Promoting Residual Earnings Articles Online Using Social Bookmarking Sites

For freelance writers earning via residual payments, self promotion is a vital step in increasing readership and earnings. But what are the most effective methods of doing so, and how much time does promotion take up? This article will provide clear instructions regarding successfully promoting articles using social bookmarking websites.

Anyone reading this article who is already writing for an online publisher and earning via residual payments will be only too aware of how important self-promotion is with regards to increasing readership. Internal site views simply aren't enough to generate an income, so external visitors must be garnered, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by using social bookmarking sites.

Of course, there are a huge number of social bookmarking sites - with more popping up on a daily basis - and these all have individual rules regarding site use, and whether or not self promotion is allowed. However, even on those sites where self-promotion is permitted (or overlooked), some basic guidelines should be followed in order to avoid having your account terminated for inappropriate site use, or being seen as a spammer by other members (everybody hates spam).

Basic Guidelines for Using Social Bookmarking Sites to Promote Articles:

Do:

• Invite your friends, relatives and email contacts to join the site and subscribe to your posts.
• Post links to sites you genuinely like or find interesting (especially if they re relevant to subjects you usually write about) before posting any of your own links.
• Subscribe to other members' posts and make friends with those whose interests are similar to your own before posting your own links. Without being too obvious, try to make friends with members whose friend/subscriber lists are larger than average and who are very active.
• Use the social bookmarking site regularly - people like to subscribe to active members, not people who log in once a week or so. Post something useful or interesting each day, whenever this is possible. 
• Search websites for interesting new articles to add, because eventually other members will notice you are discovering interesting material and subscribe to your feed.
• Add full reviews and/or excerpts of the articles/sites you link to wherever possible. The more information provided the more likely those with a real interest in the subject will click on your link and view your article.

Don't:

• Post links to your own articles before you have made friends or gained any subscribers. It's a waste of time, and once you've entered them other are unable to do so. Until you have a definite audience you'd do better to allow others with large subscriber groups to post your links, should they happen to come across your article/s.
• Post links solely to your own articles, and those of your fellow freelance writers. Use the social bookmarking site exactly as a normal member would. Add anything you come across and genuinely like, and network with other members.
• Post using the same name you write under. It seems less like self-promotion if you use a different name. It may also prevent you from being banned for spamming.
• Expect to gather followers/readers/subscribers without putting in some effort. The time spent networking prior to posting links will eventually pay off. Aim to spend a month or more using each social bookmarking site before adding any of your own links.

There are far too many social bookmarking sites to review - or even list! - here, but below are a few of the better ones:

Stumbleupon
Digg
Reddit
Fark

Individual social bookmarking sites will be reviewed in detail in future articles.