Making waves – self-marketing and promotion for writers

There are many different things you may be wishing to promote as a writer – the fact that you offer your SEO-stuffed copywriting services for businesses, your newest chapbook collection launching imminently, or even the short story that you are pleasantly surprised got accepted by a journal.

No matter the reason, to get the word spread far and wide about whatever you’re writing, there are a few good ideas to have a go at to get you started. Depending on your experience in using each of these methods (or your resilience in learning more!) you can try a little bit of everything or focus your efforts on a chosen few that work for you.

Social media platforms

Yep, everyone and their nan raves about social media platforms, so by now you’ve definitely already got an account on at least one. You don’t need me to tell you that they all give you virtual ‘good person’ points based on your posts, so ensure you are using hashtags, post at the right times and alter your content for the platform it’s on – i.e, no links on Instagram (they can’t be hyperlinked), and remember to put content on TikTok too!

You can join Facebook groups to network, share or seek advice, and build up a following. Consistency is key, no matter which platform you choose, so choose interesting and varied content to post. Depending on how much you’re willing to share, you could share a behind-the-scenes storyboard, character concept art, polls, sneak peeks, excerpts, quotes, how-tos… anything you can think of can be useful content!

Along these lines, if you have a website or some other compendium of your work, you may want to make yourself aware of SEO and other advertising methods, as this will be able to bring more people in and get the word out!

Awards and competitions

Not only are competitions great practice for writing around a specific word limit, genre or topic, but some competitions offer prizes for placement finishes! It can be a good way of getting the creative juices flowing whilst you have fun – and if you’re reading previous issues of a magazine or journal to learn the house style, you’ll also be inspired by the author archives!

There are competitions running specifically for new writers, and also some that will lead to publication for successful entries. There’s always something on, so read widely and give it a go! There’s a previous post here about dipping your feet into the waters of writing submissions.

Self-promotion and DIY marketing

You may want to host a portfolio of your work with previously published articles or samples of your work, which can help freelancers as they can provide these examples to their clients to give more of an impression of their skills. Additionally, having a hub or base for your work, whether that’s a website or some sort of profile, be it on social media or some other format, can make it easier to collate your previously published work to keep track of.

Marketable plushies?!

So, there you have it – not once have I mentioned going out and ordering 10,000 customised business cards, but if that’s what you want, go for it! Nothing beats good old fashioned networking, whether that is online or in person, so give it a go and don’t spread yourself too thin!