Freelance writers are often in a disadvantaged position in the modern economy. They are expected to perform hours upon hours of work and then market that work in a crowded marketplace. In many cases, it is possible for individuals to become overwhelmed by this prospect. The writing abilities that they have do not always translate to marketing. Nevertheless, these individuals should not despair. There are a few basic steps that individuals can take to market their work and optimize their writing for social media.

Focus on headlines

Headlines are one of the most important aspects of freelance writing for social media. They are often the first interaction that the public has with an individual’s work. Freelance writers have to spend time perfecting and analyzing their headlines. They have to make sure that those headlines are properly worded and are tested for their appeal to a wide public. Many freelance writers use the tools of search engine optimization (SEO) in order to learn this connection. SEO involves picking the right headlines that will be viewed by the most potential visitors to an individual’s website on a wide variety of search engines and social media platforms. Writing the headline requires almost as much time and care as writing an effective short article.

Expand your audience

One common way of expanding an audience is by using different social media platforms. Freelance writing should be tailored to the platforms that an individual wants to work with. A particular article that is successful on Pinterest may not be as popular on Facebook or Twitter. However, freelance writers are often focused on gaining as many followers and views as possible. They should be willing to explore the opportunities offered by multiple networks with multiple headlines. Writers like Colby Lee Burke are able to tailor messages to these networks and gain a considerable amount of travel writing success. More social media platforms mean more viewers, more engagement, and the expansion of an individual’s base of readers.

Engage with commenters

Commenters are the secret to social media success for freelance writers. These are the individuals who engage with a post and write either in support or disapproval of an individual’s work. They are often seen as annoying or harassing. In some cases, they are in fact bad faith actors. These commenters should certainly be ignored by a freelance writer. But in the vast majority of cases, commenters are an opportunity to expand an individual’s reach and the depth and breadth of their social media support. A comment on a post is a method of engagement that shows an individual who is interested in their work and what support they may have. Comments on a post can be liked and shared. There can be replies that are either supportive or dismissive. Those replies serve as more content that can be viewed and shared by social media followers. In some cases, a clever reply to a comment can result in more social media traffic than an original post of freelance writing.

The job of being a freelance writer often seems daunting. There are no institutions to support an individual and no benefits systems to help them if they submit a poorly viewed article. Instead, successful freelance writers like Colby Lee Burke have to optimize their own work for the social media landscape. By taking these basic steps, writers can better position their work for likes, clicks, and eventual income from their work.