Hiring a Freelance Writer

Businesses use writing, and how well that writing is used -- from its reach to the response it receives -- determines much of a company's bottom line. While some businesses have people on staff to develop their content, others (especially smaller businesses) rely on freelance writers to do the job.

This minimizes pay roll and benefits, reduces the commitment to written content, and so on. But you still have to find someone with the right kind of skill set for your needs.

For instance:

• Do you just want someone following orders, or do you want someone with enough experience to ask questions, to help you determine where you'll get the most bang for your buck?
  
  
• Do you want someone who will automatically defer to your change requests on the writing, or someone who will explain why they've written something based on years of writing experience?
  
  
• Do you want someone who cheaply cranks out quantity, or someone who charges professional rates and develops quality materials -- end products with more lasting search engine effects, and that better advance your business reputation, and that lead to more conversions?
  

Importantly, I don't mean any of these as rhetorical questions. You really do need to decide, as a business owner, what kind of person you're after. I've built my business around quality because it's something I've always believed in. I'm a pretty efficient writer as well, but quality always comes before quantity because I believe it yields the long-term results that I think are best for the health of a business.

I'm also someone who freely adds his 2 cents, because I believe my years of experience give my clients exceptional value. But if someone doesn't want that input, they needn't hire someone with my background.

In my opinion, though, it's best to think through what you really want from a freelance writer before hiring him/her, and then laying out your questions or expectations. And whether or not you do, you'll get a clue about the quality of the writer by the questions s/he asks of you. If you don't get questions, someone who wants to know your goals and has ideas that might help you to reach those ... if you simply get someone ready to take your money to produce something, ask yourself if that's what is best for your business. It might be -- but know, going in, that this particular person probably isn't someone who has your back. They're just getting a job done and moving on.

So what questions would you ask a freelance writer when hiring one? Or what questions do you think they should be asking you? Or ... do you have questions about how to hire a freelance writer? If so, ask in the comments here and I'll make sure to offer my thoughts.