How to Promote Your Way to Freelance Writing Success

As a freelance writer there are two key elements of success. One of those is your freelance writing skill. The other is letting people know you are there, through promotion. This article will tell you why it's important for a freelance writer to have a web presence and will show how you can get one quickly.

Getting on the net is not a luxury for today's freelance writer. It's a necessity. The Internet is one of the first places people look for information and it's where they will expect to find you. They will look for work with your name on and they will look for a website. Why? Because freelance writing is a service and it's your business. And like any modern business you need to promote yourself through a web showcase.

Why Freelance Writers Need A Website

A website is an easy way for freelance writers to show what they can do. When I set up my own freelancing website, one of the first things I did was link to some of my work that was published on the web. The second thing I did was to find some old print articles, scan them in and stick them on the site. The reason was that it showed people who might hire me what I could write and how versatile I was.

Getting a website was my way of announcing to the world that I was there and I was ready to write. I put my resume and bio on it – and I devoted my energies to crafting a killer home page. It featured a brief introduction to me and my skills for the thousands who only spend 30 seconds on a site, as well as a longer version for those who stayed to browse.

Here's why I thought it was important:

1. Because my name is my brand and I wanted to show that my brand could be trusted by editors and potential clients.
    
2. Because writing is my business and I chose to treat it like one.
    
3. Because it was an efficient way of managing an online portfolio – no more sending out samples.
    
4. Because I could show my skills in all kinds of writing without being limited by an editor's commission.

Choosing A Website To Promote Freelance Writing

So what's the best way to get up and running quickly with a website? Some people like to go for free services, which is fine when you're starting out and are on a budget. However, if your finances can stretch to it, why not pay for hosting. It doesn't have to be expensive and it means you can have your own domain name which reflects the image you want to portray.

So what kind of domain name should you choose? I admit that I made a mistake when choosing mine. Remember, your name is your brand, so choose your own name if you're a writer. Another option is to choose a domain name that reflects your business, which is what I did. The trouble is that a year after choosing it I found I was doing less design work and more ghostwriting.

Once you have thought about the domain name you need, finding a host is easy. There are hundreds of them. Check the forums to see what people have to say and remember to plan ahead. You might not be planning to run a blog now, but you might in the future. Find out what add ons come with your hosting account.

You can also consider getting a blog. As long as you post regularly it will be indexed by the search engines and people will find it. With the latest version of Wordpress you can have a static front page and regularly updated content. And it's easy to manage, which might be a plus.

Whichever option you choose it's quick and easy to get up and running and build a web presence that will have clients coming to your door.

~Sharon Hurley Hall

Sharon Hurley Hall has worked as a writer and journalist for 20 years and now freelances successfully, working from home as a ghostwriter and web content writer. She is passionate about writing and has taught and mentored several people to help them develop successful freelance writing careers.