7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Freelance Writer

Here are seven questions to help you choose the best freelance writer.

1. What type of content do you need?

Before you decide the type of writer you need, identify what you want the writer to do. You may come across a freelance writer creating a great article, but when faced with writing a compelling press release, you fall short. Ask your preferred candidates about the type of content they create: articles, white papers, blog posts, resumes and cover letters, business proposals, etc.

A good freelance writer for hire is capable of writing more than one type of content, but find out which categories they emphasize the most, as some have more transferable writing experience than others. Request samples around your niche and those related to your industry. For example, journalists are more likely to be excellent bloggers than writers in the marketing industry. You need to make sure that the writer’s skills meet your needs.

2. What are your rates?

Rates are based on word count and project delivery. A freelance writer for hire might work by the hour, by the number of words, by the day, or by the week. Many freelancers work by the word and require one-third to one-half of the total payment up front.

Before you make a hiring decision, I recommend doing some research on pay rates for different skill sets. This will help you easily eliminate the lowest and highest bidders. Writer fees vary widely, as I’ve listed here:

• New freelance writers charge less than $50/hour.

• Established freelance writers charge $50 to $100 per hour.

• Writers with years of experience or high customer demand are likely to charge upwards of $100 per hour.

Beware of freelance writers for hire that are too cheap. You may end up paying much more than you bargained for in the long run when you have to hire a different writer; instead, find someone qualified, with reasonable prices.

I recommend putting quality before quantity. Your content marketing goals will be better served by hiring a freelance writer who will provide you with quality content.

3. What does the cost include?

Will the writer expect to be compensated for long distance phone calls or Skype calls for research? Are you expected to find photos for blog posts or will the writer complete the search? Will you come up with SEO keywords for your content? How long do you expect the piece to be? Does the rate include revisions? If so, how many revisions will they provide?

Here are some of the questions to ask yourself when hiring a freelance writer, just to make sure you know what you’re paying for.

4. What is your response time?

Let’s face it, writers need to be mindful of time management and meeting deadlines. Depending on your content, you may want certain articles to be written before specific dates. Set a realistic turnaround time for project completion. Confirm the deadline with your freelancer in writing to avoid misunderstandings.

If the writer can’t fit it in, they’re probably too busy to handle their homework. Perhaps, you may want to wait for a highly-skilled writer with high client demand, and it will be worth the wait if you have a flexible deadline.

5. Who will be the named author?

Are you hiring a ghostwriter or a freelance writer who wants recognition for their work? Most writers love a byline, but others are happy to have their blog named after them. Be sure to discuss this with the writer to decide who will be cited as the author of the content.

6. Who is the owner of the content?

Authorship is different from ownership. When you hire a freelance writer to write content, you only pay for the use of the piece, not its ownership. If you want to retain the rights to the content, be sure to ask about ownership in the agreement. Ownership will grant you the rights to modify the content for other different uses.

7. How will you communicate?

Communication is very important when a writer is managing his project. These days, more and more freelance writers communicate via instant messaging and email. Others also work by phone and fax. Make sure both of you are flexible enough to communicate on time.

Before you hire a writer for your business, make sure you know what you’re getting. Setting expectations will help both parties to have a happy and lasting relationship.