Writing well is crucial for improving traffic to your website, interacting with customers, increasing conversions, and much more. This is true regardless of the medium—blogging, email marketing, copywriting for commercials, or your website, to name just a few.However, you lack the time necessary to compose everything by yourself. Or perhaps you discover that you lack the abilities to create interesting content. It is now appropriate to engage a freelance writer. A talented freelance writer can assist you in creating written material that both helps you gain customers and saves you time. But how do you go about selecting the ideal candidate? Now that freelancing is increasingly popular, it's not as challenging. Intuit estimates that 7.6 million individuals will regularly work in the on-demand economy by 2020. Check out these five suggestions for hiring your first freelance writer if you're ready to make a hire.Stay away from cheap content millsMany companies looking to hire their first freelancer may be tempted to look for cheap writers on content mills. You might believe that paying a freelancer $20 to write a blog article for you will save you money, but you get what you pay for. You may not always receive a writer that cares about your company because there are millions of freelance writers on these websites competing for their next assignment. Additionally, the writing you'll receive from freelancers working for content mills will often be of poor quality. Instead, search specialised freelance job platforms like ProBlogger, Media Bistro, and Envato Studio for your first writer.As an alternative, you can also get in touch with authors who are already contributing to your favourite industry websites. Look through the articles on a well-known, reputable website, then get in touch with the authors—they might be independent contractors you can engage.Review published workHiring a freelance writer is different from hiring for other positions with your firm since you need to show examples of published work in addition to the interview and resume. You can prevent hiring someone with weak writing abilities by looking over their previous work. Anyone can claim to be a talented writer, but you need to read their work to believe it.Candidates can be pre-screened by looking at their websites for examples of their writing samples and by Googling their names to locate more works they have written. When prospects submit for your job listing, you can also request that they send you examples.Use a plagiarism detector while evaluating an article to make sure the author's work is entirely original. Additionally, you can check for spelling and grammar mistakes with a free programmer like Grammarly. Verify that their examples were thoroughly researched and written. The mark of a great writer is if the piece amuses you or teaches you something new. Ask the right questions You still need to do an interview with a freelance writer even if they have excellent writing examples to see if they are a suitable fit for your company. During the interview, you ought to inquire about the following topics: What kind of content do you like to create? What is your work schedule like? How many articles/how many words can you comfortably write per day? What are some ideas you have for content for my business? What kind of SEO and keyword research do you conduct? What are your prices? Like with any employment, you must ensure that the freelance writer you ultimately select is a good fit for your requirements and possesses the necessary talents to deliver the high-quality work you require. Establish a communication plan You will be in a long-distance relationship with your first professional writer, so you need to create a communication strategy that works for both of you. To discuss fresh concepts, get status updates, and request revisions, you must be able to get in touch with your freelance writer. Likewise, they must be able to get in touch with you to ask you any questions they may have about a project. Select the preferred method of communication between you and your freelancer writer, such as Skype, email, or phone. You might want to think about using a messaging service like Slack that will make it simple for you to communicate with your freelancers. Using an instant chat programmer is a terrific method to collaborate. In fact, a Report Linker survey found that 49% of respondents believe instant messaging improves teamwork. Additionally, you must establish limits for how frequently and when you must communicate. Your freelance writer may only want to chat with you once a week, despite the fact that you may feel the need to speak with them every other day. Create an onboarding process A freelance writer still needs to become acquainted with your company and its procedures even though they are not one of your employees. After deciding which freelance content writer to hire, you must provide them onboarding to familiarize them with your business culture and equip them with all the information they require to fulfil their job. Give your freelance writer all the information about your company that they require, especially if they plan to write about your products. Provide them with films to view, a list of frequently asked questions, a company style guide, introductions to key team members, and a summary of your ideal client. Your writer must be intimately familiar with every aspect of your business if they will be writing for both your organization and your customers. Over to you Because words have such power, selecting the ideal freelance writer is crucial. Finding a skilled freelance writer can be difficult, but with these suggestions, you won't have any trouble finding someone who can expand your business and increase sales.
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