Freelance writer Angie Gambino, one of myLinkedIn connections, invited me to respond to her question on how freelancers can use Twitter.
I came up with several ideas and added more to the list:
- Follow journalists in your target market. Regardless of whether they follow you, pay attention to what they’re tweeting. Retweet some of their content that’s of interest to people who follow you.
- You probably have a “dream list” of magazines, newspapers, etc. you’d like to buy your articles. Find out if the editors of those publications are on Twitter. If so, follow them. They may follow you back. Do your research at JournalistTweets.com, JustTweetIt.com, MediaonTwitter.com and TwitteringJournalists.pbworks.com.
- Search for journalists at Search.Twitter.com. Search by job title. For example, if you’re looking for assignment editors, search for “assignment editor” and “#assignmenteditor” and variations.
- Also use Search.Twitter.com to find sources.
- Do you review books? If so, discuss the types of books you review and some of your favorites.
- Offer advice on how the media can work with freelancers.
- Offer tips for people who want to make money freelancing. Is the market saturated?
- Link to your blog posts. (You ARE blogging, aren’t you? If not, see “Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging.”)
- Which writers do you admire?
- Cast your net on Twitter for specific types of sources you’re seeking.
How about it freelancers? What have I missed?
Joan,
Thanks for a good list of ideas on how to use Twitter for connecting with journalists. Some of your links here are very interesting & I’ll be trying them out, as well as tweeting this page to my followers.
Journalists now are tasked with not only producing compelling stories, but also reinventing themselves to succeed in a post-print world. Social networking and self-promotion through Twitter & sites like LinkedIn are not only vital to survival but also give writers a chance to brainstorm, collaborate, encourage and self-publish worldwide and immediately.
Keep up the good resource sharing!
Ann Shea, visitors here would be interested in seeing some of your suggestions for connecting with other freelancers online.