WRITING TIPS | TWITTER

Make Money Writing by Using Twitter Smarter

Twitter wars can be a boon for writers who are using Twitter smarter

Some statements from political principals, particularly those with Presidential aspirations, circulate fast and furiously through social media. Those of us with a writing gift can use this opportunity to pitch a story to editors within minutes of reading a possibly viral tweet.

Political writing can be a fast-moving train, and today’s headlines can become as stale as yesterday’s dinner rolls very quickly. Therefore, you need to get out in front of the train, get the story, get off the tracks, and onto the front page before what’s viral becomes someone else’s meal ticket.

Three methods you can employ to use Twitter smarter.

For some, Twitter may be a simple means to network with writers and editors, keep up with recent news, or share their latest articles. Consequently, it has become an integral tool for many freelancers. But that does not mean everybody uses Twitter smarter or to its fullest potential. There are many under-the-radar techniques that even the savviest freelancers might not know.

Finding work as a freelance writer is often considered the most challenging aspect of freelance writing. Knowing that you could deliver quality content but have difficulty finding new leads, where do you turn?

Twitter is an exceptional platform for freelance writers and can be used to generate leads as well as find new writing ideas. To make more money as a freelance writer, you must take advantage of Twitter and every social media asset. These are our three easy steps for using Twitter smarter to make more money.

#1 — Take advantage of advanced search.

As a Twitter user, you already know Twitter is a great place to find viral stories. Hidden in those 280 characters is gold. You need the right tools.

Gold prospectors used a tool called a rocker box or cradle. It separated gold from sand or gravel. If you have a particular preference or subject to write about or you want to “go for the gold,” so to speak, you need a rocker box to sift out the gravel and trap the gold. That rocker box could be within your advanced search.

Take, for example, if you like to write about national politics, you could put any of these words in your advanced search: Warren, Trump, Sanders, Gabbard, Yang, Harris, Biden, or whoever you want to see tweets from or about to find a viral story. Alternatively, you might like the comedian Trevor Noah, the South African award-winning comedian and host of the Daily Show, who has an “itchy Twitter finger.” Probably not as itchy as the current POTUS, though.

If you get an idea for an article about a tweet you saw a couple of days ago, you don’t remember the exact specifics. You could use the date, some of the words, people, or places involved and do an advanced search.

This is a screenshot of an Advanced Search:

There were many more stories, but you get the idea. You can choose words, people, places, dates, or others.

When looking for new leads, writers should take advantage of Twitter’s Advanced Search feature. This feature allows you to search for specific keywords and hashtags.

To use Twitter smarter, you must search for hashtags from potential clients such as #hireawriter, #amwriting, #writinghelp, and #writechat to see if someone is working on a writing project and needs assistance. Then you can send a direct tweet to that user and offer your writing services.

Advanced search can also come in handy when you are trying to find editors to whom you can pitch your story ideas. Of course, you’ll need to experiment a bit with searches to find them. Try searches like “pitch an idea,” “pitch to me,” or “send me your ideas.” Who knows what words will trigger a good result?

Another advantage of using this feature is that you can search for keywords such as “writing jobs,” “freelance writing jobs,” or “article writer” to see what is available.

To help narrow your search, you could specify dates and eliminate anything more than one week old. You can also search for magazines and blogs with specific keywords for your niches, such as “pets,” “animals,” “dog,” or “cat,” for those writers who specialize in pet topics.

#2 — Use notifications and lists.

Once you set up a notification and list system, you can sit back and watch the leads roll into your account. To use notifications and lists for leads, you need to set up your lists and then choose to receive notifications regarding those lists.

To set up a list on the web, click on your profile and then click on “Lists.” Next, click “Create New List” and create a name for your list, such as “Writing Leads.” Now you can add any Twitter user to this list to follow for updates. You can follow publications that frequently hire writers, such as Craigslist, Freelance Writing Jobs, and Upwork, or follow lead lists that other users have created.

#3 — Find better sources with advanced searches.

Now that you have new writing work, developing new and exciting topics for each assignment might be challenging. Using the Advanced Search tool, you can search for specific topics across various niches that can lead to unique perspectives by other writers and exclusive tweets from others.

For example, if you are writing an article on the specifications of the new virtual reality (VR) tech gadget Oculus Quest. You could conduct an advanced search for “Oculus Quest.” Include several words under the “any of these words” prompt. Combine such words as “facts,” “figures,” “opinions,” or “reviews” to find out what others are saying about the product. These articles and tweets you find via Advanced Search on Twitter can give you new ideas for your article on the topic. You may even want to link to details found within the articles you read.

The impact Twitter has on your freelance writing business is up to you. Perform searches, create lists, and keep an eye out for the latest tweets to get the most out of Twitter for your writing career.

Use Twitter to follow people that inspire you as well, and you will always find yourself with new motivations every time you log in to check your Twitter feed helping you make money using Twitter smarter.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement for additional information.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement for additional information.

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Nutrition, Investing, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.

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