4 Essential Tips to Help You Hire Good Freelance Writers

Selecting a good freelance writer isn’t an easy job. There’s really a huge difference in class here, and so, it is absolutely essential that you are not throwing caution to the wind. Here are a few tips to help you. We are sure that you will find them most useful.

Tip #1 – Assess the freelance writer’s skill

It is easy to advertise your writing skills on the Internet. If you start a blog, you can do it free. Folks who are more serious will have their own websites, but this is no guarantee as well that the quality will be good. Then there are companies that employ writers. But of course, not all writers will be top class. And so, even if you are happy with the services offered, you can never be sure that your copy will be written by somebody who is actually very good.

So what do you do? Always ask for free samples before you do the hiring. If it is a company, then ask them to send a sample from the person who will be working on your project. Assess the writing skills once you have them. Does it look good? Don’t proceed to give a full order if you are. Just hire them for a few articles and see how it goes. You can always place your larger order once you are completely satisfied.

Tip #2 – Sales & marketing acumen

A freelance writer who writes for the web is essentially into sales and marketing. Remember, effective web copy is never literature. Shakespeare, Wordsworth or Tolstoy will not work here. Rather, the writer must have a deep understanding of reader psyche, and should be able to convince the person without sounding too sales oriented. It should infuse enough credibility to encourage the reader to believe in the offer.

No, it is not essential for the writer to have prior experience in your industry. It is all a matter of writing skills really. A good writer with sales acumen should be able to do the job in all niches.

Tip #3 – Is the price right?

You will find all kinds of freelance writers on the Internet. Some guys will charge just $5 for a 500 word article. But there are others who will charge you $50 for this. Remember – your copy is as good as the price you pay. It is probably best not to select the cheapest person you can find. Always ask yourself – why is this person charging so less? If he is just starting off, then it’s probably understandable. Freshmen can do a good job too, but why take the chance? It is best to hire a professional freelancer with expertise and experience.

Yes, you will certainly want to save money. So, don’t pay more than what you can afford. Hire somewhere in between, but do ensure that the person can really write exceptional copy.

Tip #4 – Can the person/company meet deadlines?

Some writers are so good that they always have more work than they can manage. They can always hire others to do the job, but then again, it is not that easy to find quality writers. So, quite often, they will themselves do a major chunk of the writing.

But in an effort to ensure quality, you will certainly not want missed deadlines. So, ensure that the person or the company will be able to send the articles or your website copy on time. A real freelance writer should be able to meet deadlines, unless of course, there is some genuine catastrophic reason.