How to Offer Freelance Services on Craigslist

Craigslist is a popular Web site that functions as an online bulletin board where people can post advertisements for goods, services, housing, personals and jobs. Since so many people view these listings and it's free to post, it is a great place to offer your freelancing skills to the world. Here is how.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Computer

Instructions

Fishing for Freelance

1. Go to Craigslist and check to see if your city is listed on the right-hand side. If you do not see it or a neighboring city, you may not find Craigslist very useful if you can only offer your freelance service in your local area. If that isn't the case, choose another city.

2. Click on the "My account" link on the top left corner. This will take you to the login page. If you do not have a Craigslist account yet, you can sign up here. This will require you to supply a valid email address. Signing up for an account will only take a few minutes.

3. Log in to your Craigslist account. This will take you to your home page. On the top right corner you will find "Post new ad in" followed by a drop-down menu. Select the correct location on the menu and then click on the "Go" button. On the next page, click on "Services Offered," and on the following pages, select your category of service and your specific location.

4. Create your posting. Be specific about the type of service you offer. Cite relevant background information, such as education and work experience. Write a short but descriptive headline that clearly states what you are offering.

5. You can improve your posting by including images that showcase your previous work. Alternatively, you can provide a link to the images or to your Web site.

6. Provide all necessary contact information. Craigslist offers the option of using an anonymous email address, if that is what you prefer.

7. Submit your posting and await replies in your email. Respond to all serious replies promptly and answer the correspondent's questions. Be sure to get your correspondent's full name and contact information, and be willing to provide the same.

Tips & Warnings

• Postings are usually deleted after a week. Therefore you should repost your service advertisement once every seven days.

• Do not cross-post the same advertisement on different locations. Craigslist does not allow this and doing so can get you banned.

• Be careful about linking to Web sites in your posting, as this may be viewed as spamming. Make sure your links are relevant and appropriate. They should be used to point users to your portfolio or resume.