Whenever you’re promoting a business, with a flyer campaign or otherwise, it always pays to articulate carefully what you can offer your potential customers. Writing is no different, but this is one niche where your flyer needs to be particularly carefully tailored.

Any promotional flyer should communicate that the purpose of your business is to do something for your customers that they cannot or do not want to do for themselves, and consequently will pay you to do instead. Whether it’s a cleaning service or specialist financial advice, you are offering the client something that makes their life easier in some way. Perhaps you’re providing expertise, perhaps you’re simply saving them time. Either way, a well-written flyer will clearly answer the reader’s implicit question: what can you do for me?

The purpose of your flyer

Writing for a living can encompass a broad range of jobs. You might focus on writing internet content, for example, in order to drive traffic to your website or others. You might write marketing copy, or magazine articles, or fiction… the list is almost endless, and in practice your day-to-day work may encompass a number of these. No matter how versatile your skills, though, your flyer is unlikely to succeed if its remit is this broad. Flyers are an excellent way to reach a specific readership – whether the subscribers of a particular publication or households in a given zip code. The trick is to tailor your message to that demographic to ensure the time and money you invest in your flyer campaign results in maximum pay-off.

Pick your speciality

This means that you should create a flyer that targets a specific niche. Perhaps you want to advertise your services for creating websites for individuals, groups or businesses. A flyer with a very general ‘Pen for hire’ advertisement isn’t going to resonate with your readers. You will have to send out thousands of flyers to gain a handful of clients. But if your flyer is designed with a specific audience in mind, you have a far better chance of attracting new customers.

With this in mind, your flyer should demonstrate that you are capable of delivering a service that your reader needs. Look at the problem from the customer’s point of view: what is the problem that they have that you can solve? Is it a lack of time, or expertise? Your flyer needs to show them that you can deliver something worth paying for.

Testimonials and writing samples will be useful, but don’t go overboard: people don’t want to plough through reams of dense text. Your flyer should point people in the right direction, not tell them absolutely everything they need to know. Contact details and a link to your own website achieve that better than a crammed page of words.

Flyer presentation

Any business flyer should be well-presented, but in this case the effort you put into it is absolutely critical. It’s one thing if a dry cleaning or gardening service hasn’t mastered punctuation and grammar, since it’s hardly going to affect the quality of the job they do – and even then, minor mistakes can be quite off-putting. Readers start to wonder whether you will show a similar level of carelessness in other areas of your work. When you are offering a writing service and the writing on the advert itself is flawed, you might as well have burned the flyer as paid to have it distributed. This has to be your very best writing: beautifully honed, convincing, and immaculate.

One problem of presentation is that flyers will often incorporate images for greater visual effect – something that can be distracting if done badly, but that can add a great deal to their impact. In the case of writing professionals, this is harder – appropriate images are not immediately obvious. It’s best not to use a picture on your flyer just for the sake of it – it needs to be something relevant, not just pretty. Instead, you may like to use different typefaces, layouts, pull-out quotes, text boxes, bullets and so on to break the text up and make it more attractive and readable.

Where to send your flyer

You will need to target your flyer’s audience carefully, but with a little research you can make a strong impact and a high ROI. You might distribute them to local businesses, or in specific publications. Similarly there are courses at which displaying your flyers could be very beneficial, as well as libraries and other locations.

This article was supplied by Printed.com, suppliers of unbeatable quality digital flyer printing, and a shortlisted company for this year’s industry leading Print Week Environmental Company of the Year 2011 award.

Image: jennafa

Want to put bread on the table? Market your writing services efficiently with these productivity tips.

It’s that time again – another of my monthly posts for the Word Chef blog carnival. This month we’re talking about productivity, something that the writers on this blog have written about many, many times. Originally, I was going to write about writing productivity, but been there, done that, so I’ve included a list of some of our best posts on productivity at the end. So, to the issue of the day: marketing and promoting your writing business.

My Marketing Mantra

We already know some of the tasks we need to do (check out my Promotion is Free series for a heads-up) but what about making the time to do it? I know from my own experience that in the past at busy times I made less time for marketing and at quiet times I marketed like crazy because I had more time on my hands. That’s bass-ackwards, if you’ll pardon the expression. When you’re busy you need to market so you are never quiet. When you are quiet, it’s already too late.

