Freelance Writing – You could be the best wordsmith in the world, but if you don’t show off your freelance writing, people (and potential clients) can’t read your work, and you’ll never be a successful freelance writer. Fortunately, in today’s digital world, showing off your writing is easy – and completely free (at least most of the time). Want to know the best places to post and show off your work? Here are some of my favorites:
1. Your Freelance Writing portfolio site
You don’t want to put every piece on your portfolio site, but if you write something you’re particularly proud of or that really shows off your skills/knowledge, then post it on there ASAP. Your portfolio site is your best form of marketing. Keeping it up to date with fresh, quality content is key! (Both from an SEO perspective and for bringing in leads.)
If you don’t have your own portfolio site, check out this post I wrote on setting one up. You can also use Clippings.me to create one easily and quickly.
2. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the best tools out there to show off your freelance writing, offering you a great way to connect with potential clients, get advice, apply to jobs, solicit recommendations and even post content. There are three ways you can use LinkedIn to show off your work: The first is to post it on your profile. You can either add it as a publication or a project – whichever is more applicable. The second method is to simply share a link of your work in an update, so your connections can see and read it in their newsfeed.
You can also use LinkedIn’s new “write an article” option to post fresh content or re-post something you already wrote. These articles can show up in the site’s Pulse section and help you get more eyes on your work.
2. Medium
Billed as a “social publishing” platform, Medium offers you a way to both show off your freelance writing work and network with other writers, publishers, and professionals. You can use the site to post new content, or you can simply repost your already published work. Both are great strategies that can help you build a following.
The best part about Medium? It encourages interaction. People can follow your work, share it with others and even comment on it and start conversations around it. It can give you a serious boost in invisibility.
3. ClearVoice & Contently
Offering a one-two punch of marketing power, ClearVoice and Contently let you build an easy, visually appealing portfolio, while also connecting you with clients. Just enter the URLs of your work, and the sites will upload them automatically to your portfolio. Then, their clients (businesses from all across the world who need content) can find you, read your work and, if they like what they see, even hire you for a project.
The web is a big place, so these certainly aren’t the only places you can post your work. Are there any other sites you like to promote your writing on? Let me know in the comments.
Also read: 7 Steps to Avoiding Unplanned Plagiarism in Freelance Writing