One of the many aspects of managing a website is producing quality posts and content that will bring online traffic to your site. To do this, you will need to create content that will rank on the search engine results page so that visitors see your website first. Users are more likely to visit websites that rank on the first page of search engines, so you need to create quality content that will bring people in.
Managing a great website may mean that you do not have time to write the type of high-quality content that you need to include on your website.
This is where a freelance writer comes in.
What is a Freelance Writer?
A freelance writer is a self-employed individual who writes specific content for a person, business, or organization on an as-needed basis. A freelance writer is not employed by the client for whom they are writing. Instead, the freelance writer is contacted by a client who needs content written as-needed.
Freelance writers are ideal for blogs and websites of all sizes because it allows the business owner to focus on other areas of the site rather than writing the actual posts.
Freelance writers can be hired through many different platforms, with one of the most reputable and well-known being the website Upwork.
How to Hire a Writer on Upwork
Upwork is a freelance marketplace and one of the leading platforms in connecting business owners to freelance writers. Upwork allows business owners to post freelance writing jobs they require. The business owner sets the pay for each job so that the freelance writer knows how much the job pays before deciding to submit a proposal for the job. Freelance writers can view the details of each job that is posted before deciding to submit a proposal. The details will include pay rate, deadline date, word count, and other specific details of the job for the writer to follow.
As content writers on Upwork complete projects for clients, they will be reviewed and given a score by the client. The client will provide feedback based on the quality of the writing, as well as the experience in working with the client.
When hiring a content writer on Upwork, it is important to read the feedback that has been given to the writer by fellow clients. This feedback is pertinent in determining if a writer is reliable, trustworthy, and dependable.
You can choose content writers in one of two ways:
- Post a job and have potential content writers submit proposals
- Seek potential candidates for the job by searching through available content writers
Whether you choose option 1 or option 2, we suggest that you consider asking the client for samples of their work if they do not have a portfolio to view. Reviewing the writer’s writing samples or portfolio will give you a feel for the writer’s writing style and quality of content. This step can help you decide if the writer will be a good fit for the writing job you need.
If a writer does not have samples or a portfolio, you can ask them to write a test article to make sure their writing style matches your expectations and requirements.
Once you have chosen the right freelancer for the job, you will need to hire him or her. To do this, you will click the “hire” on the proposal that the writer has submitted to you. Next, you will be prompted to create the contract offer for the writer to accept. As soon as the writer accepts the contract offer, they can begin working.
What makes Upwork so successful is its one-stop-shop design. You can message, upload files, and pay the writer all within the website or Smartphone application!
What We Look For in a Writer
There are many aspects of a writer that should be considered when choosing a freelance writer. These are the features that we look for in a writer.
Dependability
As a business owner, the last thing you need to worry about is someone not coming through on a job you have asked them to do. You should rest assured that the freelance writer you have hired will submit projects and assignments by the deadline you have set. Look to hire a freelance writer with dependability so that you don’t have to worry about whether a job will be completed or not.
Tone
Hiring a freelance writer who writes to fit the tone of your website or blog is an important feature because it will give readers a uniform experience no matter what area of your website they are on. It is important to hire a freelance writer who can mimic any tone that you want your post to have.
Communicative
Life happens, and sometimes deadlines can’t be met. Hire a freelance writer who has a good reputation with communication. A freelance writer with a good reputation will immediately let you know if they cannot complete an assignment by the deadline. A freelance writer with good communication skills means you should likely never be caught off-guard, wondering why an assignment or project has not been completed.
Enthusiasm
You should look for a freelance writer who has positive energy, passion, and enthusiasm. These qualities are likely to land you a freelance writer who will be eager to take on any writing assignment you throw their way. In addition, a freelance writer with a positive attitude and energy is more likely to take on any project you might throw at them.
Expertise
Depending on the type of website you manage may determine if you need a writer with expertise in a specific subject matter. For this reason, you should consider hiring a freelance writer with vast knowledge and experience on the specific subject in which they will be writing. This will save you time having to explain the details of the subject matter that you will need them to write about, as they will already have knowledge of the subject matter.
