Establishing a competent and reliable freelancing writing team that will bring in clients and get the job done can be a huge headache. Since freelance writers are technically not employees, ensuring quality, consistency, and timeliness are great concerns for business owners. Choosing the right people is important, and there are certain traits you will want to look for in freelance writers. Below are some of these traits, as well as common tips for working with freelancers once you have selected your team.
Ask for a portfolio or sample
A resume or curriculum vitae is not always a good representation of writing skill. When hiring a freelance writer, the first step in the process should be testing his or her abilities. Assign a mock project with a topic that matches your desired style of writing. This will give you a good idea if the freelance writer can follow instructions, research, and write well on the topic. You should have some quality criteria established ahead of time so that you can review the work objectively. In addition, freelance writers usually have a portfolio of previous work they can provide upon request. You will need to review each sample carefully to evaluate quality.
Set clear requirements
You need to communicate with all of your freelancers all the time to ensure projects are completed well and on time. You need to make sure to set out your content expectations regarding style and tone, and you should provide tips and reminders as often as possible to keep your content production on track
Look for variety
When hiring, look for a wide variety of skillsets in your freelance writers. Journalism, SEO copywriting, researching, and blogging are all essential in content development. You will need to put out several advertisements in different places to attract the right applicants.
Provide resources
Do not be surprised if a freelance writer does not understand the field about which you are asking him or her to write. A lack of expert knowledge does not have to mean low-quality content if you provide the proper resources. For research purposes, make blogs, websites, and manuals available to your freelance writers. Also, maintain a freelancer availability schedule to ensure you have the resources you need to complete the projects you have in your queue.