I am over-the-top excited to introduce a former editor of mine, friend and social media queen, Mary Rarick:
Five Reasons Freelance Writers Should Use Twitter
The most common question I am asked of mommy bloggers and freelance writers is, “Do I really need to be on Twitter?” And my answer is always the same: Unless you know everyone you want to know you should be on Twitter.
Here are my top five reasons:
- Twitter is a level playing field. With the exception of people who “lock down” their accounts, there are no gate keepers on Twitter, so your opportunities are the same as anyone else’s. {Well, maybe not Oprah.} Would you like to cozy up to your hero? Follow her on Twitter.
- Twitter is all about creating connection and conversation. Passionate about peonies? Do a Twitter search on gardening and connect with other green thumbs. If you follow the right people, you’ll learn a ton.
- Twitter is a great place to crowd source. Ask a question and chances are your followers will not only provide you with a plethora of answers, they’ll also ask their followers to help you.
- Twitter is a great avenue to expand your audience and build your business. Remember: you don’t have to know someone in person to connect with her on Twitter. If you’re looking for new writing opportunities, follow publications and their editors. Start conversations and there’s a good possibility that you’ll get followed back. When you share your articles and blog posts with your Twitter followers, your audience will include these important thought leaders.
- The ultimate goal is to build relationships. Twitter offers you the opportunity to do that one tweet at a time.
Intrigued and want to hear more? I’ve recently collaborated on a little book we called the Twitter Tracker–a simple, convenient guide to help you plan, record and measure your success: SMObooks.com
Mary Rarick is a caffeine-addicted hyphen enthusiast, grammar geek and reformed editor; lover of shoes, vacuum cleaner tracks and compelling content; perennial cause adopter; hash tag abuser, connector and social media strategist. Follower her on Twitter @Mary_Rarick or connect with her via email RarickMary@gmail.com.
Mary, so great to read your post! Thanks for sharing the Twitter tips, they are helpful for this tweeting novice. I will check out your book, too — exciting! Jan, thanks for sharing Mary’s post with us.
Mary makes some great points about Twitter. After using Twitter, I have become a believer!
Great post! It certainly answers a lot of my questions.
Hi Kate,
She does give thorough answers.
j
There are so many good reasons to use Twitter and Mary highlighted many of them. Another way I use it is as a headline news service (think CNN Headline News). First I followed dozens of newspapers, wire services and magazines. Then I created a Twitter List called “Daily News” and added all those news feeds to it. Now I can use the list to do a quick scan of what’s happening in the world on a minute-by-minute basis.
I’ve also used lists to create real-time news feeds for all the beats I cover: technology, small business, finance, workplace issues, boomer issues. So if I’m working on a story and need a source, I can troll through my list.
Michelle
I was hesitant to join Twitter, but I’ve been on for about 10 months now and am definitely glad I joined. As a freelance writer, I’ve particularly found value in building relationships with others in the field and finding sources for stories.
Haley, that’s a great idea. I haven’t looked for sources on Twitter yet. I will now.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Liz, Jan, Kate and Michelle.
I love lists, too, Michelle; they’re a fantastic time saver.
Haley, the relationship-building aspect of Twitter is my very favorite return on my time investment. Twitter has enabled me to meet people I never would have had a chance to encounter in real life.
Jan, thank you so much for the opportunity to write a guest post on your blog.
Mary
Great article, Mary! Twitter has matured, and it’s not about what our dogs are doing. It’s a really useful business tool!
Thank you for sharing this. I have been meaning to start on Twitter for some time, but have been afraid to jump in. I will check out your guide. Thank you!