HOW TO HIRE A FREELANCE WRITER
Sooner or later, within the lifetime of each leader committed to nice on-line promoting, a surprising realization occurs: “Holy cow! Content creation needs awful heap of writing!”
At this time, whether or not the leader is Associate in Nursing engineer, a mortal or a psychological feature speaker, this realization ends up in a fast conclusion: “I would like facilitate from an expert writer!”
But simply however does one move finding one? Particularly if you’re an engineer (or different left-brain thinker), this might sound sort of a quest corresponding to finding an imaginary creature.
As somebody who’s spent the higher a part of 3 decades operating with (and being) one among these writerly creatures, enable me to be your guide to decisive once and the way to rent a contract writer. Let’s proceed a imaginary creature hunt - step by step.
1) Confirm Temporal Order
First, figure out when it’s time to rent a writer. The only answer: once the strain of making content outstrip the power of the leader - or anyone else on the interior team - to stay up with the creation of blogs, social media content, whitepapers and different downloadable content. If you’re not blogging often, if your web site hasn’t been updated in a while, or if you’ve got a stack of content ideas that you just can’t get to, then it’s time to hire skilled writer.
2) Start Looking
Second, begin the hunt. However where? Like the other would like for your organization, the net offers a good form of opportunities. Esteemed sources like Uniprojects or Hiwriters provide virtually tens of thousands of potential writing resources.
So do native resources - near schools, writing programs and particularly print publications that suppose freelancers will offer the names of the many potential writers. Don’t pull the trigger simply however. Currently you recognize wherever to search out writers, but first you need to know which ones are smart.
3) Hunt Down The Proper Attributes
So let’s speak attributes of excellent freelance writers. There area unit a number of that, in my expertise, area unit non-negotiable:
The first could surprise you: Curiosity. A decent freelance writer ought to wish to be told the maximum amount as doable regarding you, your organization and what you are doing. This can be vital as a result of this can be the staple which will power your incoming promoting. If a writer “knows it all,” or looks fair - that’s a writer to avoid.
The second attribute is a capability to jot down on point. The open hole of the net waits for nobody. Fail to post a web log nowadays, and that’s a chance lost. Remember: the rationale you wish to rent somebody is as a result of you’re not meeting your deadlines currently. You don’t do yourself any favors by outsourcing the problem!
Technical proficiency is another non-negotiable attribute. this implies the writer will spell, place sentences along, and oh yes, that he or she is “creative,” that means that what he or she writes is value reading, whether or not it’s regarding weddings or widgets. It doesn’t mean artistic within the sense of exploitation your web site as a commercial for his or her personal artistic ambitions. There’s this issue known as Tumblr for that.
4) Confirm Compensation
Once you’ve determined if you would like facilitate, wherever to search out the assistance and have a number of ideas regarding what makes a decent writer - however does one interact a decent writer financially? In the end, writers (like different professionals) do expect to be paid. Here are unit a number of recommendations to induce you started:
First, conceive to a mutual test period of thirty or ninety days. For specific details on payment, see my suggestions below. It’s necessary initial to agree, particularly if you’re hiring a writer for the primary time, that you just got to check that there’s a decent work before you conceive to one thing future.
Payment for writers generally follows one among these formats: By the word, by the piece, by the hour. Every selection will be right for you and also the writer, relying upon your circumstances. Some fast thoughts:
By the word: fairly uncommon lately and in my expertise, not the simplest live of quality or results.
By the article or provide or different written piece: most typical and a decent commonplace for many things. Perceive the per-piece fee can vary on variables together with length, variety of drafts needed, complexness of topic, if interviews area unit needed, if it’s necessary to figure with a designer, etc.
By the hour: Less common, and in my expertise, not a decent live of quality or results. Also, if you’re unaccustomed content creation, you may end up paying a writer to sit down around and watch for you to drag along the staple for his or her writing.
By an ongoing fee or retainer: If you’ve got a good writer and have lots of writing desires, and area unit in a very rhythm of manufacturing ideas, this could be your most suitable choice as a result of on a per piece or volume basis, this could be only in terms of value. It’ll conjointly possible be most engaging to a contract writer - they like steady gigs! it’ll even be a win-win as a result of currently you’ve got a reliable, gifted team member who gets your organization and might communicate regarding it quickly and creatively.
5) Rummage Around For Red Flags
This is nice, right? Well, there are unit red flags. The power to rent writers who are remote may be a nice advantage of our net culture. Thus you’ll not look somebody within the eye, or take the complete measure of him or her head to head once hiring. Thus rummage around for different telltale signs that a writer might not be for you:
Ask them to jot down an easy take a look at assignment. Agree that if you employ it, you’ll publish it and procure it. This test can tell you lots regarding however a future relationship can go.
Talk to different purchasers. They don’t have to be compelled to be within the same trade. You wish to grasp regarding the link different purchasers have with the writer quite technical proficiency.
And if there isn’t any technical proficiency, unless the writer is new, he or she won’t have any clients! That’s another red flag.
6) Acclimatize The Writer
Now that you’ve successfully employed a writer, what next? Well, this can be a relationship like all different in your organization - it needs nurturing. At our firm, wherever we have a tendency to defy the foremost tough and complex incoming promoting and content creation for B2B corporations, we have a tendency to perpetually say that “inbound promoting are a few things we have a tendency to do with you, not to you.” which means it’s a cooperative method.
You cannot rent a writer, push them in a very remote corner of your workplace or some cyber attic on the net and expect them to form nice content for you. At the tip of the day, whereas you would like a gifted skilled writer to share your story, it’s still your story - and nobody is aware of it higher than you, thus keep near the sure skilled you’ve employed to share that story with the globe.
I hope this primer offers you some steering on the elusive imaginary creature hunt once it comes time to rent a freelance writer for your organization. If you’re able to rent a writer, that’s nice news for you and your organization. Rent right and also the new writer you motivate board can power a brand new level of success in content creation and results.
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