There are a number of reasons why hiring a freelance writer for your blog is on your to-do list.
You might:
- Experience growth and require more content but don’t have the time to write posts yourself
- Be out of ideas and require a professional’s touch
It’s also possible that you’ve launched a blog but aren’t a writer, so you want to work with a professional who can capture your voice and bring your ideas to life.
Before hiring a freelance writer, you should know their writing style, confirm their niche knowledge, test their skills, ask for samples, and agree to the scope and terms. When hiring freelance writers, it’s best to work with professionals who can create content that converts and represents your brand well.
I’ve hired a freelance writer or two in my days, not only for this blog but for a freelance client, too, so this information is tried and tested to produce the best results.
If you’re not sure that freelance writing is what you want to outsource right now, take a look at some of the other tasks you can outsource.
In this article, we’ll discuss:
- What does a freelance writer do?
- Where can I find freelance writers online?
- How do I hire a writer?
- What to remember before hiring a freelance writer
Let’s get started!
What Does a Freelance Writer Do?
In case you’re new to the blogging and online business community, welcome!
We have these amazing content marketing unicorns we like to call freelance writers.
They’re an integral part of our online businesses because they help us create content that converts and makes us money.
But, what does a freelance writer do? Freelance writers are freelance professionals that create content for your business. From newsletters to blog posts to eBooks, freelance writers help make business owners’ lives easier by offloading content marketing responsibilities, strategy, and writing.
But, you’re probably now wondering:
- Where can I find freelance writers online?
- How do I hire a writer?
Let’s explore those topics a little more!
Where Can I Find Freelance Writers Online?
Freelance writers lurk in many places online!
If you’re not receiving LOIs (Letters of Introduction) from freelance writers in your email inbox, you can find them in/through:
- Facebook Groups: There are plenty of freelance writing and blogging/business Facebook groups you can join
- Job boards: These are great options, but you’ll have to take a lot of time vetting the candidates
- ProBlogger
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Referrals: These are probably the most reliable, but only if the writers have openings and are within your budget
- Google: You can always Google “freelance writers + niche” and you’ll get good results
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional network and a lot of freelance writers can be found through there by a simple search
But, before blindly hiring a freelance writer through the above methods, you need to do your due diligence, which we’ll get to a little later.
Next, we’ll discuss how to actually hire a freelance writer.
How Do I Hire a Writer?
To hire a freelance writer, you’re going to need a negotiation of some sort.
This can happen in a few ways, including:
- Email conversation
- Phone/Video conferencing
- Freelance contract
You should also discuss your budget for outsourcing content and your expectations for the engagement. Discussing this upfront is really important!
There are risks associated with outsourcing, but you don’t need to worry or be afraid of outsourcing.
I’ll walk you through the process!
5 Questions to Remember Before Hiring a Freelance Writer
Before hiring a freelance writer, I want you to ask these questions:
- What is the freelance writer’s writing style?
- Does the freelance writer have expert knowledge in your niche?
- Do you need to test the freelance writer’s skills?
- What samples and former writing experience can you show me?
- What are the scope and terms of the writing engagement?
Let’s explore these a little more!
1. What is the Freelance Writer’s Writing Style?
A skilled freelance writer will be able to emulate different voices for varying projects, but every writer has a distinct style.
Just as you have a voice and style for your brand and business.
Ask for samples of work, published or unpublished, that demonstrate a writer’s voice.
You can even go a step further and ask them to submit a personal piece, which will give you the most intimate look at their voice and help you determine whether or not their style would jive with your brand.
You don’t want to have to spend a lot of time editing the submissions, so finding a writer that already writes as you do helps. But, having writer guidelines can also be helpful in establishing your blog’s guidelines.
2. Does the Freelance Writer Have Expert Knowledge in Your Niche?
A writer’s niche is their area of specialization.
Just as you have a niche for your blog, freelance writers have niche specialities, too.
Some include:
- Personal finance (this is what Aja McClanahan specializes in)
- Travel
- Parenting
- Business
- Legal (this is what Laura Pennington-Briggs specializes in)
- Medical
And more!
You’ll even find writers in more specific niches such as credit, budgeting, natural health, etc.
Consider your own blog’s content and make sure that you choose a writer whose niche aligns with your vision.
It’s okay if a writer is flexible, but you shouldn’t work with a writer who claims they know it all and can write about anything and everything.
3. Do You Need to Test the Freelance Writer’s Skills?
If you doubt a freelance writer’s skills, you can always assign a test piece or do assessments for cultural fit.
You should be able to tell easily by a writer’s communication whether their grammar and spelling are good. There’s typically no need to test for that.
Also, no need for a typing test or to know how many words they type per minute.
But, you may want to have them generate a few blog post ideas and do a PAID test piece to really test how they work with deadlines and on behalf of your brand.
Make sure that the sample reflects the kind of content you’d ask them to produce.
And, it MUST BE PAID.
Please don’t ask freelance writers to write for free. It’s their career. They may be willing to guest post for you, but don’t count on it.
4. What Samples and Former Writing Experience Can You Show Me?
Some freelance writers are ghostwriters by trade, which means they don’t have any major publications under their own name.
Nevertheless, an experienced freelance writer will at least have their own website, even if they’ve just started out.
You don’t have to shy away from newer blog writers.
They need experience, and being new to the profession doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified or talented. Make sure they present themselves in a professional manner.
Do they talk about their trade like an expert? Do they sell themselves well?
Their site should demonstrate their knowledge and confidence in their abilities and showcase who they are.
They should also have some samples on their website you can check out, even if they’re a ghostwriter. And, you can always ask. They may have permission through their clients to share the content in their portfolio.
If you don’t do a test piece, you definitely need to look at samples.
5. What are the Scope and Terms of the Writing Engagement?
I mentioned this before when discussing a freelance contract, or an independent contractor agreement.
It helps to have one.
Even if you don’t, the scope and terms should include the:
- Per-word rate for the project (writers typically don’t do hourly rates)
- Number or range of assignments per month
- Turnaround time for assignments
- Timeline for invoices to be paid
- Communication method
- Copyright ownership
- Number of revisions included
- Word count for assignments
And more!
This is why I recommend using a freelance contract template.
It helps to already have go-to terms you need to protect your business and your intellectual property.
Conclusion
With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to connect with the best freelance writers for your blog and grow your site along with your vision.
In this article, we discussed:
- What does a freelance writer do?
- Where can I find freelance writers online?
- How do I hire a writer?
- What to remember before hiring a freelance writer
Are you hiring a freelance writer for your blogging business now? What outstanding questions do you have?
Let me know in the comments below 🙂
And, remember that if you need a trusted recommendation, ask in my Facebook group. I have a few freelance writers there who may be able to help.
If you think you need more advanced help, I’ve helped other bloggers outsource content writing and I might be able to do the same for you. Learn more about my coaching services here.
Cheers to your outsourcing success!
