How To Post Your Advertisement On Craigslist

Posting your advertisement is really quite easy and straightforward to do. Plus, the other great thing is that any advert you do post here, unless it relates to a job listing (for certain major cities), it is free.

There are actually a couple of different ways in which you can post your adverts on to the site, and below we will take you through each one step by step.

First, you need to find the city you want to post your advert in. Actually finding your city, or the one in which you want to post your advert, is very easy indeed. On the right hand side of the page you will see the following list subdivided out as follows:-

1. Countries

2. States

3. Cities

4. Provinces

So, say for example you live in the United States, then you just click on the state and the area which is closest to where you are. However, you may find that if you live in one of the major US cities, such as New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas etc., then it is probably already showing up on the home page of this site.

However if you live in another country, then finding the area that is closest to you is just as easy...just click on the country where you live, and then search through until you find a location that is close to where you reside.

The next step is where you need to find the category that you want to post your advert in. So if, for example, you want to place an ad in the small biz ads category, you will need to go into services, and then go to the link that says "sm biz ads" and click on it.

Now you have entered the category where you are interested in posting your advert, you need to click on the post link button. This link can be found in the top right hand corner of the page.

You will now be presented with a list of all the categories in the services section again, and you should immediately click on the link which says "small biz ads".

Once this has been clicked, you will find that you can actually start to post your ad. Below we will take a look at just how this looks.

1. Posting Title

This is required, and you should make it not only very descriptive, but also as catchy as possible. You want to draw the attention of those using Craigslist to what you are offering. There are thousands of ads...make sure yours doesn't get lost in the sea!
2. Specific Location

Although you do not need to enter any information into this section if you do not want to, you should at least put in the area where you are located.


3. Price

This is located right next to the location box, and again it is up to you whether you enter any information into this or not.


4. Posting Description

This is where the main part of your advertisement is placed, and will tell those reading it what they will be getting, and the benefits they can gain from it. It all depends on what you are offering, and what your intentions are in relation to the ad that you have placed, as to how descriptive it is.

So if you happen to be selling a product, then it is best that you provide the best description possible to those reading the advert.

However, if you are just trying to get them to come to your own website, or to click on an affiliate link that you have, then maybe just providing them with a few teaser lines is the best option, and will get them going to your website in order to learn more about what you have to offer.

Again, be very careful using a technique like this, as it is something that *could* get you banned. Be creative, and find ways to work within the confines of the rules that Craigslist has in place.

The final part of the process of placing an advert on Craigslist is to input your email address. It is vital that you input an email address which you use regularly, and so will be checking on a regular basis. Also, make sure that the one you input is valid, because at the end of the process, Craigslist will send an email to you in order to finalize the listing that you have posted.

It is important to note that any postings you make will not go live until you have responded to the email sent from the site.


Adding Images

Not all categories allow you to add an image. For those that do, you will see that there is a button which says "Add/Edit Images".

By clicking on this link, you are then able to gain access to the locations on your computer where your images are stored, and find the one that is most appropriate to your posting.

By adding an image to your advert, you are potentially increasing the number of click throughs that your ad will receive. Even if you are just using a generic picture that you have obtained from your website, it is best if you post this as opposed to nothing at all.


Permissions Box

This box gives permission to others to contact you with regard to other commercial interests, products or services related to what you are offering. It is optional whether you allow others permission to contact you or not.

After completing all the sections above, you will then come to a button which says "continue". You need to click on this, as it will show you the advert you have just produced. It allows you to review it at this stage and make any changes to it.

If you do need to make any changes, then just click on the "Edit" button and carry out the alterations as you need to. As soon as you are satisfied with what you have produced, you then need to type in the verification code provided in the box below, and then click on the "continue" button again.

As soon as you have clicked this button, you will go on to the next page, where the terms and conditions relating to placement of ads, and below these are a 2 buttons. One asks you to "accept the terms of use" and the other asks whether you wish to "decline the terms of use". However, in order for your listing to be accepted, you must accept the terms and conditions of use button.

Upon clicking on this button you will then be taken to a page that asks you to check your email so that you may finalize the posting. So, as soon as you are able to, go to your email address (the one you provided at the beginning of the process) and by clicking on the link, it then allows you to either Post, Edit or Delete the listing that you have just entered.

By following the simple instructions provided in the email that has been sent to you, you will soon be on your way to placing your first advertisement, and then start to earn from using Craigslist in the future.

After a few minutes, your advert will then appear live on the site, and once you have done a few of these postings, you will start to wonder just what all the fuss was about in the beginning when you first started.

Conclusion


Certainly many people have now heard the name Craigslist, but they are still unsure as to just what this site can be used for.

However today, this site is now receiving over 4 billion page views each month, so there do seem to be some people who have a better understanding of what it is, and the types of services that it can offer.

But essentially, Craigslist is very similar in many ways to the classified sections of newspapers, where people are able to post or respond to advertisements within them.

However with Craigslist, a person is provided with a number of different advertisements, all online, and which can be found in various different categories, so it makes it much easier for those searching for information on products or services to find the advertisements that have been posted to it.

Today, many people are now using Craigslist as a way for them to earn either an additional salary, or as their main salary. They can do this through a number of different ways, but the main two we have been looking at through this book relates to:-

1. Promoting a business.

2. Selling products or services on it.


In fact, in recent moves, Craigslist has become one of the most popular ways to date for a business, whether it is large or small, to promote itself. No matter the size of the business, each ad that they place (unless it happens to relate to a job) will be completely free of charge.

Any business owner can place their advertisement in the services section of Craigslist, and this section is then broken down into a number of different categories in order to allow them to place their advert in the most appropriate location, and the one in which it is likely to reach their target audience.

Although there is a small business section, it may well be worth your while placing your adverts in those categories which are best suited to what you are offering, rather than in a general category. By doing this, you are more likely to reach those people that are interested in what you have to offer.

It is also vital that you take part in discussion forums, as this is a great place where you can provide insightful information, and provide people with accurate responses to questions that they may have raised. It also allows you to provide a link in this section where you can then help to drive even more traffic to your website.

However, it is important that, when taking part in such forums, you avoid making your postings in such a way that people will look at them and think that they are spam (in other words, provide no use aside from blatant self promotion), which will simply steer them away from what you are trying to provide to them.

You may well find that those who mediate for Craigslist could well remove your posting from the site completely, and if they perceive that you are spamming too much, may remove you from being a subscriber to their services.

As well as being able to promote your business, the other way many people are now earning a profit from Craigslist is through selling items on it.

You are allowed to sell both new and used items through this site, and unlike with eBay, you can post a number of different items to it, and you will not be charged a single cent for posting them to this site.

As with eBay, this site allows you to post your items into various different categories, and allows you to supply a description of the item and how much it will cost to purchase. Plus, it also allows people to place adverts for items that they want, and again, these can be placed at no cost to you whatsoever.

However, when it comes to posting adverts for items for sale, there are some restrictions in place to those items which can not be sold through Craigslist. This includes firearms or pornographic items. Anyone trying to make their money in this way will soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Craigslist works closely with law enforcement agencies of all types to help ensure that the site is not being used for illegal purposes.

Overall, if you are seriously considering ways of making a profit from running an online business, or are already running one and wish to expand, then it may well be worth your while taking a more in depth look at just what Craigslist can offer you.