing, editing, thought leadership, and content strategy services to my clients in hospitality, travel, healthcare, staffing, and recruitment. Looking back I can see clearly how my work experiences contributed to the skill sets I draw upon every day. Whether I’m ghostwriting an executive’s memoir, creating content for corporate and non-profit clients, or helping CEOs and founders with their personal branding and social media messaging, I am always, in essence, learning about people’s stories and presenting them to their audiences in a way that helps them achieve their goals.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
After moving to the UK, I had to reinvent myself for the digital world. Somewhere in the transatlantic move, I lost a lot of my clips, and since many of the original outlets I’d been published in no longer existed, I had to essentially build my portfolio all over again. I taught myself about SEO (and sometimes hired someone to teach me, if I felt I didn’t know enough). I found one client because I re-wrote one of her LinkedIn posts with a great hook. She ended up hiring me for over a year as a ghostwriter.
I’ve also tried writing for a lot of different industries. While having a niche is great, I also think it’s important to be versatile, especially in this economy and with the advent of AI. In short, I’ve been scrappy. One of my mottos is “always be learning.” There is so much to learn, all the time, from Google updates to how to incorporate AI into a workflow. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. All of the information is out there and waiting for you.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My platform of choice is LinkedIn as it’s a powerful way to reach founders and decision-makers. My main advice to those just starting is to not be afraid to post. I lurked for about a year and then took the plunge. While I don’t post as often as I’d like, clients are reaching out to me. So my main advice is just to get started, don’t worry too much about what people think, and be persistent and patient. And also, don’t forget to comment! Commenting is hugely important. Think of each comment as a way to showcase your insights, knowledge, or unique take on a topic.
