Posting on Craigslist

How to Post on Craigslist.org (Comprehensive Guide)

With the Internet becoming a bigger and bigger part of how we all live our lives, it’s no surprise that classified ad services like Craigslist are a huge part of that. It only makes sense, after all! Posting classified ads in the newspaper or in other local periodicals is not only costly, but with the readership of such options on the downswing, you don’t even stand the same chance you used to of getting your ad seen by the right people. However, Craigslist is not only free, but it’s quickly become the place to go in order to find whatever it is you’re looking for whether that’s an apartment, a new couch, an automobile, or just about anything else you can think of.

However, as is the case with anything, the ins and outs of how to post on Craigslist may not be apparent right off the bat. After all, it’s a big site and like any big site, it has its learning curve in regards to how to be successful there.

  • How should one go about writing an ad that stands out from the crowd?
  • What are the best ways to get the absolute most out of the site in general?
  • Are there any services that can help take the guess work out of posting ads on Craigslist?

Let’s explore the answers to these questions about how to post ads and much more.

How to post an ad on Craigslist

First thing’s first! If this is your first time posting ads on craigslist, you will benefit from watching the short video below that walks through the process of posting ads on craigslist.

Posting the Best Craigslist Ads

Posting on Craigslist successfully has everything to do with knowing how to write an ad that catches the eye and sets itself apart from the competition. After all, you’re going to be far from the only person looking to get a good response to what they post.

  • Add visual appeal to your Craigslist ad. Naturally, this is going to be a challenge, because the interface of the site calls for unformatted text for the most part. However, there are ways to get around this. Include images with your ad, especially if you’re looking to market or sell something people will want to see first, like an apartment or a piece of furniture. If you’re advertising a service instead, consider creating a visual ad in Photoshop or other image editing program and simply posting that in lieu of fussing with HTML. This is a simple, easy way to make an impact and save yourself some major headaches all in one simple step. If you would like to learn how to post image based ads on craigslist, just watch this video.
  • People on the internet are notorious for their short attention spans, so keep in mind that you only have a limited amount of time to really catch their attention. Use that time to really sell yourself and your product or service. That means inspiring trust by including testimonials from happy customers when and where appropriate. It also means mentioning any past work done that might help the reader potentially choose you.
  • Add pop to the title of your ad. Try placing special characters like asterisks around key words such as “copywriting”, “graphic design”, “hot jobs”, or whatever is appropriate in your case to help your post stand out. If your ad is localized, now is your chance to capitalize on that as well. People are loyal to their communities, so dropping the name of yours is never a bad idea.

What Not to Do When Posting to Craigslist

One thing you want to make sure not to do is get your ad flagged by Craigslist (or “ghosted”). The following are some prime tips to follow in order to make sure this doesn’t happen. These are especially important to make a note of if you are new to posting on craigslist and don’t really know the ins and outs of the whole process yet.

  • One of the most common Craigslist posting problems involves posting your ad in the wrong section. However, this is easily taken care of with a little extra effort and consideration. Double and triple check that you are posting your material in the best possible section for the audience you’re trying to reach.
  • If you’re planning on posting more than five or so Craigslist ads a day, be careful about how you do it. The site rules are stricter than some new users really realize, so you might want to consider changing up your IP address every few ads or so in order to avoid being flagged as a spammer.
  • Craigslist isn’t nuts about ads that include a lot of links, so if you find you have problems getting some of your ads to stick, you might want to think about this. Try taking your links out and seeing whether or not you have better luck. Also be sure to keep track of and analyze which ads seem to be the most successful and learn from your mistakes and successes.
  • It’s all too easy for any one ad to get pushed into obscurity, as Craigslist tends to be a really busy site. For best results, post your ad during peak hours to ensure that the most people possible see what you have to offer. The best times to post on Craigslist are in the mornings, around lunchtime, and in the early evenings when people tend to be surfing the web – not the middle of the night.

How to Post on Craigslist With Ad Creating Services

Once you learn the basics of how to post on Craigslist and use it to the utmost for the benefit of your company, business, or project, you may find that the whole ordeal is becoming a little more time-consuming than you’d really like it to be. That’s where something like a Craigslist ad generator could really come in handy.

An ad generator is a Craigslist service that helps make creating and posting multiple Craigslist ads a cinch by automating the process for you. Best of all, you can post ads for free this way (using services like http://www.postlets.com to name just one), so don’t worry about opening up your pocketbook in order to take advantage of these tools.

If you are a Craigslist power user, you may consider buying a software that automates the ad posting process. Here are some of the many benefits associated with these super-cool tools.

  • You can compose, save, and organize ads you might want to post more than once using convenient ad posting software. Such software also makes it easy to edit, update, or alter your ads to boot.
  • Automation in regards to many parts of the Craigslist ad-posting process – such as e-mail verification – can shave hours off of the chunk of time you need to devote to posting your ads each day. This leaves you more time to pour into your business or your product. You’re easily able to post using multiple Craigslist accounts, too.
  • Tools that help randomize your ads make each one look different so that each counts as something unique. This sort of Craigslist posting service takes the headache and guess work out of making each version of your ad just like new, again saving you a wealth of your valuable time and energy to use for other things.
  • Plenty of add-ons in regards to many of these services allow you the flexibility to make your Craigslist presence whatever you want it to be. The sky really is the limit when you know how to post on Craigslist using the right tools.

Hiring a Craigslist Posting Service

If automated software really isn’t your bag but you still can’t really handle the burden of managing your Craigslist presence all on your own, you might want to give some serious thought to hiring a posting service to do it for you. The right posting service already possesses the expertise you as a novice might not. That being the case, they already know all the ins and outs of how to get the best results – when to post, how to format your ad for optimal results, what sections are best suited for your ad, and so forth.

Just be sure to do your homework thoroughly before deciding on any one choice. Research the hottest companies out there and check for testimonials in regards to each. Only give your business to companies that can back up their claims with the feedback of customers who were happy with the service they got. Ask for references if need be and don’t be afraid to contact those references. Craigslist ad posting services can be a great investment in the future of your business, but it’s imperative that you make smart choices in regards to who you trust with your professional reputation.

Getting into a Groove

As you no doubt see, there are not only many benefits to learning how to post on Craigslist in order to boost the visibility and reputation of your business. There are a million different ways to do so, including many that are actually free or very inexpensive. Once you learn the basics, create a presence, and begin to get a feel for what works on Craigslist and what doesn’t, you and your business will be on the road to a bright new future before you know it!

 

 

 

Leave a comment