Step 1: Create a Craigslist Account
A lot of people post to Craigslist without actually having an account, but it’s important to have one if you intend to use Craigslist on a regular basis. This will allow for easy access to the ads you currently have posted.
Step 2: Decide Where to Post
Deciding where to post can be a tricky proposition. Cross-posting is prohibited, so you will want to restrict your postings to one area. If you live between two of the city choices that Craigslist offers, choose the larger city. You will need to choose a smaller sub-area to post to. Choose the area which is accurate to your location. Remember, Craigslist is for face-to-face encounters, not for ordering items through a website. Posting to an area that is more widely populated, but that isn’t local, will likely get your ad flagged and deleted.
Step 3: Choose a Category
There are several categories that you can choose from to place your ad: “resume / job wanted,” “for sale” or “service offered.” It’s up to you to decide which is most appropriate for your posting. If you offer services like writing or graphics work, you should post to “service offered” or “resume / job wanted.” Goods, like clothing or baked treats, can be posted in “for sale.” Happily, none of these categories cost money to post.
Step 4: Make a Good Ad
Making an ad for Craigslist requires some knowledge of what is acceptable and will not get your post removed. No blatant advertising is allowed, so you can’t phrase your post like an advertisement. If you are posting in “for sale,” you can’t link to any external websites. Instead, just make a list of the goods you’re offering, include prices and some photos, and instruct interested parties to contact you via phone or email. For the other two categories, you might be able to get away with including your website if it’s subtle – again, no in-your-face advertising. Something like “for my qualifications, please see this site” is usually acceptable.
Step 5: Get Attention
Craigslist accepts HTML code, which you can use to pretty up your post and make it stand out from the rest. For a simple HTML tutorial, try visiting the very popular and beginner-friendly W3.
Step 6: Maintain Your Posts
Craigslist automatically deletes posts after a certain amount of time, and the posts are arranged by date and time posted (newest to oldest), so it’s a good idea to repost your listings every day. This is when a Craigslist account comes in handy, because it’s very easy to renew ads instead of going through the entire posting process again.
Craigslist is a great way to draw attention to your business at no cost to yourself other than a little time. With these easy steps, you can have your Craigslist postings working for you in no time.
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