You most likely have had a LinkedIn profile for several years and probably have been connecting with professional contacts through the social media tool for quite some time. As a content marketing writer, you should also use LinkedIn to find new clients and increase the likelihood of clients contacting your for content marketing projects.

1. Update Your Profile to Reflect Your Content Marketing Services

Look at your current LinkedIn profile to see if it accurately reflects your content marketing services and experience. In the professional headline field of your profile, make sure that you include a title such as content marketing writer, content marketing editor, or content marketing strategist. If you also do other types of writing, you can include multiple titles (up to three). My professional headline on my LinkedIn profile is Freelance Writer, Content Marketing, and Copywriter.

In the professional summary section, you should also include several sentences about your experience in content marketing writing. Write a summary that illustrates your understanding of content marketing and any specific content marketing skills you bring to a project, such as the ability to easily understand the needs of audience or your social media expertise. If you have a content marketing niche, mention it as well as include any relevant industry experience.  Be sure to also include any content marketing skills or projects in the experience section for each of your past positions.

2. Participate in Content Marketing Groups

There are a number of active and interesting LinkedIn Groups on content marketing, including Content Writers at Work, Content Marketing Group, Content Marketing Academy and Content Marketing Editors. Groups are a great way to read articles on the latest trends, find out about job openings, and interact with other content marketing writers and editors. Instead of promoting your services on the groups, post thoughtful responses to discussions to increase your reputation as content marketing writer and make new connections in the field.

3. Search for Companies Using Content Marketing

While most companies should be engaging in content marketing, it is often easier for a beginning content marketing writer to work with a business that is already creating effective content. LinkedIn is a goldmine for finding out information about prospective clients. One way is to browse open job positions using the key words ‘content’ and ‘content strategist’. You should also search for ‘copywriter‘ since many content marketing gigs are mistakenly listed as copywriting positions. Even if you are not interested in the position posted because it is full-time or onsite, the company may have a need for freelance content marketing writers and you can offer your services. Another way to use the search feature is to look for companies within your niche that have positions with the word ‘content’, such as Content Marketing or Content Strategist. If a company has a position devoted to content marketing, then there is also a good chance that they may have a need for freelancers now or in the future.

 How have you used LinkedIn to find content marketing writing gigs?