How many of you can say you expected to be promoting yourself as a writer? Whether you are a blogger, published author, or freelance writer, would you say that it might be a good idea if you had taken marketing in school? Do you even think there is a college degree out there that offers training in all the various social media apps available and growing every day? Because to promote oneself today, there are many ways in which it can be done.

Lately, I have been taking as many free webinars as I can. From Instagram and Pinterest to Goodreads and Email, I have been learning all that I can on my limited budget. There have been a few others that have sounded interesting to me like Zoom, for instance. But since I have no real need for Zoom at the moment, I chose not to invest my time in that one right now.

Everything takes time. That is why it is so important to decide what to spend one’s time on. Time is a commodity for all of us, so limiting webinars, free or not, to ones that are most beneficial is very important.

Keeping this in mind, these free webinars usually also offer a paid program with even more information to better boost your knowledge, skills and online traffic. And, I’m sure that they do. Many of the free webinars, if not all of them, have offered me great information. And so, my time has been well invested so far.

But, since I’ve already established that I have a limited budget, I have learned to close out once the webinar starts to focus on the paid program being offered, and not feel guilty about it. My time is valuable, and it is far more important to me to start implementing what I have learned as soon as possible. We all live busy lives and those creating and promoting these webinars realize this; hence, the reason they make sure that our time is not wasted, whether we view the entire webinar or only part of it.

So, how do you feel about promoting yourself? Do you get tired of it? Do you wonder if any of it is working? Are you concerned if your time invested is worth the effort? Do you contemplate how you should proceed in the promotion of yourself or your product?

It is certainly a challenge when there are so many options available. The key is to assess what it is you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to become a published author? Are you trying to get recognized? Are you trying to get more clients to give you assignments? Or, are you simply trying to make a difference in the world?

Once you decide what you hope to achieve, then you can choose which tool, or tools, will best serve you. Which social media platform will be the best for you? Will it be LinkedIn or Facebook? Will it be Instagram or Twitter? Have you thought about Pinterest, which is a search engine like Google? How about Goodreads, which is a social cataloguing website and a book lover’s online library? Do you need to focus on one, or two, or use them all? The key is to learn about only the ones that you believe will best serve you without getting overwhelmed.

And, it can be quite overwhelming, for sure. I’ve been overwhelmed many times, from trying to establish my LLC last year to figuring out how to purchase ISBN #s and get my book’s LCCN (Library of Congress Catalog Number). The journey has been a long and challenging one, but one that has been worth it for me. And, because I believe in the nature of the book I have written, I will fight the fight and figure out how to market it.

And, I encourage you to continue to promote your book, art, writing, blog, poetry, music, or any other creative work you have either published or are trying to get published. Always hang in there and keep on going. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement or even a little break. I take breaks all the time and it really helps me to get perspective. Whether your break is a nap, a movie, a walk in the great outdoors, or shopping, please do take the time to mull over your situation. Solutions often arise when you least expect it, when you are having a good time, or when you are just away from the project for a little while.

Take time now to question where you are, where you want to be, and how you will get there. The writing life is to be enjoyed despite the pressure of self-promotion. C’mon, you can do it. Just focus, let it go, and then let it flow. Your creativity will show you the way to proceed.

Please comment if you have questions about anything I have shared with you in this post or about any of the free webinars I have been taking lately. If I don’t have the answers, I’m sure we can figure it out.

You can check out my book on my Books page at: honeysucklepublishingllc.com/books.

Thank you for your time, and I wish you well in your writing life.