Long-lasting, mutually-beneficial partnerships with freelance writers can help you scale your content marketing efforts. Here’s how to build them!
Most businesses today need an ongoing supply of high-quality content to feed their digital marketing engines. But what’s the best way to create it all? About 50% of marketers are outsourcing at least one content marketing activity, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2022 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends reports.
Outsourcing makes a lot of sense, however, it’s often easier said than done. While there’s no shortage of talented freelance writers, you need to know what to look for in a writer and how to prepare for the project. This article can help on both fronts!
Whether you’re outsourcing content for the first time, trying again after a bad experience, or always looking for ways to improve — here are 10 steps to follow to build effective partnerships with freelance writers.
Want to jump ahead? Click on a short-cut:
- 1. Develop a content strategy first
- 2. Choose the right freelance writer
- 3. Don’t manage freelance writers, collaborate with them
- 4. Provide thorough onboarding
- 5. Invest time upfront in assignment briefs (free template)
- 6. Define the scope and budget in detail
- 7. Agree on reasonable deadlines
- 8. Share response-time expectations
- 9. Give constructive feedback
- 10. Pay fairly and on time
- Infographic on the 10 steps
10 steps to effective partnerships with freelance writers
How can you ensure smooth sailing when outsourcing to freelance writers? Here are 10 tips!
1. Develop a content strategy first
Before beginning your search for a reliable freelance writer, you need a solid content strategy. In short, it’s a plan that lays out how you’ll leverage written content and copy to achieve your business goals. It often involves:
- Reverse engineering your goals
- Mapping out the buyer’s journey
- Defining your brand’s voice
- Choosing channels to target
- Studying your target audience
- Performing keyword research
- Strategizing how all your content will work together
- And more
If you don’t have someone in-house that’s able to develop your strategy, you may want to outsource this part to a freelance content strategist!
Experienced writers will be looking for info from your content strategy to give them context on the pieces they’re assigned. When you provide it, they can step into your business, understand why the content is being created, and position it properly.
Warning: A common mistake is hiring a freelance writer and expecting them to choose a topic or lead the strategy. While they may offer this service, it’s separate from a writing service and comes at an additional cost.
2. Choose the right freelance writer
Next, how do you find a good freelance writer for your project? It’s important to understand that every writer has unique skills and experience so some will be a better fit than others.
Many specialize in not only an industry but also a type of content or copy. For example, say you run a content agency for aesthetic clients. You likely need fresh blog content in that industry. In this case, it would be beneficial to find a SEO content writer with experience covering beauty topics like cosmetic injections and body shaping.
Aside from the right fit niche-wise, how should you vet writers?
- Check their portfolio and carefully review several work samples, the proof is in the pudding.
- Look for reviews from past clients. Many writers have testimonials on their websites and recommendations on their LinkedIn profiles. You can learn a lot about a person’s strengths, style, and work ethic from seeing what others have to say.
- Check their rates to see if they are a fit for your budget.
Additionally, Steve Sweer, General Manager at Toll Global Express, says, “The biggest one for me is to check in with a freelance writer’s previous client(s) to get unfiltered authentic feedback. Be clear on the 3-5 questions you want feedback on.”
If you need help finding the perfect freelance writer for your project? You can check out our directory to browse writers in various niches and industries. We’ve done the vetting for you!
3. Don’t manage freelance writers, collaborate with them
When entering into partnerships with freelance writers, it’s important to approach the situation with the right mindset. Unlike hiring an employee, freelancers are self-employed business owners. The relationship will be an equal partnership, not an employer-employee relationship where you manage them.
Paige Lyman, Freelance Writer, says, “Keep in mind that freelance writers are not full-time employees. They’re not going to be operating strictly on your schedule and they’ll have processes of their own!”
While approaching projects with a collaborative mindset will likely be better received by the freelancers you hire, it’s also important for legal reasons. Hiring a freelancer gives you the advantage of fewer tax liabilities. However, if the relationship is found to be of an employer-employee nature, the IRS can reclassify your freelancers as employees and charge you back taxes.
According to the IRS, independent contractors (freelancers) retain control over how they do their work and how they are paid. On the other hand, employees are “under the complete control of the taxpayer (employer).” Something to keep in mind.
4. Provide thorough onboarding
Now for onboarding. Most companies onboard freelance writers by having them sign an NDA and complete a tax form. However, you also need to fill them in on the ins and outs of your business. You are bringing an outsider into the inner circle and they need to be able to communicate on your company’s behalf.
Here are some tips on how to bring freelance writers up to speed:
- Have an onboarding video call to give an overview of the company and introduce the people they will be working with
- Share your brand guide, style guide, writing guide, pitch decks, sales brochures, etc.
- Explain your workflow and relevant processes
- Inform your writer about any special requirements or restrictions
- Provide a clear outline of the project, including your goals and audience
- Give them space to ask questions
No matter how great a writer is, they need the right information to create effective content and copy for you.