So what do you do? The answer is really simple: make the time. When something is really important to you, you usually make the time to do it. The health of your writing business should be important to you, so make the time to keep it healthy by injecting regular doses of new business. In other words, market and promote.

Set aside a chunk of time each week, either a big block once a week or a shorter time daily that’s dedicated to marketing your services. Then market and promote.

Methods of Marketing

There are all kinds of ways to do this.

Taking part in a blog carnival like the one I’m in today is one way because lots of new people will see what you write. Making connections with new people can extend your reach. It puts your name out there without too much effort on your part. Write a post, tweet about it, comment on a few other posts. Time required – maybe 1 hour which adds up to about 12 minutes a week per post.

Showcase your expertise on high traffic sites such as LinkedIn Answers, Quora and more – see what’s being asked in your niche and respond. I have to admit that I don’t use this as much as I might, but when I do, it pays off. Someone saw one of my answers on Quora and approached me about a writing job. Although it didn’t work out in the end, it showed that I was visible. You only have to spend a few minutes a day doing this, especially if you are selective about what you respond to. Pick the questions that you are already an expert in and you won’t have to think too hard. Rinse and repeat for other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Time required: no more than 30 minutes a time, and you could get away with 15.

Tweak and optimize your professional website. This can be a timesink – don’t ask me how I know {groan} but it’s well worth doing. Make sure that it shows your skills and abilities to best advantage and makes it easy for people to contact you. One of my new clients was browsing around my site and found a testimonial for some site content I’d written for a cake decorator. On the strength of that she got in touch and asked me to rewrite hers. Testimonials sell your services without too much work and I’ve got a video explaining how I use a simple questionnaire to get a good testimonial. It’s also useful to update your site with new stuff you have done. Time required: 30 minutes every couple of weeks or 15 minutes a week (it should be more, but that’s about what I do.)

Guest blog. I’m a big fan of guest blogging for promotion (as well as having fun with writing). Not only is it an easy way to showcase your ability to write about a wide range of topics – or to showcase your expertise in your niche, take your pick – but if you’re smart you can also market yourself subtly. It’s all in the way you respond to comments. I write a lot about writing and blogging (as well as a whole lot of other things), so when I respond to comments I include something that shows I know what I’m talking about. I might refer to the length of my writing career or a relevant experience I had. I’m providing value to the commenter and the blog host, but other people who read my comments will also get a taste of what I can do. Time required: 1-2 hours depending on writing time and number of comments. That means about 12 minutes a week per post.

So what does that add up to? If you’re only doing each of these once each week, you would spend just under an hour a week on marketing. And you could do more and get even more benefit, because isn’t it worth it to spend a couple of hours of your time each week on marketing your services?

Productivity Tips

And just in case you’re having trouble making the time because you are too busy writing, here’s a list of some of our previous tips on writing productivity:

• Are You A Productive Writer?
• Are You Writing In The Most Efficient Way Possible?
• Be More Productive with Office Time
• Stop Multitasking from Killing Your Productivity
• Personal Productivity: An Interim Report
• Declutter To Improve Writing Productivity

What do you find most effective in marketing your business services? (Image:  chotda)

by Hayden Jackson

What does success as a writer look like on Elance? For me, it means working with great clients from all over the world, including worthy non-profit organizations, innovative tech startups, and interesting small businesses. It means only accepting work that pays professional fees. And it means working on projects that I’m proud to add to my growing portfolio.

And where does that kind of success begin? Not with delivering great work. Not with crafting a stand-out proposal. Before anything else can happen, successful Elance writers need a great profile.

Your profile is often your first point of contact with a potential buyer, and as a writer, it’s your chance to showcase your persuasive way with words. Yet many writers don’t make the most of their profiles on Elance, and it’s preventing them from making the most of this profitable freelance marketplace.

Don’t underestimate the power of your profile

If you have been putting all your efforts into crafting superstar proposals on Elance, pull back and take a closer look at your profile. Although proposals are important, a great profile can attract just as much business.

In two years, I have probably gained a dozen great, long-term clients who have contacted me directly after browsing my profile. The great thing about attracting clients in this way is that you don’t have to compete with other contractors to win their work. You’re pre-selected. You’ve pre-sold them on the value of your work, and you can confidently state your higher-than-average fee without worrying about being underbid by competitors.

