Writing With Purpose

Although you may start out copywriting via sites like Elance.com, where you pay for the privilege to bid on jobs and make connections with potential buyers, you will want to start advertising as a freelance writer. Then, you will eventually establish a faithful client base, and you can keep more of your profits for yourself.

Time vs. Money

How you let potential clients know that you are available for their writing needs is up to you. Personally, why pay money, if you can spend a little of your time and get the job done for free. Especially if you are just starting out, or you only plan on writing part-time in the evenings, you do not want to eat up all of your profits paying someone else to promote your writing skills. In essence, you will be doing for yourself what other people are paying for you to do for them.

Here are 4 free ways you can advertise your freelance writing:

• Article Marketing
• Blogs
• Free Press Releases
• Social Networking Sites

Don’t limit yourself to one freelance advertising resource. Use all 4. In fact, if you know of more free opportunities that I have not mentioned here, use them too! The more you make the effort to get the word out, the better your business will thrive.

Article Marketing

Article marketing is not difficult. After all, you are writing articles for clients. The only difference is that you are taking time to write for yourself. One of my favorite places to get the word out by writing a short article is ezinearticles.com.l

Although you cannot directly advertise yourself, you can write informative articles on subjects related to your business. Then, you embed a couple of well-placed links, so readers will come to you for more information. For example, I have another website, Living with Cerebral Palsy, and I want to let readers know about it. So, I wrote an article and posted it free on Ezinearticles.com called Conversation on Living with Cerebral Palsy. With a link in the body and a link in the bio box, I have just let readers know that I have a site dedicated to CP.

Blogs

Okay. Look at the section about article marketing that I just completed. Do you see those links? Each one of those links directs you to a site related to the information discussed. In addition, they are all related to work I have done. Normally, you probably will not have quite so many links in your blog. After all, you do not want to wear out your readers by making them hop all over the Internet.

However, for the purposes of this article, it definitely illustrates why blogs are such a great tool for advertising yourself. You give the reader good, informative content. Google and other search engines love that idea. They are more likely to pick you up. But, it also directs the reader to a place they can learn more and hire you, if needed.

Free Press Releases

Sending out a press release is much the same as article marketing. However, the format of the writing is more streamlined and to the point. It is more like an informative announcement of the services you provide and how individuals can avail themselves of your talents.

Thankfully, if you have not done so before, most of the free sites will offer examples. See how a good press release is written, and simply follow the same format. After checking out about 20 different sites, my 4 favorites are:

1. PRLog.org
2. Free-Press-Release.com
3. Press-Base.com
4. ClickPress.com

Social Networking Sites

Finally, use social networking sites for more than just chatting with your long lost friends. You can plug-in a social networking tool on your blog. Then, it is really simple. For instance, after I finish this blog entry, I am going to the social networking icons at the end of my post. I am going to click on them and post a link back to this very article, if readers want to know more about the subject, me, or what I can do for them.

Now you have 4 good advertising resources to think about. If you have any questions, or you have some other great free advertising resources that I have not mentioned, please pass along a comment, and let the other readers know how they can better advertise themselves as freelance writers.

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