Hiring the Right Freelance Writer

In the digital age we now live in, it can be difficult to find a freelance writer that is right for your job. With so many writers from different countries and so many different salaries, it’s important to sift through the options to make sure you’re hiring the right people. This article gives you six steps that are proven to help you find the right freelance writer who can provide you with quality material that meets your needs.

1. Talk to more than one Freelance Writer

The best way to make sure you hire a freelance writer is to talk to a few candidates and find out what’s out there. This will give you a baseline of what’s available and what different authors charge for different skill levels. It is clearly up to you to determine your own skill level (no one will ever say they are unskilled, usually not even you!). Your interviews with freelance writers will also help you figure out what it takes to talk to everyone. The key to a good project is that you and your writer can talk well.

How many independent writers do you think I should talk to? It’s a good idea to talk to more than one independent writer to get a sense of the talent pool and the different proportions of different skill levels. Talking to different candidates will also help you find out how well you communicate with each candidate, which is an important part of working together.

2. Find Out if Freelance Writing is a Good Fit for You

Once you know whether you need a really good writer or a lot of imperfect writers, the next step is to find the right person for your job. At this point, there are many things to consider: the length of the project, the theme, the sound, the style, the format, and the deadline. Consider each of these carefully before talking to an independent writer.

Find writers who have worked on projects related to what you want to do. That doesn’t mean writers who write about sports nutrition can’t write about how to eat to get healthy skin. Most writers are used to researching and writing on a wide variety of topics. But make sure you find freelance writers who have worked on projects of the same length, the same goals, and with the same voice.

3. View the Item You Need Help With

To find the right professional writer, you first need to figure out what your project is about. Figure out if you need a serious, disciplined writer or someone who writes in a more casual style. Think about how important quality is compared to quantity. If your content is primarily for search engine optimization (SEO) and is seen more often by search engine spiders than human readers, it may be more important to focus on quantity than quality. However, if the item says something about you or your company and affects your credibility, it’s important to use quality content.

4. Keep in Touch

Stay in regular contact with your freelance writers as the work progresses. If the task is long or difficult, you may want to set up periodic checkpoints to see how the author is doing and to make sure the project isn’t going in the wrong direction.

It can be hard to find a good independent writer you can trust for your important projects, but if you get it right, you can form a long-term relationship with someone who can handle all of your writing needs.

5. Request a Writing Sample

Every good indie writer has a lot of writing samples that let them show you how good they are and how long they’ve been writing. However, you can’t tell if the story has changed. As a professional writer, I can tell you that some of the articles I’ve written look very different when I’m done! If an author wants to give credit for an article to others, that is his or her choice. After all, the name of the author is on the article. Just know that pruning happens, and it happens a lot.

6. Request for a Test Copy

Ask about the author’s work relevant to your project. This is the best way to determine if a writer is right for your project. Keep in mind that some writers, especially skilled ones, will charge you for this. It’s a good idea to hire a freelance writer to write a small article or project before embarking on a larger project. So you know exactly what kind of writers you get and if they can write what you need.

Conclusion:

Finding the right freelance writer for your project may seem difficult, but following these six steps will increase your chances of finding the right one. Honestly assess the needs of the project, consider the “fit” of the author, talk to more than one option, request writing samples and proof copies, and keep in touch with the author throughout the project. By taking the time and effort to find the right freelance writer, you can start a beneficial and lasting relationship that will make your writing easier.