How to Start Working With Freelance Writers
Here we will go over how to start working with freelance writers.
Technology is improving by the day and each advancement solidifies the fact that the future is digital.
The technological revolution we are currently living in has made many companies and organizations reliant on the use of their social media and websites to gain traction and growth. This means that having great writers create their content is crucial.
Let's jump right in.
Define Your Needs
Before you search for freelance writers, you must understand what you need from them.
Pinpoint the type of content needed, the writing tone and style you would like your writers to have, the skill level or experience preferred, and any guidelines or rules you would like them to follow.
Understanding your needs will help you narrow candidates when it's time to search.
Research Platforms and ServicesFreelance writing has become a popular career over the last decade. This means that there is no shortage of skilled workers out there looking for new clients.
This growth in writers birthed many new freelance platforms and encouraged the further development of many pre-existing platforms. With so many freelance platform options, it can be hard to decide where you want to find your writers.
When conducting your platform research, consider pricing, the skill of the writers, how the application process is completed, and the general usability and functionality of the site.
Screening ProcessScreening writers before hiring them is crucial to the success of your project. Your screening process should be detailed, specific, and effective.
Portfolio and Samples
To ensure the candidates can provide the tone, expertise, and editing skills that match your needs, ask to see their portfolio or samples of their work. If the candidate is a new writer (many are), provide a short test project to help you gauge their abilities.
Check Reviews
Writers who have experience in the field will often have reviews or even recommendation letters from their previous clients. Look for the writers with high ratings and positive reviews.
Assess Communication Skills
Communication is a big part of working with freelance writers since each project will likely require some level of collaboration.
During your screening with the candidate, pay attention to their professionalism, responsiveness, clarity, and their ability to follow instructions and answer questions.
Determine Industry Knowledge
If you are looking for a freelance writer, you likely have a specific topic or niche that your site is covering.
Having writers that are familiar with and educated on your topic is not essential but it does make the job a lot easier for both parties. Writers familiar with the topic often have to perform less research (offering a shorter turn-around time), and the quality of opinions and overall content is often superior.
Determine Payment Specifics
When it comes to payment, there are many things to consider such as, how much, how often, and what payment processing service you will use.
Rates
It is important to understand the going rates of freelance writers. You can either pay a writer by the hour, by the word, or by the project.
You can expect to pay inexperienced writers about $15 per hour or about $.01 per word. The rates of experienced writers are often much higher at about $25-$50 per hour or $.05-$.10 per word.
Accelo is a great CRM that can help with tracking your writer's billable hours.
If you choose to pay a writer per project, you should use these rates to determine the total worth of each article or blog post.
Pay Frequency
Paying writers at the end of each project is common in the world of freelance work. However, if your company is planning to take on many new writers and projects, weekly or bi-weekly pay may help with the organization and reliability of your side of the collaboration.
Determine what pay frequency works best for you by considering factors such as whether you already have a team on payroll, if you have a billing department that will handle payments, how many writers you are hiring, and how many projects will be completed each month.
Payment Processing
If you do not already have a payroll system in place, you have many payment processing options to choose from.
You could use a financial service platform such as Square or Clover, or a banking institution that offers direct deposit or paper checks.
When deciding how you would like to process payments, you should take pay frequency, company size, and your number of writers into account.
The platform you use to obtain new writers may already have a payment system for clients to use.
Technology is improving by the day and each advancement solidifies the fact that the future is digital.
The technological revolution we are currently living in has made many companies and organizations reliant on the use of their social media and websites to gain traction and growth. This means that having great writers create their content is crucial.
Let's jump right in.
Define Your Needs
Before you search for freelance writers, you must understand what you need from them.
Pinpoint the type of content needed, the writing tone and style you would like your writers to have, the skill level or experience preferred, and any guidelines or rules you would like them to follow.
Understanding your needs will help you narrow candidates when it's time to search.
Research Platforms and ServicesFreelance writing has become a popular career over the last decade. This means that there is no shortage of skilled workers out there looking for new clients.
This growth in writers birthed many new freelance platforms and encouraged the further development of many pre-existing platforms. With so many freelance platform options, it can be hard to decide where you want to find your writers.
When conducting your platform research, consider pricing, the skill of the writers, how the application process is completed, and the general usability and functionality of the site.
Screening ProcessScreening writers before hiring them is crucial to the success of your project. Your screening process should be detailed, specific, and effective.
Portfolio and Samples
To ensure the candidates can provide the tone, expertise, and editing skills that match your needs, ask to see their portfolio or samples of their work. If the candidate is a new writer (many are), provide a short test project to help you gauge their abilities.
Check Reviews
Writers who have experience in the field will often have reviews or even recommendation letters from their previous clients. Look for the writers with high ratings and positive reviews.
Assess Communication Skills
Communication is a big part of working with freelance writers since each project will likely require some level of collaboration.
During your screening with the candidate, pay attention to their professionalism, responsiveness, clarity, and their ability to follow instructions and answer questions.
Determine Industry Knowledge
If you are looking for a freelance writer, you likely have a specific topic or niche that your site is covering.
Having writers that are familiar with and educated on your topic is not essential but it does make the job a lot easier for both parties. Writers familiar with the topic often have to perform less research (offering a shorter turn-around time), and the quality of opinions and overall content is often superior.
Determine Payment Specifics
When it comes to payment, there are many things to consider such as, how much, how often, and what payment processing service you will use.
Rates
It is important to understand the going rates of freelance writers. You can either pay a writer by the hour, by the word, or by the project.
You can expect to pay inexperienced writers about $15 per hour or about $.01 per word. The rates of experienced writers are often much higher at about $25-$50 per hour or $.05-$.10 per word.
Accelo is a great CRM that can help with tracking your writer's billable hours.
If you choose to pay a writer per project, you should use these rates to determine the total worth of each article or blog post.
Pay Frequency
Paying writers at the end of each project is common in the world of freelance work. However, if your company is planning to take on many new writers and projects, weekly or bi-weekly pay may help with the organization and reliability of your side of the collaboration.
Determine what pay frequency works best for you by considering factors such as whether you already have a team on payroll, if you have a billing department that will handle payments, how many writers you are hiring, and how many projects will be completed each month.
Payment Processing
If you do not already have a payroll system in place, you have many payment processing options to choose from.
You could use a financial service platform such as Square or Clover, or a banking institution that offers direct deposit or paper checks.
When deciding how you would like to process payments, you should take pay frequency, company size, and your number of writers into account.
The platform you use to obtain new writers may already have a payment system for clients to use.
