How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Freelance Writing and Land Jobs

Hello! You are on the channel Cryptograph, thanks for reading me! Every positive and kind comment, like a ray of sun in my palm)

The article is subjective and expresses the personal opinion of the author.

For once, hiding behind your computer has its perks.

LinkedIn is the resume’s less buttoned-up, more casual brother. LinkedIn wears jeans instead of khakis. He looks great in a tie, but he doesn’t put one on every day. Instead of boring you with industry speak, he’ll charm you with relatable stories and then throw in a plug for his professional skills every now and then.

LinkedIn takes your resume and humanizes it, fleshes it out and clarifies how your past can help your client’s future. Don’t forget the “social” part. This is a social media platform, first and foremost. It’s aim is unique, though: LinkedIn is a marketing tool that helps you sell yourself.

Here’s how LinkedIn can help you use your online profile the right way so you can get a job in real life — because you probably shouldn’t stay behind your computer. Set up coffee dates with contacts, say “yes” to that live interview, and attend an industry mixer or two, all with some starting help from LinkedIn.

Create Your Profile

Creating your profile isn’t busy work that keeps you from searching for a job. It’s the thing that recruiters will find when they’re searching for someone with your skills. It’s also the place potential clients or employers will go when they’re deciding if you’re a good fit.

Here are a few tips for setting up your profile:

• Stay away from stuffy business-speak. You can express your knowledge and showcase that you understand a specific industry, but don’t write a report.
• Avoid buzzwords. Every LinkedIn profile includes the words “skilled” and “motivated.” Show instead of tell by including examples, stats, and portfolio samples.
• Highlight your niche(s). B2B isn’t a niche, it’s an audience. Your niche may be the IT industry, pet supply companies, or wedding vendors. Your niche and expertise will also inform your keywords, like “real estate writer” or “Facebook ad copy writer.”
• When writing your summary, think about what the client needs. Separate what you do from why you do it. Writing articles about on-trend topics in the fashion industry is a “what.” Dazzling readers with insider news from behind-the-scenes at Fashion Week’s biggest shows is the “why” your client mostly cares about, though.
• Include a lot of experience on your LinkedIn profile. Yes, you want a majority of it to focus on your career goals and highlight relevant experience, but you never know when that job you had in college as a ski instructor will peak an employer’s interest.

Promote Your Work

LinkedIn has a few options for promoting your work:

1. Add portfolio samples. Upload PDFs of your best articles or pieces of writing, or add links or other types of projects to showcase your work.
2. Add a link to your blog on your profile.
3. Use the publishing platform. You can share the full copy of a post from your own blog or write a custom article just for your LinkedIn audience.
4. When you have a new article that’s been published online, post about it and include the link.

When using the LinkedIn publishing platform, think about your audience. Who are you connected with? Let’s say you’re a real estate writer and you want to work for a real estate marketing company. What type of content would they want you to write for them? Since they’re catering to realtors who need help marketing their properties, they could ask for an article like, “How to Attract Buyers to Your Luxury Listing.” Write it up and publish it on LinkedIn to show that you can do what your target client needs.

When it comes to publishing, you don’t have to write something nonfiction and highly targeted. You can also use the platform to show off your most creative work if that’s the type of field you want to break into.

Searching for Jobs on LinkedIn

Companies pay to post job advertisements on LinkedIn, and you can search those ads based on demographics like industry and location. Since posting job ads costs companies money, you can be sure that they’re serious about finding a good match.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to a full-time position and offer them contractor or freelance services instead. They may need someone temporarily as they continue to look for a full-time employee — or they could decide that they’d prefer working with a freelancer as talented and professional as you.

You can also start on other social media platforms or job boards and then connect with those companies on LinkedIn. For example, let’s say you usually hear about writing gigs on Facebook and you want to reach out to a few. By contacting them on LinkedIn instead of Facebook, they’ll be able to immediately see your profile and credentials.

Networking on LinkedIn

The true power of LinkedIn lies in its networking opportunities. You can build connections if you don’t have any yet, or you can connect with all of your current and past collaborators, clients, and employers to expand your reach.

Here are a few tips for networking with LinkedIn:

• Check out who’s viewed your profile, then send them a message. Familiarize yourself with writing a cold email. Since you already have their LinkedIn profile, it’ll be easy to customize the message with their name and to their business.
• Looking at someone else’s profile may have a similar effect. You could stoke their interest and prompt them to reach out to you.
• Improve your social proof by asking collaborators and clients to leave you a testimonial.
• Join a group. You can connect with other writers to discuss things like rates and tricky client issues, and you may also hear about potential jobs.
• When you connect with someone in your area, ask if they want to meet up in person. No amount of social media savvy can replace a face-to-face connection.

LinkedIn is possibly the most powerful social media platform for professionals. Leverage it to connect with other writers and to seek out the best job opportunities.

And if you friends liked this small but kind story, then support it, like it, Subscribe to the channel, comment and just go back. Thank you for attention!