Experience
Hiring a writer who has experience is similar to hiring a writer who has expertise. Like expertise, hiring an experienced writer means you will spend less time explaining each detail of the writing assignment. Additionally, hiring an experienced writer means less time that you should have to spend editing and revising any assignment they submit to you. Anything that saves you time, money and energy is worth the investment.
An experienced writer is also less likely to ask follow-up questions about the assignment that is given. If the experienced writer has not written about the specific subject matter, they likely have written about the style in which the topic is being formatted. This includes search engine optimization, heading formats, and research abilities. A professional writer who possesses these qualities is guaranteed to produce quality written content that should require little to no revisions, saving you time and money in the long run.
Talent
Not everyone is equipped to be a writer. A talented writer typically has passion, excitement, and the ability to capture a reader’s interest by creating engaging content. Good grammar helps, too. Hiring a creative writer who will think outside of the box will help your content stand apart from the rest and keep your readers coming back for more.
Hiring a Writer: The Ultimate Guide
We have covered Upwork, but there are other methods in which you can hire a freelance writer. These are some other methods you can use to hire a freelance writer.
Networking
Networking is one of the most successful methods of finding a freelancer. You may be surprised at how many business owners are hiring freelance writers to write quality content for their website.
If you know of other business owners who are utilizing freelance writers to produce web content for your blog or website, ask them who they are using and why. Networking and word-of-mouth recommendations from someone you know are always a great source of information in deciding how to hire a writer.
Job Sites
Another successful method of hiring a freelance writer is to post on a job site. Jobs sites are different than Upwork because they do not offer a one-stop-shop for both business owners and freelancers to perform each task related to hiring a freelancer. Instead, job sites allow you to post the writing project to allow freelance writer candidates to apply for the job.
Job sites are a great way to hire a freelance writer because it allows you to reach audiences that may not be on other freelance marketplaces, like Upwork, as job sites are typically a free service that does not collect fees from potential writers.
Freelance Marketplace
A freelance marketplace is designed specifically for clients to hire freelancers to create quality content that will be published on their website. In a freelance marketplace, clients can search for freelancers who specialize in different fields, such as content marketing, social media, and copywriting, just to name a few.
As we mentioned earlier, Upwork has become a leader in freelance marketplaces, but there are other websites available to hire freelancers.
A freelance marketplace is often quicker and easier to navigate than standard job sites because it designed for the sole purpose of hiring freelancers. Freelancers who visit a freelance marketplace already know the business and what they are signing up for, whereas someone who applies for a freelance job on a standard job site may not understand this. This means you may spend an excessive amount of time filtering through countless numbers of irrelevant resumes.
Tips on How to Set Up Your Profile
Whether you use a job site, the freelance marketplace, LinkedIn, or another type of networking platform, it is important to set up a profile that tells writers exactly what they should expect from the writing assignment they are applying for.
To do this, you will want to include the following information in your profile:
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The logistics of the writing project. These should be specific details and should include the total word count, the frequency of the posts, and the deadline for each assignment. You should describe how you want the document submitted.
For example, do you want your client to send you an email of a Microsoft Word document, or had you rather share a Google Docs file with one another? Explain these details in your profile.
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Describe the tone and format the writing project should follow. Your profile should tell potential writers what type of writing tone and format you need them to follow. This will weed out writers from applying who may not possess the qualities you are looking for, saving you time and money in the long run.
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Set the pay rate. Your profile should clearly set the rate of pay at which you will be paying the blog writer. This will cut down negotiations, discussions, offers, and counter-offers between yourself and the writer when finalizing the hiring process.
Freelance Writers vs. Ghost Writers vs. Guest Writers
New content should be posted on your blog or website between two and three times a week, at minimum. This can be nearly impossible when managing a website, which is how the freelance writer enters the scene. But what is the difference between hiring a freelance writer, a ghostwriter, or inviting a guest writer to contribute to your site? We’re glad you asked!
