How to Hire the Best Freelance Writers: The Path to Success!

You've done it! You've started to see returns on your content marketing efforts. Not only has your site started to get organic traffic (i.e. from Google) and social media traffic, you've gotten some leads and a few sales from it! But it was a ton of work! You had to:

• Write the blog posts and social media posts,
• Create your lead magnets,
• Set up the landing pages,
• And automate email campaigns.

As a small or mid-sized business owner, you understand the value of content marketing, but you know managing it all yourself just isn't sustainable! Enter: your freelance content team!

You have a lot of work to do before you can actually hire anyone. All of this work is an investment though. Because once you hire quality content creators, marketers, and/or a manager, you won't have to worry about your content creation anymore.

Decide on Your Content Goals

What do you want from your content professional(s)? Do you want someone to write blog posts? Social media? Emails? All three?

What about your lead magnets? Lead magnets can be ebooks, quizzes, fillable workbooks and template, slide shows, and so much more. It takes more time to create lead magnets, which means they normally cost more. However, the shelf life of a lead magnet and ROI of the lead generation you get is well worth it. What is a lead magnet?

"Lead Magnet — noun — an irresistible bribe offering a specific chunk of value to a prospect in exchange for their contact information. The goal of the Lead Magnet is to maximize the number of targeted leads you are getting for an offer." via Lead Magnets | 9 Lead Magnet Ideas with Examples

Also, you need to decide on your budget. Everyone can write, but not everyone can write well. Don't expect to find great writers on the cheap. Content marketing is worth the investment, but you have to actually be willing to invest.

Freelance Content Strategist or Marketer

So obviously there is a lot going on here. If you need help deciding what your content strategy and plan should be (they aren't the same), then you're likely looking for a content strategist or marketer. This is someone who can:

• research your industry and business,
• create your buyer personas,
• plan your strategy,
• and create your monthly/quarterly content plan

If you also like their writing style and they have management experience, then they may also be able to manage any content creators you hire. (Most content marketers and strategists can also create content, but there's really only so much you can expect from one person. Hiring a strategist and/or marketer who can then manage a team of writers is the most cost-effective option)

Freelance Content Writer

If you feel like you have your strategy and plan well in hand, then you're likely looking for a content creator (or content writer). This will be someone who will actually create the content laid out in your plan. You may need more than one writer depending on how aggressively you want to grow your content footprint. Another thing to consider here is what other peripheral tasks you want your creators to do. Should they look for photos to go with the content? Should they be able to upload into your Content Management System? What about writing things like meta descriptions and alt text for your blog posts? If your freelance writers can do these things, it will save you a lot of time.

Keep in mind that you may not find that "unicorn" content professional. There aren't a lot of people who can do EVERYTHING. So do you want one person who performs most tasks in a mediocre fashion? Or two-three people who perform well?

How Do I Find Great Freelance Writers?

There are a lot of different places you can search for your ideal freelance writers:

• networking events
• online job boards and sites
• LinkedIn
• Referrals from family and friends

You may also find content professionals you're interested in while you're researching content in your industry. Don't be afraid to reach out and see if they're taking on more clients.

Many businesses are making use of job platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr (and the list goes on). One of the main things you can do to make your job search on any of these platforms easier is to create a great job ad. When you create a job ad that is unspecific or vague, the best writers are likely to pass that job by (I do). These job boards can have a bad reputation for low-quality work, but many clients on these platforms write poor job posts that only low-quality writers will respond to.

To entice the best writers to submit a cover letter and relevant examples* of their work to you for consideration, you need to create a job ad that shows:

• Your passion for your business
• Your intent to invest in your content
• Benefits of working with you and your company
• The tools they should know how to use
• Any required topic, niche, or industry experience
• What you expect from your freelance writers

The more specific you are in your job post the more likely you are to weed out the unqualified writers from the beginning. As a content strategist and marketer, I have a list of things I look for that either qualifies or disqualifies any prospective job post or client I come across.

You may wish to specifically include:

• Information about your company and your website
• Your ideal customer or target audience
• What you think you need in terms of content strategy, marketing, planning, creation, or distribution
• Other requirements or desires that would further qualify anyone considering your job post.

Something I DON'T AGREE WITH:

"Sites like UpWork, Fiverr or Craigslist might be a good fit, depending on the type or quality of content you’re working with. You are unlikely to find excellent B2B writers with industry experience on these sites, but you may find writers for lightweight, consumer-oriented content." via How to Hire Freelance Writers to Scale Your Content Marketing

You can find excellent freelance writers, content marketers, and strategists on these platforms. YOUR job ad is going to determine whether or not they apply. Most successful content writers have a full plate, so if you want them to work with you, put some effort into your job post or they may never reach out.

To continue reading about what to do when you've got a freelance writer shortlist, how to conduct your interviews, and handling your paid test product visit me at my new website, Defy The Status Quo!

If you're a business owner who works with freelance writers, please share your top tip for other business owners looking to do the same in the comments.

If you're a freelance writer, please share ONE thing you've noticed that helps this process go smoother.

*a comment from @Elizabeth Manneh made me realize that I had used unclear language regarding the submission of work samples. I want to clarify that writers should do paid test projects only. When submitting proposals, you should select a few of your most relevant pieces from your proposal and submit them as examples of your work. The article has been edited to clearly state this sentiment.