By Ralene Burke
Twitter is a valuable resource and a veritable ocean of opportunities for editors of all sorts. Whether an editor specializes in fiction or nonfiction, or works with authors or companies, there are potential clients for everyone on Twitter. The trick is learning how to find them.
So, let’s start with how to set yourself up so they find you.
How They Find You
Here is my current Twitter bio:
I wield a freelance editor’s sword & a fantasy author’s pen | Marketing Dir. For @RealmMakers | Homeschooler | Believer | BELLANOK: raleneburke.com/my-books/
- Fill out your bio section completely. Let people know you are an editor and even share what you specialize in. Make sure your bio is keyword rich so when people will search for editors, they’ll find your profile in the list.
- On the same note, leave space in your bio to share one or two personal things that will help people connect with you. While Twitter is more business-focused than Facebook, people still want to feel they relate with you on a more personal level.
- Note anything that might make you stand out from other editors.
- Consider your ideal client. When tweeting, choose your wording by what will catch the eye of your potential client. Retweet or share articles that are of interest to them. Provide value.
- Use the hashtags your client will be following. If you’re aiming for romance writers, use #romance or #romanticsuspense or #RWA. You might have to do a little research to see what hashtags your clients use. Also, try not to use more than two hashtags in one tweet.
How You Find Them
Sometimes, you need to take the initiative and put yourself out there. The more you jump in, help out, and provide value, the more people will follow you.
- Be helpful. Once you have hashtags picked out, you can click or search the hashtag and see all the latest tweets—who is using them and what they are saying. I have started many relationships—several that turned into clients—just by answering questions that pop up on the #amwriting hashtag.
- Become friends with other editors. If you share their content and make an effort to form a relationship, then the chance of them reciprocating increases. I am not at all encouraging you to forge false friendships for the purpose of getting them to share your content. I’m just saying it’s typically a natural consequence of forming real relationships.
- Find a few authors and or influencers in your target market to follow. Chances are the bigger names already have editors, but there is still a lot of information you can garner from them as well as finding potential clients in their circles.
- Follow publishing houses and such. Sometimes they put out job openings in their tweets!
These tips will help you to grow your Twitter platform as well as help you find potential clients. The more you provide value by way of information, encouragement, networking, etc., the more people will look to you. The more they look to you, the better chance you have of turning that relationship into a client.
Whether she’s wielding a fantasy writer’s pen or a freelance editor’s sword, Ralene Burke always has her head in some dreamer’s world. And her goal is to make it SHINE! She has worked for a variety of groups/companies, including Realm Makers, The Christian PEN, and as an editor for a number of freelance clients. Her first novel, Bellanok, is being published as a 4-part serial.
She is wife to a veteran and homeschooling mama to their three kids. Her Pinterest board would have you believe she is a master chef, excellent seamstress, and all-around crafty diva. If she only had the time . . .
You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her website.
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