Maggie McCombs, Digital Content Manager at Parqa, says, “Be ready to invest plenty of time onboarding freelance writers, even though they’re not full-timers. If they’re more of a generalist, expect to train them in your industry. If they’re in your niche, you’ll have a good start but will still need to teach them your company, brand standards, etc.”
5. Invest time upfront in assignment briefs
Once onboard, one of the first things most writers are going to ask you for is an assignment brief. It’s a document that tells writers everything they need to know about the project at hand.
But why does it matter?
You don’t want to leave your freelance writer in the dark trying to figure out expectations. That typically leads to misunderstandings, wasted time, and frustrating back-and-forth revisions. An effective brief helps everyone get and stay on the same page.
While it does take time to create one thoughtfully, it can save you lots of headaches!
Not sure what an assignment brief should look like? Check out our free blog assignment brief template (and feel free to use it)!
6. Define the scope and budget in detail
A sure way to tarnish a partnership with a freelance writer is to ask for one thing, agree on the price, and then ask for more without increasing the pay. This may be done by accident but will not go over well. To avoid it, define the scope of the project in detail and ask the writer to explain what’s included.
For example, common aspects to define include:
- The number of revisions for the price
- The number of words and/or pages
- How the copy or content will be delivered
- If it will be uploaded into a program/formatted/etc.
- If images are required
- Draft and revision deadlines
- How much will be paid
Keep in mind that anything not covered in the assignment brief is out of the scope of work. Be ready to pay your writer more for extra requests, research, revisions, etc.
7. Agree on reasonable deadlines
Another sure way to undercut the success of a partnership with a freelance writer is to rush the project. Writing well takes time as the freelancer needs to:
- Research and gather credible sources
- Brainstorm and outline points
- Write stellar content
- Proofread & edit copy (several rounds!)
It’s necessary to respect the writer’s process and schedule. However, you also have deadlines to meet. A good compromise is to plan ahead and share your needs with your freelancers. They can then review their schedule and let you know what delivery dates work for them. From there, you can decide if it will work out or not.
While rush projects will come up occasionally, they should be the exception, not the rule. Additionally, be ready to pay extra as most writers charge rush fees.
8. Share response-time expectations
Writing can involve some back and forth so it’s important to understand response times upfront. Both you and the writer should let each other know your business hours, how long it takes to respond to messages, and how long to expect for revisions to be completed. This can avoid bottlenecks, unrealistic expectations, weekend emails, and projects that drag on for weeks or months!
Tip: It can also help to have deadlines in place so if one party doesn’t respond as agreed and fulfill their end of the deal, the project eventually expires with some sort of resolution.
9. Give constructive feedback
Providing good, effective writing feedback is a skill. It is not easy to do and takes time to learn. However, your assignment brief can function as a helpful guide.
Compare the delivery to the brief, section by section. What did they do well? What needs improvement, and why? This will help ensure the requests you make are in line with the original assignment and the scope of the project.
Another thing to keep in mind is the tone and disposition of your feedback. You want to be honest yet professional and respectful. For example, instead of saying, “I don’t like this paragraph; it is too vague,” you could suggest, “I like the points you made in this paragraph. Could we include some statistics or case studies to enhance them?”
Focusing on constructive feedback encourages collaboration, boosts morale, and builds trust between both parties.
10. Pay fairly and on-time
Lastly, freelancers prioritize working with clients who both value them and pay them on time. As a freelance content writer myself, I can express how exhausting it is to deal with clients that ghost or make me chase payments. With that said… don’t leave your freelance writer hanging! Let them know your payment turnaround times from the start and stick to them.
Further, consider a payment structure that divides up the risk between both parties. For example, you can negotiate to pay a 50% deposit to get the project started, and the rest upon completion. If your budget allows it and you’ve built trust with a writer, 100% upfront can also motivate them to continuously prioritize your projects!
In closing, an important key to a long-lasting, profitable partnership with freelance writers is to ensure you compensate them fairly. Robyn Conti, Freelance Writer at 2 Birds Creative, advises, “Don’t be scared off by higher rates if the writer is a seasoned veteran. You can get high-quality work with a lot less hand-holding and hassle.”The old saying, you get what you pay for often rings true.
Build strong partnerships with freelance writers and scale your content marketing!
With content marketing helping most U.S. businesses gain traction and achieve their goals, the demand for freelance writers isn’t slowing down. Outsourcing can help you to scale your content marketing efforts and grow your business, without needing to bring on in-house employees. However, there are a few things you need to do to foster effective partnerships with freelance writers. Hopefully, these 10 tips will help you not only find the right writer but go into the interaction prepared to make it a fruitful collaboration!
Infographic on building great partnerships with freelance writers
Want a quick checklist to keep on hand? Here ya go!
Sources:
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/b2c-2022-research-r3-1.pdf
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/B2B_2022_Research.pdf