Even in cases where you are one of many contractors bidding on a job, serious buyers WILL visit your profile, and if it stands out, it will win you the job.

So don’t neglect your profile and assume a great proposal is all you need to nose ahead of the competition.

Pump up the volume: Add creds, visuals, and substance to your profile

As a copywriter who specializes in writing for the web, I’m a big believer in saying things in as few words as possible. But when it comes to your Elance profile, less is NOT more. A sparse profile may be easy to scan, but it will look bare and underdeveloped next to a profile with lots of test scores, work samples, service descriptions, and so on. Fill your profile page with as much information as you can to make it look full, lively, and interesting:

Overview. Craft an overview that describes your best selling points and, if possible, put a testimonial from a previous client front and center. A third-party endorsement is far more powerful and convincing than anything you could say about yourself. If you can, include a link to the client’s website or LinkedIn.com profile so that readers can see that this is a legitimate testimonial from a real person.

Portfolio. Fill the portfolio section with your best work samples, and make sure the full range of your writing talents are represented: creative writing, marketing copy, reports, etc. Make sure they’re your most visually appealing pieces as well as your best written. Clients will respond more favourably to writing that is attractively laid out on a web page or print brochure than they will to an ordinary Word document.

Skills. Take some Elance tested skills. Although most Elance buyers won’t make a decision to hire you based on your tested skill scores, they do form part of the overall impression, and offer proven verification of you skill in specific areas such as business writing, creative writing, editing, and so on. They also fill out the page, making it look more populated and authoritative.

Service Description. Use this section to provide some details on the specific services you offer. It’s also a good idea to list every type of writing product you’re comfortable creating: brochures, newsletters, taglines, B2B letters, etc. Don’t be afraid to build a long list: buyers will appreciate knowing exactly what you can do for them, and they might see something on the list that they hadn’t even thought of: “Hayden ghost-writes blog posts? Our company blog is looking a little neglected these days—maybe we should ask about that service…”

Employment. If you have held jobs unrelated to writing, leave these off your employment list. Even if you were the CEO of PepsiCo, it’s not going to be of interest to prospective purchasers of your writing services. The only exception is when a job helps you write in a particular niche: for instance, your work as an RN will give you credibility if you plan to focus on health writing. Other than that, focus on writing jobs, and feel free to include freelance work here as well.

Here’s an extra tip: to pack an extra punch, you can include a short employer or client testimonial in the job description field. A testimonial straight from the employer or client will be much more compelling than a dry description of your specific duties.

Education. As with your employment, omit anything that’s not directly related to your writing career unless (as an example) you have a degree in biology and you specialize in science writing. If your education section is looking a little thin, there are a number of inexpensive writing and editing courses you can take online or through local continuing education. Your education list doesn’t have to be limited to degrees: you can include non-certification courses and workshops as well.

Get verified. Choose one or two of your most relevant and impressive credentials and get them verified. For US-based credentials, the fee to have them third-party verified is $15—for non-US-based credentials, it’s $25 per verification. Verifying your credentials provides an added layer of reassurance for your buyers, and it also improves your ranking on Elance, so you’ll be more visible in search results.

Make your Elance profile letter-perfect

One final tip—and it’s the most important of all. As a writer, your Elance profile should be proofed and proofed again until it’s letter-perfect. A single error will destroy your credibility among discerning buyers. Don’t just review it yourself—even if you’re an experienced writer, you’re sure to miss something. Make sure another writer or editor you trust looks it over carefully.

Hayden Jackson is a freelance writer and successful Elancer. She is also the author of “72 Insider Tips for Elance Writers,” a comprehensive guide to earning money and building a freelance writing career on Elance.com. Find more Elance tips and tricks on her blog at http://www.72tips.com.

by Danielle McGaw

It seems like every site you join these days has a profile section that they want you to fill in.  And it can be tempting to skip it and just get down to business but your profile is the place that people go when they want to know more about you.  And if you are a freelance writer that wants people to contact you for work, you need to have that profile filled out!

