When your website demands content but your payroll demands relief, the quickest solution is to hire a freelance writer. The catch is finding the necessary expertise to match your brand voice with your budget.
1. Set Expectations
The best way to hire a writer is to know what type of content you need. Are you looking for weekly or monthly blogs to help your website SEO? Do you need several white papers created over the next year? Maybe you want someone to help rewrite your company’s HR manuals?
Defining the scope of your project will help determine the skills you’re looking for when hiring a freelance writer.
2. You Get What You Pay For
Do your research to ensure you’re paying market value for your content. Expert freelance writers who produce well-written blogs won’t do so for $.03 per word. At the same time, you don’t want to overpay and max out your budget the first month.
Decide if you’re paying by the hour or by the word. If you’re paying by the hour, realize you will pay between $30-$90 per hour for work. By the word, you could start at $.15-$.50 per word.
If you advertise $50 for a 1,500-word blog, you’ll certainly find someone willing to write it, but it might not be quality content.
3. Interview Multiple Writers
It’s deceptively easy to hire the first writer who responds to your job posting. However, your most eager applicant isn’t always your best. Wait until you have enough applications to interview several writers, and ask a lot of questions:
- What do they like to write about?
- How much time can they dedicate?
- What is their SEO/social media knowledge?
- What ideas do they have about your brand?
4. Ask For References and a Portfolio
If you need a writer for healthcare insurance, you’d hope they understand the difference between PPO and HMO insurance. Likewise, a tech company needs a writer knowledgeable in software or hardware components.
When searching for an expert freelance writer, you’ll already be asking questions about their expertise and background. Scour each portfolio, and remember that often, freelance writers provide a lot of ghostwriting, so their bylines might not appear on each piece they’ve written. That’s where references allow you to ask about their ability to:
- Hit deadlines
- Do their own research
- Accept editing notes
5. Set Expectations, Part II
Now that you’ve hired a writer, define your expectations for communication, deadlines, payment, etc. Consider developing an onboarding program to help them understand your company’s products or services.
Clearly define whether you expect writers to pitch ideas or if you’ll supply them with outlines. Will writers conduct interviews, or will they be provided research? Understand their preferred method of communication, and set up weekly or monthly meetings to ensure you can quickly manage any questions or issues that arise.
Hiring a freelancer can simplify your life and allow your content to sing. Set up your content writing for success with an organized process to hire the right writer.
Media Contact
Company Name: Power Publish
Contact Person: Dan Curran
Email: Send Email
City: St Louis
State: MO
Country: United States
Website: https://powerpublish.io/