Ever wonder how professional writers find their work? How about you?
You’re probably thinking about becoming a writer, whether you’ve always dreamed about it or whether it’s recently occurred to you. No matter what, it’s a great idea to dive in, but how do you begin your writing journey?
Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you launch your writing career, including a few that can be applied to increase your odds of success.
In this article, you’ll learn about five steps you can follow to advertise and market your online writing business.
1. Find Your Niche
The first step in the writing process is to find your niche. As a writer, you’ll want to establish yourself as an expert in your field and become familiar with the terminology used. To do this, you can read academic papers, trade magazines, or scan the internet for blogs in your niche. By familiarizing yourself with the different sub-fields and their associated terms, you’ll be able to choose the right keywords and gain credibility in your niche. Once you find your niche, you’ll have a clear understanding of what you’re communicating and will be able to write compelling pitches, press releases, and website content that resonates with your target audience.
2. Build a Great Website
A great website is an essential part of any writer’s toolkit. Your web presence will establish you as an expert in your field, allow potential customers to learn more about your writing business, and provide a venue for readers to stay informed about the topics you cover. To put it simply, a quality website will always garner more interest and business opportunities than a poor-quality one. When choosing a web host, make sure to go with a company that has a reliable, quality service equipped with all the necessary functionality you need to succeed as a writer. A simple but effective way to find the right hosting company is to compare their prices and features against those of their competitors. When building your website, bear in mind that you’re trying to appeal to as many people as possible, so make sure the content is accessible, easy to understand, and interesting. Include videos, graphics, and useful tools such as keyword generators to make your site as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible. When designing your site, make sure to keep the language professional and simple.
3. Create Great Content
Once you have a quality site, you can start creating content. This content can take any form you choose—from whitepapers, to e-books, to online courses—but it must be engaging and memorable. When crafting this content, be sure to keep the target audience in mind and develop a sense of what they want to see, what they need to hear, and what will make them feel confident in your ability to provide effective and relevant advice. To get started, you can take a look at the trending topics on Twitter and see what topics are gaining popularity among consumers. You can then use this as inspiration to create content on your own blog or website to discuss and analyze these trending topics. Alternatively, you can interview subject matter experts in your field to learn more about the trends and how they’re affecting your chosen niche.
4. Build Your Email List
There are many ways to build an email list, but none of them are effective if you don’t use a reputable source. One of the simplest and most effective methods is to ask people to sign up for your email list. When someone signs up for your list, they’re giving you their email address and declaring they’re interested in your content. As a writer, you’ll have access to a wide array of platforms—from LinkedIn to Facebook—to collect emails from potential customers. Make sure to never give out your personal email address on your site or in your emails, and make sure to never spam your subscribers. Even if you think you’re not generating revenue from your email campaign, you’re still obligated to follow the CAN-SPAM Act, which is a federal law that requires you to provide your subscribers with a way to unsubscribe at any time.
5. Use Social Media
With so much competition, it’s essential to find ways to stand out from the crowd. While traditional methods of advertising, such as television and radio, still have their place, social media is quickly becoming the world’s preferred method of communication. Platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn are heavily used by professionals looking for new ways to connect with potential customers. When used effectively, social media can be an effective tool in both marketing and advertising a business. To start, try using social media to follow and connect with subject matter experts in your field to see what’s being said and how you can contribute value to the conversation.
Launch Your Writing Business
Once you’ve built a quality website, created engaging content, and started collecting emails, you can finally start generating revenue. Choose one of the many lucrative niches associated with content creation, such as content marketing or SEO writing, and dive in.
From there, it’s up to you. What will you do with all this newfound freedom? Will you write for the pure pleasure of it or will you use this newfound ability to help others? No matter what, your writing journey has just begun.