7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Freelance WriterPosted by Fuglsang Munk on May 18th, 2021 Here are seven questions to ask that will help you pick out the best freelance writer. 1. What type of content do you want? Before you decide on the type of writer you need, identify what you would like the writer to do. You might encounter a freelance writer who creates a great article, but when faced with writing a compelling news release, he or she does not pull it off. Ask your preferred candidates about the kind of content they create -- articles, white papers, blog posts, resumes and cover letters, business proposals, etc. An excellent freelance writer for hire is with the capacity of writing multiple content type, but learn the categories they emphasize most, as some have significantly more transferable writing expertise than others. Require samples around your niche and those related to your industry. For example, journalists will make excellent bloggers than writers in the marketing industry. You must ensure the writer's skills meet your needs. 2. What are your rates? Rates are based on word count and project deliverable. A freelance writer for hire might work on an hourly, per word count, per-day or per-week basis. Many freelancers work on a per-word basis and require one-third to one-half of the total pay upfront. Before you make a hiring decision, I recommend you do some research on pay rates for different skill sets. This can help you easily remove the lowest and highest bidders. Writers' rates vary widely when i have listed here: ? New freelance writers charge significantly less than /hr. ? Established freelance writers charge from to 0/hr. ? Writers with years of experience or high client demand will probably charge more than 0/hr. Be wary of freelance writers for hire that are too cheap. You may find yourself paying greater than you expected in the long term when you must hire a different writer; instead, find someone qualified, with reasonable prices. I recommend you place quality over quantity. Your articles marketing goals will undoubtedly be better served by hiring a freelance writer who offers you quality content. 3. What does the price include? Will the writer be prepared to be compensated for long-distance phone or Skype demands research? Are you expected to find photos for your blog posts or will the writer complete the search? Will he/she come up with SEO keywords for the content? How long can you expect the piece to be? Does the fee include revisions? If it does, how many revisions will they offer? These are a few of the questions it is advisable to ask when hiring a freelance writer, just to be sure you know very well what you are paying for. 4. What is your turnaround time? 7essays.com Let's face it, writers must be mindful of time management and meeting deadlines. Based on your content, you may want certain articles written before specific dates. Set an authentic turnaround time for the completion of the project. Confirm the deadline with your freelancer in writing in order to avoid any misunderstanding. If the writer cannot fit you in, they're probably too busy to take care of your assignment. Perhaps, you might want to wait for an extremely qualified writer with a high client demand, and it will be worth waiting should you have a flexible deadline. 5. Who will be the named author? Are you hiring a ghostwriter or a freelance writer who would like recognition for their work? Most writers love a byline, but others are happy to have your blog under your name. Be sure to discuss this with the writer to select who will be cited because the author of the content. 6. Who owns the content? Authorship differs to ownership. When you hire a freelance writer to write content, you only pay for use of the piece, not its ownership. If you need to retain the rights to this content, make sure you enquire about ownership in the agreement. Ownership will give you the rights to modify the content for other different uses. 7. How will you communicate? Communication is very important whenever a writer is handling your project. These days, progressively more freelance article writers are communicating via instant messaging and email. Others also work by phone and fax. Ensure that you both are flexible enough to communicate with time. Before hiring a writer for your business, make sure you know very well what you are getting. Setting expectations will help both parties have a happy and long-term relationship.Like it? Share it! More by this author |