As a freelance writer, you can’t just focus on your writing and be done with it - you need to be able to advertise yourself and your services both online and off. This means that you need to know what your USP is, find your target market and hit them with a brilliant sales pitch before the competition can even have a chance.

You may not think it, but the freelance writing market is incredibly competitive and you need to have your wits about you! If you are struggling to make your name as a writer, you need to get your advertising hat on and drum up some business for yourself.

Go to Networking Events

No freelancer (that I know of!) really likes networking, but it is a necessity if you want to build a real network of contacts. You might think that networking is all about a group of people meeting to try and get work from one another and in a way you are right.

However, it is important that you go in with an open mind and think more about how you can help others than outwardly trying to score a contract.

Above all, networking is about getting connected to a range of people. This means that even if a person you meet isn’t going to work with you, they may have another person to introduce you to later down the line and vice versa.

To make sure that people can get in touch with you later, always offer a business card. This is a great technique for shy people especially as swapping cards makes it easier to invite people to get in touch with you later on.  

Go to Conventions

Almost every industry has a convention at some point in the year and if you want to make the most of it, grab a stall, set yourself up and entice people over to chat about your services. Make sure that your stall fully represents you, your services and your values with examples of your writing.

To fill your space and make posters that detail your services, you website and how to get in touch. Then all you need are some banner hangers to display your posters and you are away. You should also leave business cards on the table so that people are able to just pick one up and move on.

Work Your Website

Your website is a great way to bring new business in so you need to make sure that it is fully optimised for its purpose. Write a regular blog to add content to your site and promote it via social media to draw people in.

Similarly, you should display examples of your work so that prospective customers can see what your writing style is like and the kind of niches you go for. Build up your portfolio with your strongest pieces and keep an up-to-date resume too.

As you would during a networking event or convention, make sure that personal touches come through on your website. Remember: your customers are buying into you as much as your services.