It is easy to forget that clients often use search engines to find out more about you.  If you would like to have more private clients it can be helpful to have your name easily found on the search engines.  If they find nothing about you, they might assume that you have little to no experience and choose someone else for the job.  If you have control of the information about you that is available online, you can influence their opinion.

Where Should I Fill Out Profiles?

I’m sure you already belong to sites that ask you to fill out a profile so some of these should seem familiar to you:

• Twitter: Twitter doesn’t leave you a lot of room to fill out a profile but it allows you to do two things that you should be concentrating on. You should remember to fill in the url to the main site that you want to refer potential clients to and you should make use of the 160 characters that they provide you to tell people about yourself.  I can tell you that I rarely follow back if the profile is not filled out.  And if you are a writer that wants work, how will people know that unless you say so?
• Facebook:   Facebook allows you to choose what is public and not public.  You may choose to keep your profile private but you can include your website on your public profile.
• LinkedIn:  LinkedIn is very public so treat it as it is intended – a professional profile!  One of the best things you can do is completely fill out your Summary with a well thought out description of who you are and what you do.  Use keywords that you would like people to find you with.  And don’t forget to include specialties – these are like tags.
• YouTube:  Even if you don’t make videos yourself you can have a YouTube Channel to display your favourite videos.  On your YouTube Channel you can include a website, an About Me section, and a title.
• Google Profile: Google profiles leave you a lot of room to share information about yourself – perhaps more information than any of the other social networks.  You can have a long Introduction that includes clickable and dofollow links; you can also include a Link List (that is also dofollow).
• Forums:  Forums are a great place to leave a profile so be sure to fill it out.  You can also create a signature that is included in each post and will also be featured on your profile.   If you participate in niche specific forums that are about the type of writing you specialize in, your profile is especially important.
• Blogger Profile: On the Blogger blogging platform you can fill out your profile with all sorts of details, including links.  If you have Blogger blogs you can include this profile on each one.
• Article marketing sites like InfoBarrel and Bukisa: If you are a freelance writer you probably do at least some article marketing or you might write for residual income on sites; make the most of your profile.  Most sites will allow you to leave links, too, and some of them are dofollow links.
• Profile pages like About.me and MyOnePage.com: These pages are specifically for creating a profile page online.  You have space to write about yourself and space to leave links.

What Should I Avoid Putting on My Profile?

The key thing to remember about profiles is that they should always be professional.  They are not a place to rant and rave about your personal pet peeves or people you don`t like – unless that is a niche that you want to establish yourself as an expert in.  Ask yourself if you would provide the information on your profile in an interview.  If the answer is no, then don’t share it.

The other thing you should remember is that you need to be safe so don’t include the following:

• Phone numbers
• Address of your home
• Addresses of places you work
• Social insurance number/social security number

What Should I Include on My Profile?

Profiles are a great place to sell yourself and your services but you shouldn’t sound like you’re selling yourself.

“I’m the best writer and you’ll never be unsatisfied with my services!  Order today while I still have time!” – this sounds very sales pitchy.

Work on producing tight, focused text that is revealing, attractive, and gives the reader the impression that your goal is purely to help them.  Make them believe that it is to their benefit to hire you over someone else because of the special skills you offer or the in depth client service that they will receive from you.  After reading your profile they should believe that you are the only person that they could hire for the job because there is something special about you.

If you have a small profile space to utilize make sure that you use specific wording that is descriptive enough to pack a punch in the word/character constraints.  You need to get their attention fast and then have a place for them to go.

For example, on my Twitter profile it says, “My words are for hire but the attention to detail and my excellent communication skills are FREE with every order! ” and the link directly under that goes to my professional freelance writer site where they can view samples, see my resume, read testimonials, and contact me, of course.

When you have more room, like on LinkedIn or Google Profiles, it doesn’t give you free reign to babble on randomly about whatever you want.  You should still keep your focus and bring the client’s attention to the things that are most important – in other words, how they can benefit from using your services.

Start filling out your profiles more thoroughly and with more thought and you are likely to experience better results from your activities online.  Social media is only useful for helping you get more writing work if people are aware of the fact that you are a writer and can see the benefits of hiring you.  Other web presences, like forums and profile page, increase your credibility and give you the opportunity to control what people find when they search for you online.

So what are you waiting for!  Get those profiles filled out, writers!

