How to Use Social Media to Get More Writing Jobs

The freelance writing life has never been easier or more accessible, thanks to digital technology and the shift toward hiring remote workers. One of the tools you can use to build up your roster of clients is social media. If you don’t yet have a professional Twitter or other social media account, sign up for one today—it’s free! Here are a few tips to help you start using social media to market your portfolio and secure writing jobs.

Draw a line between personal and professional accounts.

Even if you already have personal social media accounts, you should create new ones that reflect your professional brand. It’s also time to rethink the privacy settings on your personal accounts. You may need to tighten up your privacy settings to restrict what the outside world can see.

Decide what to share.

Everything you share on your professional social media accounts should reflect your brand. However, you don’t need to restrict yourself to sharing only industry-specific news. Potential clients and editors like to see a bit of personality as well, as long as it doesn’t go overboard. If you’re a fan of a sports team, by all means, root for your favorite players on your professional account. Love the latest book by Stephen King? Go ahead and tweet about it. Just be sure to sprinkle in posts that are relevant for your professional brand as well.

Follow the right people and companies.

It can take time to cultivate a following of your own. One way to get started is to follow the right people and companies. Let’s say you’re a copywriter who wants to break into the health and wellness field. Search for and follow influencers in this field, such as diet book authors and editors of informational yoga websites, as well as companies like addiction rehab centers and gyms. Focus on influencers in your particular niche of interest.

Or, let’s say you’d love to break into magazine writing. Follow the editors of publications you’d like to write for, focusing first on smaller, regional publications. You might also want to follow the writers who already write for those publications. Get a sense of the content they share online, and use it as inspiration for your own social media marketing campaign.

Interact in meaningful ways.

Simply following influencers isn’t enough to get noticed and get writing jobs. You’ll also need to draw their attention to you and your services. It’s best not to be overly aggressive. Instead, try to interact with them in meaningful ways, such as by leaving comments on their posts. You could compliment an article you read on their magazine or website, for example. Over time, you should start to get noticed by potential clients and acquire a following of your own.

Share your own content.

Your social media accounts are a great place to publicize your own content, such as the clips you upload to your online portfolio or blog. In each social media post, write a teaser for the piece and encourage readers to click on the link and continue reading.

Get your own professional profile and portfolio by becoming a member of Writers Work today. You can link your profile to your social media accounts to increase the visibility of your own personal brand. Plus, get access to tons of training tools and resources, and post your profile in the Writers Marketplace to have the best access to writing jobs!