Freelance writers need their own websites. Solopreneurs and independent contractors need their own sites. The same protocol applies to gig workers and hobbyists with a side hustle.
This is a hill I’ll die on. Too many of us rely on networks such as LinkedIn, Substack and Medium to host our shortform posts, our longform Op-Eds, our services, the odd content marketing campaigns.
But why play by everyone else’s rules when you can make your own? When you craft and maintain your own site to promote yourself as a writer, you won’t face any surprises. When you solely post on LinkedIn, for example, their algorithm can suddenly pivot one day and the kind of content you produce could sink.
We saw that pattern appear with Facebook’s constant Main Feed tweaks. The same with X.
But when you write blog posts on your site, you can curate the branding and positioning ideal for what you offer clients. There’s a relieving freedom moving from Medium to your own site (my story, in a nutshell) thanks to stressing less about platform updates and changes affecting your content.
Let’s be blunt, though. Running your own site takes time and income, so it’s a decision you’ll have to make when you survey your budget. But it’s a line item worth highlighting, and it can pay dividends.
I estimate I’ve received around 20 emails through my website in the past year, most of them inquiring about my writing coaching services. With Medium, would I be fielding similar DMs or finding comments on my posts, asking for my rates? I doubt it. It never happened. So three years ago, I cut my losses with my investment of posting on Medium and focused more on my own lead-generating site.
I’d recommend working with a designer or UX specialist to fine-tune what you want your site to do. Promote one nuance of your freelance business? Flush out your blog more than your portfolio? Go heavy on multimedia and remain lean with text-heavy design? As dizzying as the options are, thy represent a blank canvas; go paint the mural of your business, and recognize your ink isn’t permanent. You can shift your site’s intention any time.
My next post will share my advice on how to maintain your site and make it “sticky,” meaning visitors will want to come back to it over and over again.