Danielle McGaw is a freelance writer that has been obsessed with writing since she learned how to hold a pen.  She lives in a small town in Canada where she writes daily and goes for coffee a lot.  You can visit her on her blog, The Social Media Freelancer or visit her professional freelance writer site if you would like to contact her.

Earlier this year, I changed the theme on my freelance writing portfolio site. It was part of giving the site – and my writing services – a more professional image. This week, I made another improvement, by hiring someone to upgrade my about page.

Sure, I could have written it myself. In fact, I have – several times – and it’s brought in some clients. But I wanted a completely new approach – and felt that I was too close to my own material to do it justice.  When I write for clients, I’m able to take a disinterested (in the original sense of the word) look at what they want to achieve, without getting bogged down in the emotional aspect of their business. That’s what helps me advise them on strategy and write great content. I wanted someone to do that for sharonhh.com – look at it with fresh eyes and give it some added pizzazz.

Of course, I didn’t choose just anyone. I picked Lea Woodward. Why?

• because she specializes in writing about pages. I’ve seen lots of examples of her work and thought they were excellent.
• because I’ve worked with Lea before on her Location Independent group of sites, so she knows my approach to work and the value that I offer from personal experience.

The process was simple. After completing the payment formalities, I filled out a form on Lea’s site, giving some basic info (there were a couple of unusual questions, but I won’t spoil the surprise). Lea had a look around my site, added the info from the form and provided a completely new about page in less than a week.

The Dot Net Connector Difference

So what’s different about it? The new about page:

• presents the basic information on my original about page in a new way, making it even more positive.
• adds some context to the things I do (like explaining ghostwriting and my interest in most topics).
• incorporates lots of testimonials – they have their own page, but they look great on the new page too.
• answers clients’ questions before they ask them (especially ‘how can I help you?’

A lot of that information is on the site already, but it wasn’t presented in this way – and the information from the form I filled in brought the page to life.  The beauty of this about page is that clients will find out all about me in a single place – they don’t even have to go to the testimonials or FAQ unless they really want to (though these are linked from the page, too).

Here’s part of the testimonial I gave Lea:

The final version melded it all together seamlessly, creating a compelling narrative of my professional life (with a couple of personal touches) that’s sure to appeal to my clients.

Colour me thrilled! What does your about page look like? Does it do you and your writing services justice?

Lessons that can help you promote your writing business are all around, if you know where to look for them, and I got a good lesson in how to approach potential clients from the guy who ended up installing our guttering. Here’s what happened.

1. Identify The Need

The guttering guy was doing an installation next door and saw that we had no guttering at the front of our house.

The lesson: keep your eyes peeled for chances to offer your writing (or other business services). When you know how to do something useful, and someone else isn’t doing it, that’s a business opportunity.

2. Make A Friendly Approach

The guttering guy came over and asked to speak to us. Of course we said yes – there’s never any harm in talking to someone. We weren’t able to talk to him right away, but set a time for later that day.

The lesson: Approach potential clients in a friendly manner. Some people are put off by a hard sell or overt marketing, but offering to have a chat isn’t threatening – and could end up benefiting your writing business.

3. Offer Help

Here’s where the guttering guy shone. After our chat, he offered to measure and provide a quote, no strings attached,  which he did within minutes. By this time, we were already impressed by his attitude.

The lesson: Be businesslike and show the client how you can help. Be prepared to outline your services and provide quotes if necessary. This is  a list of potential benefits. In this case, the guttering guy won the sale because he had pertinent facts and figures at his fingertips. He was able to say what the process was, how long it would take, what materials he would need and how the job had to be paid for. Sound familiar? In addition, he provided a tailor made solution for our circumstances, not a cookie cutter template.

4. Be Ready for Action

The next day, the guttering turned up with his materials and crew and started work and we had out guttering within a week.

The lesson: With a new client, timely follow up is essential to build the relationship. In this case, the guttering guy delivered what he promised and, in the main, stuck to the schedule. So you’d better believe that the next time we need guttering, we’ll be calling him (and we’ll recommend him to others, too.) Isn’t that what you want for your writing business?

