Freelancing is everywhere. From driving people to work to delivering food and creating logos for businesses, the gig economy is taking off. While freelancers make day-to-day life easier for thousands of people, they can also be an excellent addition to your in-house business team.
Freelance writers can help you reach your marketing goals by creating stunning web content. They offer a dimension of expertise that most employees simply don't have. Here's what you need to know if you're thinking about working with freelance writing professionals.
What Is Freelance Writing?
Freelance writers produce a wide range of content for professional businesses. What makes them different from traditional hires is that they are typically self-employed or contractors. Great freelance writers work with hundreds of different clients and can produce everything from lively social media content to in-depth industry reporting. They can work on short-term projects or come on board for recurring long-term projects such as building blog traffic or sending gout weekly newsletters. Freelance writers include copywriters and SEO writers as well as technical writers that can draft white papers. You can find out more about the different types of freelance writers and copywriting versus content writing here.
Freelance writers can be employed part-time or full-time depending on your business needs. Some freelancers receive company benefits just like in-house employees while others simply receive compensation for each piece they produce. The flexibility of freelance employees allows small businesses to hire professional writers while minimizing costs. Freelance writers also suit larger corporations as they can free up time and add valuable expertise to the marketing team.
What Do Freelance Writers Do?
Freelance writers and bloggers blend marketing knowledge with writing skills to help promote a business's objectives. They are an integral part of content marketing as they can conduct keyword research, proofreading, and can help determine what type of content should be included in your content calendar. Freelance writers can also help your marketing team understand how to better promote content on different platforms.
Freelance writers are also usually adept at using publishing platforms such as WordPress and Webflow. They know how to upload blog posts, web content, and create landing pages. Writers may also be skilled in optimizing these pages to increase SEO rankings.
Above all, freelance content writers are creative geniuses. They are able to present educational and informative information in an engaging way. They can help guide potential consumers and gently encourage them to invest in your products. They boost conversions using their shrewd knowledge and exceptional writing skills.
Hiring a freelance writer can help save business owners time since writing can be a time-consuming and difficult task for people who aren't trained as writers. They also allow managerial staff and business owners to focus their skills and time on other projects.
Where Can Companies Find Freelancers?
Job Boards
Large job boards such as Indeed and LinkedIn are great resources for businesses to find professionals looking for freelance writing jobs online. Most people start their job search scrolling through the job postings on one of these large sites. If you post an ad for a freelance writer, you're likely to have a wider reach when posting a job ad on a job board as opposed to posting the position on your website or in a local newspaper. You can narrow down your search to a local metropolis such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago, Boston, Houston, or San Francisco or expand your options by searching for professional writers around the globe.
The beauty of large job boards is that they typically attract hundreds of potential applicants. This ensures you have a large number of writer options to choose from. You can also check out online writing job boards that cater specifically to connecting writers with potential clients.
Freelance Marketplaces
A freelance marketplace is a one-stop shop for all of your freelance needs. People use these sites to further their freelance writing careers, land work, and discover new job opportunities. It also serves as a mini-portfolio for writers who have worked for other clients. These include sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Blogging Pro, and ProBlogger. Here, you can find blog writers and digital marketing experts that can help take your business blog to the next level. Some sites allow you to post a job ad for free while others charge a small fee to get access to the most qualified writers.
Marketplaces such as Upwork use algorithms to highlight the most skilled writers for your freelance work needs. Once you post a job ad, you'll receive a short list of freelance writers that fit your criteria. You can also search through the site's freelancers to find what you're looking for. Many successful freelance writers include author bios that help you understand their skills and expertise.
The best part about freelance marketplaces is they help guide the entire hiring process. You can conduct interviews directly on the platform and send payment via the marketplace interface. These sites offer guarantees that work is approved before any payment needs to be submitted. Freelance marketplaces also offer assistance in the event of any disputes, thus lessening the burden on your hiring team.
Writing Agencies
Websites such as The Writer Finder make finding a freelance writing professional easy. For a one-time fee, you’ll receive personalized help to find a writer for your business or for a particular project. Just outline your needs and expectations and you’ll receive a tailored list of qualified writers for you to choose from.
How To Pick A Freelance Writer
To pick the best writer, it's important to keep in mind your specific needs. If you want to produce detailed informational guides or hi-tech how-tos, you'll want to hire an expert technical writer. If you're looking for someone to create short stories or guest posts about your products, look for someone with a creative writing background.
For some businesses, it's essential to have a college degree. A writing degree may be a bonus for some businesses and demonstrates the applicant is well versed in grammar, spelling, and other writing conventions. For other companies, it may be better for the applicant to have years of experience in the industry. Keep this in mind when sorting through applicants.
New freelance writers may not offer the same expertise as professionals who have been in the business for years, but they can save your company money. Try to balance the needs of your budget with your marketing goals to find the best writer for your needs.
Always ask applicants for writing samples. This allows you to get a feel for their writing style through their published writing work. You can see if the applicant has written for any big name publishers, competitors, or industry thought leaders. You will also gain insight into how well the writer entertains and keeps the reader's focus.
Be careful when you hire writers to create online content. Vet any content writing agencies to ensure they produce high quality content. A quick search using Google or another search engine will return dozens of results, many of which are content mills. Content mills are companies that churn out high amounts of content, but with very low quality. Not only is it a waste of time for businesses looking to hire quality writers, it can also damage your authority and brand.
How Should Businesses Pay Freelancers?
Many remote writers operate their own freelance writing business. They may already have a handle on how the prefer to be paid. Others are flexible and willing to negotiate both the amount of pay and how they're paid. Payment can also depend on whether the type of writing is high-paying or low-paying.
Freelancers can be paid for article writing on a per project basis or on a rolling basis if they provide a lot of work. At The Writer Finder, we usually pay monthly or bimonthly. We ask freelance writers to submit an invoice at the end of the month and then process payment using either PayPal or a payroll manager like Justworks.You can also pay the freelancer half the agreed upon fee at the beginning of the project and the other half upon completion.
PayPal is one of the most common payment platforms for freelancers. PayPal is quick and convenient, but it does involve fees. You'll need to talk to your freelancer and decide who pays for the fees and how often payment should be submitted.
When it comes to making money or spending money, it's important to be clear on your expectations from the beginning. Discuss the payment amount and method with the freelancer before any work is contracted. You want to build up a positive working relationship so make sure everyone is on the same page before starting.
Working With Freelance Writers
Hiring for freelance jobs can be new territory for many small business owners. In today's digital world, it's no longer enough to find someone with good writing skills. You need to hire professional writers that excel at their craft and create engaging and exciting works. Whether you're looking for ghostwriting technical experts that can craft high-level manuals or someone who can draft informative press releases, a freelance writer can help you out with everything you need. From writing articles to crafting a content calendar or creating sales pieces, freelance writing gigs are a great way to expand your blog content. Hiring a freelance writer can help you accomplish your marketing and business goals. With these practical tips, you're sure to find the ghostwriter or blog writer of your dreams.