What to Look for When Hiring a Freelance Writer?

All this sounds good but how do you know who to Hire?

Choosing the right person for the job is almost as important as realizing that you need help with website content writing.

Here are a few important points you should keep in mind when Choosing / Hiring a Freelance Content Writer -

Writing Style

Every individual has his / her distinctive writing style. Before making a hiring decision, ask the writers to show you samples of their previous work that will give you an idea of their inherent style of writing. You can judge whether their style is simple, focussed and professional? Do they write convincingly? Does the sample content reflect their knowledge and understanding of a specific field? In addition, you may also ask them to show you samples of work done for other businesses in the same industry as yours.

• Grammar & Vocabulary - When presented with sample content, check whether or not the content is free from grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and careless typos. These should tell you a lot about the quality of work you can expect from them.

• Experience - It will be unfair to deduce that a person who has handled 100's of articles will produce a better article than one who has just completed 10. Quantity of work done in the past doesn't necessarily guarantee high quality in the future. Keep this in mind while hiring content writers.

• Ability & Willingness to Research - While some projects require in-depth subject matter research, others may involve the use of facts and figures. Find out if the writer is willing to research the topic before producing website content or articles?

• Specialization - Subject Matter Experts - Another important aspect to hiring freelance writers is their specialization. There are freelance writers who specialize in writing on specific industries such as IT, Travel or Self Motivation while there are others who have an experience across many different fields. Decide who you want? A professional writer who specializes specifically in your field or a writer who has experience spread across a variety of different fields. 

• Location - You might want to have a face-to-face interaction with your freelance writer. In such a case, you should hire someone in proximity so that you can have regular meetings. However, if you are comfortable with the concept of online work environment and feel that can put your requirements across to the writer via email & phone, you can even work with someone in another city or country.

• Customised, Sample Write-up - Before making the decision to hire a freelance writer, you may want them to work on a sample write-up for you on any topic of your choice. By asking them to produce a short sample article, you can gauge their writing skills, provided that you are willing to pay them for it.

• Commitment to Meeting Deadlines - Most freelancers work on multiple projects at a time. Hence, it is in your best interests to make sure that the freelance writer you choose is willing and able to devote enough time to your project. Give them a realistic timeframe and let them know a date by when you need the finished document. Start the project only if the writer commits to your deadline.

• Reliable References - Before making a final decision to hire a freelance writer, ask them for references of previous clients so that you can check on their credentials. Additionally, you may also want to look through Client Testimonials. Most Freelance Writers (with websites) & content writing services providers have a Testimonials page that you can read through.

• Revisions - Find out if the writer is offering a provision for revision of content based on your feedback. While some writers make revisions to the text unlimited number of times (till the time you are completely satisfied), others make only 1 or 2 rounds of changes after which any further edits are chargeable. It is good to know what to expect right in the very beginning.

• Costing & Charges - It is imperative to understand how the writer will bill you for content writing - per word / per project or on an hourly basis. You should have a realistic idea of the costing and help you to choose a writer who delivers content within your budget.