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You're probably wondering why I didn't capitalize the name Craigslist. It's because the owner
of Craigslist, Craig Newmark doesn't capitalize it either. In fact, he doesn't capitalize
any of the proper names on his site. But then, there's nothing flashy about either Craigslist
or Craig Newmark either, but that's the way Craig wants it. Both are there to help you
sell your stuff, and they will help you very well as long as you follow the rules.
Below are seven things you can do to effectively sell your stuff on Craigslist:
1. Write an effective headline.
When writing your headline, write a headline that will get the attention of others. You
want to be clear about what you are selling, and it doesn't hurt to put a location in the
headline. Don't put your headline in all capital letters as it will be harder to read, and
most will bypass your ad because they think you are shouting at them.
2. Write an effective ad.
An effective ad will observe the four elements of AIDA - Attention, Interest, Desire, and
Action. It will also communicate to your reader exacly what you have to offer, just like the
headline. Since Craigslist doesn't have a limit on how many words you can use in your
ad, you can make your ad as long as you like. However, make sure you avoid words that denote
hype as these will get your ad flagged.
3. Use free content.
If you really want to overdeliver to those reading your ads, don't post an ad at all.
Post content. Give them information that will help them in making a decision. Good content
is especially important if you are selling for your business. By offering good content,
you are adding value to your products. You can also optimize your ads so they rank well
in the search engines.
4. Post in the correct category.
If you are using Craigslist to sell for your business, there's only one main category you
may post in: services. Then you can post in any sub category within this category. I'm
not sure the reasoning behind this, other than fraud, but it's one of the rules on Craigslist,
and if you violate it, your ad is likely to get flagged.
5. Post in the correct city or country.
There are certain cities that do better than others when you post. They get a lot of traffic,
and although they're competitive, you may still want to consider posting your ads in
these places so you get more traffic. As long as you product or service is available nationwide,
or worldwide, there's no reason why you can't choose a city other than the one you live
in.
What I would suggest is you choose the largest city that's close to you. This will bring
you more traffic than you would normally get posting in your hometown as your hometown
may not be available.
6. Post at the correct intervals.
(This includes not posting the same ad repeatedly but in different categories, which is forbidden.)
The correct interval for posting at Craigslist is once every 48 hours, or the same ad once
every 48 hours. If you want your ad to move back to the top, then delete it and repost.
7. Write and submit a press release.
The only other section a business may post in is the community section. You may post
a press release here as this is considered an announcement. You won't get as much traffic
from this category, but the traffic will be targeted, so it's a great deal.
If you're tired of your business ads getting flagged, then follow these tips. You'll get
better results on Craigslist. Since it's the number one classifieds site on the internet,
and it's free to post in most categories, it's definitely worth the effort.