Is Social Media Worthwhile for Freelance Writers?

My fellow freelance writers often ask me:

Is it worth joining social media sites to promote your services, or is a writer’s time better spent, ya know, actually writing and stuff?

Now, while I may not exactly be the most tech-savvy person on the planet, I do know writing. And I know my business.

With this in mind, my response to this question can be expressed in two simple words: 

DO. IT.

For much longer than I care to admit, I was stubbornly and foolishly convinced that online social networking would somehow lead to my doom. So I refused to utilise it for years and stuck to using carrier pigeons and telegrams instead. 

What was I thinking?

Joining LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest, along with any other social networking site you’d care to mention, exposes your freelance business to an international audience, a great many of whom could be potential clients.

And the real clincher? It’s all for free.

Aside from this, I found something even better that I hadn’t anticipated – I discovered a whole community of like-minded freelance writers who support, encourage and inspire each other. 

Now, as someone who works from home and spends most of their working life alone, the Twitter writing community has given me a sense of camaraderie that I hadn’t even realised I was missing.

What else have I learnt?

Well, I’ve discovered that the key to getting the most out of social media is simple and can be summarised in three concise points:

                         1. ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE

                         2. ENGAGE PEOPLE

                         3. THEN ENGAGE SOME MORE

This doesn’t mean that you should quit your job, shun your family and dedicate every second of your waking life to the fickle mistress that is social media. 

What it does mean is that you need to be active on a regular basis.

And by active, I do not mean spamming people’s feeds with endless self-promotional waffle. I mean by engaging with people.

Talk, like, share, retweet.

See what people are talking about in your industry and add your two pennies. 

It really is as simple as that.

You’d be a fool not to take advantage.

And I’m saying that as someone who ignored this for so long and was stupid to the extent that I may as well have been walking around with clown shoes, a jester hat and moron tattooed to my forehead. 

So don’t be like me and make such a silly mistake.

If you’re not already taking advantage of social networking to connect with like-minded folk and promote your product, services or business, then get to it double-quick. 

If you’re new to Twitter and don’t know where to start or who to follow, I’m going to be sneaky and self-serving by suggesting you follow me.

Then, check out the list of who I’m following and you’ll find the names of loads of great writers (of both the copywriting and fiction variety, plus a few poets throw in for good measure).

Now you’re ready to get networking!

Picture Credit: Freestocks.org, Unsplash