Last week, I wrote about my rules for finding good-paying jobs through the online job ad sites efficiently. After About Freelance Writing mentioned it, there was some interesting discussion and debate about some of my rules!

I wanted to extend this topic to discuss some of the creative ways I use job ads to prospect for freelance writing jobs. Besides simply responding to ads for freelance writers that you find on the big job boards, there are a few more creative ways to use job ads to reach out and find good-paying markets and copywriting clients. Here's what I do:

1. Look at the ads for full-time jobs. Yes, I'm not really looking for a full-time job. But when a company is advertising for a full-time person, that usually means they have a vacancy. Which means work isn't getting done. Maybe they need someone to fill in until they complete their job search? Maybe they also use freelancers as well as in-house writers? You won't know unless you ask. For me, journalismjobs.com or Media Bistro are the places to troll for these. Depending on your specialty area, there may be other full-time job boards that suit your needs.

I consider the job ad as simply having provided me with a good contact of someone who's involved in hiring at a prospective client. So if it's a company or situation that fits my expertise, I go ahead and apply. I've scored several assignments this way over the years. It's a great way to get your name in front of customers that use writers, at a time when they may well need help.

2. Look at site-specific job ads out of your area. I'm selective here -- if it says anything like "meet with us weekly at our Akron offices," I move on. But if the ad title mentions a city, but the ad text doesn't describe anything that needs to be done in person, and it mentions my expertise, I go ahead and apply. Just ask right up top if they'd consider someone working remotely. Play up your expertise both in their field, and your expertise in working remotely.

3. Use social media If you're not looking at the jobs on LinkedIn, I highly recommend it -- many of them are exclusive to the site. It's a great place to find full-time job ads you can piggyback on, as per #1. You can also try to use your connections to get a referral attached to your application, which I'm told greatly increases your odds of getting the contact's attention in the pile of 500 resumes they are likely receiving.

Twitter is also a growing place for jobs. Not only can you tweet about the work you're looking for (same goes for Facebook status updates, etc.), but you can use Twitter's search feature to troll for jobs. Some of the sites mentioned above are on Twitter tweeting about listings, so you could get a jump on the masses this way.

There are an increasing number of job-related tweeters -- I'm following @WritersDigest, @FSsJobs (that's Freelance Switch), @tweetajob, and @Jobsonica, among others.

In this market, it pays to get creative when you're looking for clients! If you're able to use any of these tips successfully, leave a comment - love to hear success stories.