(Photo: florriebassingbourn)

Would you believe it’s been nearly three years since my last writing link love fest? Nor could I, but the evidence is there.  This is something I always plan to do more often, but I never seem to get around to it. The posts listed here are posts I’ve shared (or starred) in Google Reader, and on Twitter, Facebook and Buzz. I hope you enjoy them. To make it a bit easier, I’ve broken them down into categories.

Posts on the Writing Business

• The 10 Best Web Apps for Freelancers (Freelance Switch)
• How to Stop Freelancing on the Weekends ( Dana Prince)
• 5 Ways to Fire A Client (Freelance Switch)
• Why Time Management is So Important for Freelance Writers (All Freelance Writing)
• There’s More to Freelancing Than Working from Home (Freelance Folder)
• How to Please Your Client Every Single Time (Men with Pens)
• What Kind of Writer Are You?  (Writer’s Bridge)

Posts on Getting Paid to Write

• How Writers Can Collect Unpaid Invoices (About Freelance Writing)
• Why You Should Never Charge Hourly (Freelance Folder)
• The Case for Blogging for Clients (All Freelance Writing)
• 5 Tips for Creating Passive Income for Freelance Writers (Quips and Tips)
• Are You Being Unfair by Charging One Client More than Another (Freelance Shack)

Posts on Getting Writing Gigs

• Craigslist: The Grand Experiment (All Freelance Writing)
• Want More Clients? Just Ask! (Freelance Switch)
• How to Decide Which Jobs to Take and When to Say No (Freelance Folder)
• 14 Places To Find Freelance Writing Jobs in 2010 (The Hidden Writer)
• Writing for Online Magazines – How to Find Work on the Web (Quips and Tips)
• Why You Should Look For Work on Your Doorstep (Writer’s Remorse)

Posts on Promotion

• Twitter for Freelance Writers: A Brief Primer (About Freelance Writing)
• The Five Unwritten Rules of Guest Posting on Blogs (Danny Brown)
• How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing (Techipedia)
• If You Don’t Feel You’re the Best, How Will You Convince Your Clients? (Freelance Writing Jobs)

Tools For Writers

• Every Time Zone Makes Elegant Sense of International Time (Lifehacker)
• Use GOOG-411 and Skype to Call Any U.S. or Canadian Business for Free [Free] – (Lifehacker)

Everything Else

• How To Find Free Stock Photos For Your Freelance Writing Blog (All Freelance Writing)
• The Ten Grand, Three Month, See The World Writer’s Retreat (Tumblemoose)
• What Does the “Free” in “Freelance” Mean to You? (Danielle McGaw)
• 7 Awesome Chrome Extensions for Writers (Danielle McGaw)
• Seven Ways to Find Your Writing Niche (Freelance Folder)
• How to Overcome Freelancing Stress (Freelance Folder)
• 52 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Social Media Company (Outspoken Media)
• Why You Can’t Underestimate the Importance of Community (Kommein)
• The Never Ending Quest To Get (More) Things Done: Is This The Answer?  (Lea Woodward)
• How to Sell a Blog: Part 1 – Having a Blog Worth Selling (Kommein)
• 11 Creative Ways to Avoid Becoming a Workaholic (Zen Habits)
• I Am Not Your Mother! Some Questions About Writing Drive Me Mad! (About Freelance Writing
• 10 Interview Tips That Lead to Better Storytelling (Wild Apricot)

Happy reading!

Networking is a key way to build your online writing profile.

Making money by writing online is a lot easier if your name is well known. Rather than constantly seeking out work, you’re more likely to be offered attractive jobs. So here are my top tips for promoting yourself online.

Maximise your email sig

The easiest first – make sure you use your email signature to market your skills. Describe your talents, and include a link to either your site or an example piece of work. You may consider updating your sig on a weekly basis to alert readers to your latest article or job.

Use social networks

Make sure you have an account in your name on the key social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Add updates regularly, sprinkling a good mix of both work related and social comments – you’re more likely to get friends and followers if you say things of interest rather than pure self-promotion.

Contribute to key forums

You may already read forums within your subject area, but make sure you join and contribute posts. Aim for quality rather than quantity, and try to build a reputation for expert opinions and contributions. Make sure you always use a consistent display name when registering on each site.