The Freelance Writer
As we explained, a freelance writer is someone you hire to write professional and creative content for you to post on your website. It can be a blog post, a resource page, or a product review page. Essentially, you can hire a freelance writer for whatever reason you may need. A freelance writer is often a general term used to describe someone who writes content for your website, when the writer may really be a ghostwriter or a guest writer.
A true freelance writer will get paid for the content they write, as well as get credit for the content by placing their name on it.
The Ghost Writer
A ghostwriter is a freelance writer who writes content for a client but gives the credit of the writing to someone else, typically the website or blog owner. Most freelance writers you will hire will be considered ghostwriters. The writer will create content for your website or blog, but you will put your name on it when it is posted, which is what makes them a ghostwriter.
The Guest Writer
A guest writer will write what is called a guest post or a guest article, and it will be titled as such. Typically, guest writers have already established a reputation. We like to think of it as being similar to a celebrity making a cameo appearance on a television show.
When a celebrity makes a cameo appearance on a TV show, the ratings of the TV show for that episode are likely to increase because of the celebrity’s appearance.
The same concept applies to a guest writer you have hired to write content for your blog.
Not only can a guest writer help boost your website views for that particular post, but the guest writer can also turn new visitors into recurring visitors. A visitor may only be on your website to read the guest writer’s post, but they may quickly travel to different areas of your site once arriving.
Hiring a reputable guest writer to create a guest post can help your website get a boost in visitors, as well as help turn those new visitors into recurring ones.
A Few More Tips to Consider When Hiring a Writer
Having a successful website or blog means more than just hiring a quality writer. In fact, there are many other freelance tips and positions that help make content writing so successful.
Hire Multiple Writers
We recommend hiring multiple writers when considering to hire a writer for your blog or website.
Multiple writers will give you a team of writers that you can depend on by giving you an increased variety of options to consider, including:
Having a team of multiple writers means you can handpick the writer you think would be best for each writing assignment.
Hire a Content Strategist
Your website and content are only good if they are posted frequently, so it is important to implement a successful strategy for your content.
The good news is that there are freelancers you can hire to handle this aspect of the job if you are unfamiliar with it. These freelancers are called content strategists.
A content strategist will study the main objective of your website and create a content strategy based on the analysis of information. A content strategist will take your visions, ideas, and plans to design a content strategy that will reach the largest targeted audience to bring in the most viewers. A content strategist will also keep you organized by creating what’s called a content calendar.
A content calendar is a calendar that will organize a schedule of your upcoming content you will be posting on your website. A content strategist will help you stay organized by creating this calendar for you to hand out to your writers as they come available.
Hire a Content Marketer
A freelance writer is hired to do exactly that: write. Most of the time, a freelance writer is not required to add visuals, images, graphs, infographics, or any other digital media; however, it is extremely common to view a website post and see one, if not all, of the above.
This is where a content marketer comes into the picture.
A content marketer will study trends, designs, and visuals to determine the best way to market the post that has been created. The content marketer will bring visitors to the post, sell the visitors on a service or product, and then turn that visitor into a habitual customer.
Conclusion
Hiring a writer is one of the smartest choices you can make as a business owner. You can focus your time and energy on other aspects of your website or blog without having to dedicate multiple days out of the week to writing mediocre blog posts.
With a freelance writer, you can simply submit your writing assignment to one of your multiple writers for them to complete by a designated time.
Remember that you should always view a freelance writer’s portfolio, if applicable, before hiring them as a writer. If no portfolio is available, request the freelance writer to submit a writing sample. Reviewing a writing sample will give you a feel for the type of writing the writer encompasses so that you can determine if they are the right fit for the job.
Before we go, one last piece of advice we have is to draft what is called a Letter of Agreement contract for you to submit to your writer for them to sign and return. A Letter of Agreement will cover yourself, and your writer should the job be terminated before the expiration date of the contract.
