Rule #1 when it comes to promoting yourself...

...don't count on your broker.

One rule I have for my real estate copywriting business is "celebrate everything."

That doesn't mean pulling out the bottles of bubbly every time I finish a project, (that would make for some interesting real estate copy) but it does mean getting the most out of every accomplishment. For example, when I first saw that one of my blog posts on another community had been placed on the community's home page, I was ecstatic. But my experience told me that it didn't have to end there. So how do you celebrate these 'wins' with more 'wins'?

Here's one idea:

A press release - my first reaction to anything positive that happens in my business, or my clients' businesses, is to ask "does this deserve a press release?" If it does, write one. Or have someone else write one for you. If you're not sure something deserves a press release, ask me. Seriously, I'll tell you (no charge) if your idea is newsworthy or not. Then, submit that press release to local news outlets, online outlets, your website, your blog - wherever you can get it posted. If you can link directly to your agent website via your release, do it.

What this does is a) boost your credibility, and b) generate traffic and links to your website. Press releases aren't that hard to write on your own. Submitting them to all the online submission sites, I'll admit, does take some time. But, it's time well spent. If you know someone who has experience writing search-engine-friendly copy, like me, hire them to help you. If you get one extra sale out of it, it's worth every penny.