Edit Wikipedia

Think about registering as a Wikipedia editor in your specialist area. This is less of a public role, but you’ll become respected within the community and it will give a great addition to your CV. You’ll also get some great editing experience which will in turn improve your own writing and research skills.

Write for a rev share site

Open an account on a advert sharing site such as Wikinut – not only will you be able to generate cash from any existing articles you’ve written, but you’ll be able to build up an online portfolio within a community of online authors.

Join a freelancing site

Middlemen such as Elance will put you in touch with potential clients, and also allow you to submit a profile to their site.

Get in touch with old colleagues

Use professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to re-establish links with past work colleagues. You’ll also be able to submit a CV and work experience to these sites, so even if you’re just starting out as a writer you can show off your other skills and experience.

Become a guest poster

Contact blog owners you respect and send them some example guest posts. Ensure you try to target your writing for their style, and always provide a short bio of yourself. By building relationships with a few high traffic blogs you’ll be putting your name before potentially huge audiences.

Write a blog

Create a blog for yourself, as a show piece for your talents. Use it as a place to promote your work, recent jobs, as a portfolio, to air your thoughts on writing… basically, anything that puts you in a good light. Spend a bit of cash to get your own domain name for that professional look.

And finally

If you do have your own blog, ensure you spread your content far and wide. Utilise feeds such as RSS and Feedburner to syndicate your content. Create a mailing list, and send out regular newsletters with relevant, original content interspersed with your self-promotional content.

Andy Walton is a co-founder of Wikinut, a new publishing platform that pays lifetime royalties for your writing on a massive range of topics. Use promo code “5more” when joining www.wikinut.com today, and get an extra 5% in royalties. (Photo: lumaxart)

Those who get started in freelance writing can find that there are many clients who will pay writers to write for them on a wide array of topics. Writing on a lot of different subjects can definitely keep your job interesting. While learning how to research and pull information together quickly can help you get writing work, you might want to consider choosing a specialty writing niche (or two) as well.

Niche writers benefit in several ways:

• They become known as experts on a topic and can command higher writing rates as well as get plenty of unsolicited job offers.
• Self promotion is easier because you can target specific keywords and phrases. It’s going to be much harder to rank on page one of Google for “freelance writer” than a niche writing topic.
• Research time is diminished because you can draw on your expertise

How do you choose a writing niche?

Here are two considerations to choose your niche:

1. Write what you know
2. Write what you love

What do you know?

Many new freelance writers who are looking for writing work online have experience in a particular area. Your previous background can work to your advantage in your writing because you can draw on expertise from a previous job. A friend of mine was a lawyer looking to break into freelance writing so I suggested legal writing. If you have a legal background as a lawyer, paralegal, or law clerk you could become a legal writer.  If you were in the health field, you could draw on that experience and become a health writer. If you’ve got a technology background, you could be a tech blogger. The list goes on.

What do you love?

If there’s a topic you’re passionate about, you can strive to become known for your expertise in that area. When you’re researching and writing a lot about a particular topic, it doesn’t hurt to find it interesting so that you don’t run out of zest, ideas, or steam.

I’ve said it before and yes, it bears repeating: Freelancing is about freedom. While you’re not limited to writing just within your niche (unless that’s what you want to do), you’ll find that once you carve out a niche for yourself, those gigs will probably be the most profitable.

(photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mainrc)

Get your writing career on track with these promotion tips

I’ve been writing about promotion since 2005 and over that time, I’ve learned a lot about the topic.  Many people think Self Promotion: What’s The Point? My question to you is Are You Invisible? If you are then it’s time to find out about How To Build Your Own Buzz. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few of my other popular posts on promoting yourself, both generally and as a writer.

Promote Yourself With A Portfolio

• Blogging As Portfolio
• How To Prove You Can Write When You Have No Clips
• How To Create A Writing Portfolio

Writer Without Portfolio

Article Marketing

• Writing for ezines – a good way to build site traffic
• How To Market With Articles: Shameless Self-Promotion
• The Long Reach Of Article Marketing

Social Promotion

• Why Writers Should Use Social Bookmarking
• How To Promote Yourself With Squidoo
• The Promotion Power Of The Email Sig
• How To Promote Yourself Through Guest Blogging

Finally, check out my Promotion Is Free series, which looks at several aspects of self promotion.