It can get hard to get off the ground while starting your freelance writing business. This is especially true if you have quit your day job and you’re yet to get your first assignment. The pressure can be extremely agonizing. All you need to do is leave your worries aside and get down to business. Here are five ways you can promote yourself as a freelance writer and get a regular stream of work:

Create a Portfolio 

A portfolio would help you to showcase your work to your clients with a quick link. The first step to create one is to get published on some of the existing blogs or magazines as a guest author. Once you have a bunch of published articles and client work, (including websites, and newsletter content, etc.) you can make use of portfolio sites like Contently and Clippings.me to put up your published clippings. I created my portfolio on Contently before I quit my full-time job to get into freelance writing.

Throw up a Website

A website is a great way to promote yourself as a freelance writer. You can create a site on a free platform like Tumblr or WordPress. You can create one to help fellow writers or choose a specific niche. As a writer specializing in the content marketing niche, I created this website: http://prolificcontentmarketing.club. I try publishing at least once every month to help get more readers and visibility.

Sign Up on Medium

Medium is a haven for writers. It’s a place to create a blog and start writing just about anything you like. You’ll find a host of publications where you can submit your work and present your writing to bigger groups. You can interact with fellow writers in popular publications like The Creative Cafe, The Writing Cooperative, Curiosity Never Killed the Writer and many more. You’ll also find publications like Better Humans that pay writers up to $500 for accepted submissions. The Medium partner program is another great avenue to get paid while you publish on this vibrant platform.

Promote Yourself on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an excellent place for professional networking and publishing. The platform helps you to connect with potential clients display your work and grab new assignments. You can publish articles and post updates to get visibility among connections. I often use the search feature to look for people and content related to terms like ‘hiring writers’ or ‘hiring B2B writers’. I have often used the professional network to pitch and win new clients through direct messages.

Write a Book 

Another way to showcase your work as a writer is to self-publish a book. There are a host of options to publish your book for less ($200-$300) and if you decide to publish online then it’s almost free. Your book would earn you a passive income and a favorable reputation. Most successful freelance writers have published books that either help fellow writers or a niche audience. ‘Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer’, by Moira Allen is a good example in the writing niche while Seth Godin’s ‘Permission Marketing’ is extremely popular in the marketing niche.

Get Started and Get Going

It can feel like a daunting task to market yourself as a freelance writer. But the initial effort will surely reap long-term benefits in terms of regular and well-paying clients.

Author Bio: Abhishek Talreja is a passionate writer, a curious content marketer, and the founder of Prolific Content Marketing. He has been published on sites like MarketingProfs, Techinasia, and SitePoint. He is based out of New Delhi.