If you’re going to hire someone you’ve never met, you want to have as much information as possible before making a decision. Every time you pitch a client, you’re competing against a lot of other people and in some cases, your online presence can be the deciding factor.
By ‘presence’, I mean whatever people can find when they Google (or you know, Bing) your name. These days, most businesses will run at least a perfunctory search before hiring anyone. That means you need to build an online presence that makes you look as good as possible for when that happens.
In this article, we’ll talk a bit more about why your online presence is so important. Then we’ll discuss some tips to help you perfect yours. Let’s dig in!
Why You Need an Online Presence as a Freelance Writer
Nowadays, it’s pretty rare to run into a business without an online presence. Almost every store, restaurant, and brand you look into will have a website, social media accounts, and more.
The reason why businesses worry so much about their online presence is people do a lot of research before making purchases. If you’re going to buy anything that’s even moderately expensive, you’ll probably Google for options beforehand and compare results.
That same logic applies to services. As freelancers, we basically run an online business. A lot (if not most) potential clients will Google your name, email address, and more to see what they can find out about you. In my case, clients often confuse me with a real estate mogul:
If they can’t find anything or they don’t like what they see, then you can lose any chance you had of landing a new project. On the other hand, if you’re active on social media, have a website, and there are tons of results attached to your name, that gives off the impression of someone who can be trusted.
How to Build an Online Presence as a Freelance Writer (4 Tips)
Chances are you already have an online presence unless you’ve been living in a cave without internet. However, there’s a difference between a ‘regular’ online presence and the look you want to project as a professional. Let’s go over some tips to help make you more hireable!
1. Get Your Portfolio Set Up First
We’ve talked ad nauseum about portfolios in the past. As a freelancer, your first move should be to get a portfolio set up, publish some pieces you can show off there, and have it ready to go when you start pitching clients.
The difference that having a portfolio makes is huge. Even if you’ve already been published on several websites, just being able to point people towards a site that’s all about you makes you look great.
If your portfolio isn’t ready to go yet, you can use WordPress to get a quick start. Once it’s up and running, you can move on to the more advanced steps.
2. Curate Your Social Media Feeds (But Don’t Hide Your Personality)
Most of us have a unique style on our social media accounts. If you were to look me up on social media, you’d find a lot of cute animal GIFs and a mix of articles I find interesting. It’s not the most professional look, but I’m not looking to establish a presence that’s too curated.
When I say you need to curate what you share on social media, I mean to avoid massive red flags, such as:
- Sharing offensive or illegal content.
- Getting into public fights with other users over social media.
- Spamming links to your own content all day long.
Some freelancers are all about business on social media. It’s a valid approach, but it’s also boring and it doesn’t show off any of your personality.
The truth is, some people will want to hire the guy who only shares professional articles on his feed. Others will go for the person who doesn’t hide their personality since it gives them an idea of whether they can work together.
In any case, the golden rule for social media as a freelancer is, if you’re embarrassed about the idea of people finding your profiles, then you’re doing something wrong.
3. Engage With Other Writers and Accounts in Your Niche
There’s no shortage of freelance writers online. However, at times, you’d be surprised at how small that community feels. Outside of networking events, online groups, and chats, you don’t get to meet a lot of people who make a living from writing online.
As a freelance writer, it’s always a smart idea to try and expand your professional circle. It can lead to more work opportunities and it reassures potential clients you’re not some random guy who’s going to disappear with their money.
If you want to maximize your online presence while engaging with other writers and websites, there are two main ways to do it:
- Comment on other blog posts within related niches using your name.
- Interact with other writers and freelancers via social media.
It sounds mechanical when I put it like that, but it’s pretty easy to put into action. When you see any content you find interesting, try and add your two cents to it. Those interactions can show up when potential clients look for your name. If they make you sound smart (which of course you are), then bonus points for you.
4. Update Your Portfolio and Social Media Accounts Regularly
When we look up something online, we tend not to trust outdated results. Even if the information is good, we’re conditioned to think that newer is better and the same applies to an online presence.
If your portfolio looks like you built it in the early 2000s and it doesn’t show off any recent work, then I’m going to think you went out of business.
As a freelancer, you want to make sure your portfolio looks both professional and modern. On that same note, you want to make sure you’re showing off your best work and update that from time to time, so it doesn’t look like you’ve got nothing going on.
The same goes for social media – if you’re not using a platform anymore, delete that account. It’s better to only be active on one or two platforms than to have dozens of accounts cluttering the results when someone looks you up, only to find nothing of interest in there.
Conclusion
Curating your online presence as a freelance writer is a tricky business. You want to show clients you’re professional and you know your stuff. However, you also want to avoid giving the impression that you’re all about business.
What I recommend is, don’t build a fake online persona for your business. Take the time to share interesting posts and articles you’ve written, but also engage with other users. For a lot of potential clients, an overly generic online presence can be a bigger turn-off than none at all.
Do you have any questions about how to curate your online presence as a freelance writer? Ask away in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay.