How to Find and Hire a Great Freelance Writer / Copywriter

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010

Seek and Ye Shall Find?
Sometimes finding a good writer can be harder than finding a soul mate because writing and copywriting are subjective arts and if you are not a writer, you can not see the difference between a good writer and an excellent writer. If you are looking for a writer on the Web by searching on terms such as writer and copywriter, there are few things you should look for once you find a writer?s website:

Excited, Delighted or Uninvited?
Excellent writing entertains and excites, quickly and concisely. When you read the writer?s website you should be drawn in. Does she ask the reader questions? Does he understand what you want? Does she seem friendly? Does he have relevant experience? Does she list what kinds of services she offers?

Location, Location, Location
Often businesses hiring a writer want to look for someone nearby so they search, writer, Los Angeles if they live in Los Angeles, if the writers don?t show an address or location where they work, you?ll never find then. You?ll be able to get a general idea of where the writer is by either the contact page or by references to work completed.

A Bad Writer Ain?t Hard to Find
If you notice grammar and spelling mistakes you are probably on the wrong page. Also if the style and design of a writer?s website looks bad, even if their writing looks good, you should be wary. Good writing is neat and pleasant looking.

Ample Parking and Samples
Excellent writing on the Web, gives the reader plenty of potential to stop, park, click and look for a while. If the writer doesn?t link to more writing and industry resources, she/he is less professional than the ones who do know that linking is best form of networking around. You ought to find several kinds of writing samples. If you don?t find the kind of samples you like, e-mail or call the writer and ask for exactly what you want.

RSVP
Response is also important to you and the writer. Although a few second e-mail response-time is possible, a day or overnight return time is reasonable. If you want a faster response, be sure to tell the writer that you are in hurry and on a deadline. When writers don?t respond in a timely manner, they miss out on your work.

Check References
Once you locate the name of the writer, do not hesitate searching for other references of the writer on the Web. Type the name in a search engine with an appropriate word such as writer. For example, when I searched my name Lynn Walford with the word writer, along with my website http://www.freelancewriternow.com, a photo of me standing next my former editor Michael Goldstein at a Justice Magazine party appeared. I never saw the photo until I searched my own name! Of course writers and authors names should also appear on magazine articles and bylines in other media. I also found myself in an article on naming books by Robin Quinn at the PMA website.

Titular Savvy or Tense---What?s in a Name?
Look at the title of the writer?s website. Is it catchy? Memorable? Does it Make Sense? Of course when someone is born Anna Matto Poeeah, (pronounced just like onomatopoeia, the poetic word for when something also sounds like its name such as whispering or clang) you can?t hold it against her. However, when writers don?t take the time to name their websites appropriately they can?t write a title for you.

The Price is Write
Some writers charge by the hour, by the piece or by the word. Whomever you choose, she/he should be able to give an estimate on how much your project will cost. Vagueness usually means no experience.

Rewrite Right?
Most excellent writers and copywriters will give a free rewrite if you don?t like what they do. Always ask if they will rewrite it for you if you don?t like it.

Test, Quiz
If you are planning a major project such as a white paper, which can be expensive, look for a writer in advance and ask him/her to write a small project for you first, then you can see if you can work with him/her and also test knowledge.

Well, Well, Well.
Writing well is a precise art with a sense of urgency and a taste of the divine. You should be able to tell good writing when you find it. It comes to life, sings and shines. When you read something like ? Avoid cliches like the plague,? found on 26 Golden Rules for Writing Well you are definitely in the wrong place.