3 Reasons Why Hiring a Freelance Writer Is a Good Idea, What to Look For and Look Out For
pWriting is still the number one way that we express our thoughts feelings and ideas in business. Even though there are a lot of media forms we use, like video and audio, we still must write content for these as well. So whether you need an advertising piece, website content, brochure, business plan, article or blog, sales presentation or any other form of verbage, it is vitally important to make sure that what you produce is of the topmost quality.
While it is true that anyone can write, there is a big difference between what the average person can produce and what a professional, well practiced writer can turn out. And when it comes to your business copy, you want the best. It may be that you our someone on your staff is a good writer. But in some cases, this is not so, or perhaps time limits what can be done. So in this article, we will discuss three reasons why hiring a writer can be most beneficial to your company. And we will also discuss a few things to look for and look out for when searching for a quality writer.
Reason #1 - It saves time
By delegating the important task of writing your copy to a qualified professional, you free yourself and your staff up to do those tasks which are more immediate and necessary to the daily operations of your business. There are only so many hours in the day, after all.
The only real time you will ever have to devote to the turning out of your copy is the approval process and jotting down a few notes for your writer to take back and work with. This is a great time saver and frees up your mind for other things.
Reason #2 - Make the best impression
A good writer can craft copy for your business in any form. And by using this resource, you will present your information in the best possible light to those who read it. This is very important because with text, you only have one chance to make a good impression.
If you're talking to somebody and flub a word or mispronounced something, you can smile and excuse yourself and move on. When you present a written piece, it must be done well or it will give a bad impression to your reader. And this is what you should expect from a good freelancer.
Reason #3 - It saves you money
It might sound odd to say that hiring a freelance writer will save you money, but in fact, this is the case. Most smaller businesses don't' have the need for a full or part time employee to handle the copy writing chores. So hiring an independent contractor allows you to get exactly what you need for a set price.
With a freelance writer, you don't need to worry about payroll taxes, vacations, overtime, unemployment and so on. And what's even better, if you have an ongoing need for writing services, you can negotiate a good long-term retention fee that can easily be fit into your budget.
So now that we've established a few good reasons, and this is hardly a complete list, for hiring a writer, let's look at some things to guide you through the process. After all, this is an important decision which will effect your business for the long term.
Look for a diverse portfolio of work. It's not that important if your prospective writer has never written something specific to your type of business. A good one can do a bit of research and overcome this quickly. What you want is a healthy number of pieces of copy that have been written across a variety of subjects. This means things they've been paid by others to write and also what things they've written for themselves without remuneration. It's often the things we writers write on our own behalf that truly shows our talents and how seriously we take our craft.
When it comes to pricing, look for somebody that knows what they're worth. A good writer will charge something like ten cents a word, give or take. So let's use an example of an article like this one. The minimum length for most article directories is 500 words, and most go longer, like the one you're reading. So let's say a 1,000 word article, at ten cents per word might cost you $100. On the othere hand, there are lots of guys out there who charge $5 per article. While this might seem like a good deal, beware.
A well written article of say 1,000 words might take one or two hours to write and proof. And if some research is involved, maybe longer. Do you really want somebody crafting your copy who doesn't think they're worth more than $2 an hour? Of course, this is just an example, there is a lot more writing to be done than just articles.
Another point about pricing is that a good professional freelance writer should be happy to negotiate with you, especially on long-term, multi-piece projects. You should be able to get a good deal that is fair for both parties. After all, just like all entrepreneurs, those of us in any service industry want repeat business and should care about our customers.
A few more little tidbits. Don't be afraid to ask for references. A good writer, like we mentioned above, should have some examples of work he or she has been paid to do before. And it's not out of line to ask for a reference.
Additionally, if you are negotiating a long term jobs, it's okay to ask for a free sample. You would give your prospective author a topic and a few notes and ask for a 500 word sample. Of course, if this is a one-off project, that will not be the case, but for a longer term jobs, this should not be a problem.
Your copy is very important to the long term success of your business. So when researching potential writers to help you create it, be diligent. You will want somebody who can capture your voice, or that of your company. You will want somebody who will be flexible in how they handle corrections and revisions. Take your time and make a good decision. Good luck.
I'd like to thank you for reading this article. There is so much that can be done to market your business and increase your profits. I'd like to extend to you an invitation to visit my website and see all that we have to offer:
http://www.advantageadvertisingandmarketing.com
We have a large sample of articles to review, as well as links to other clients. And we're always creating new offers to benefit our fellow entrepreneurs. So please stop by and consider us for your marketing and writing needs.
While it is true that anyone can write, there is a big difference between what the average person can produce and what a professional, well practiced writer can turn out. And when it comes to your business copy, you want the best. It may be that you our someone on your staff is a good writer. But in some cases, this is not so, or perhaps time limits what can be done. So in this article, we will discuss three reasons why hiring a writer can be most beneficial to your company. And we will also discuss a few things to look for and look out for when searching for a quality writer.
Reason #1 - It saves time
By delegating the important task of writing your copy to a qualified professional, you free yourself and your staff up to do those tasks which are more immediate and necessary to the daily operations of your business. There are only so many hours in the day, after all.
The only real time you will ever have to devote to the turning out of your copy is the approval process and jotting down a few notes for your writer to take back and work with. This is a great time saver and frees up your mind for other things.
Reason #2 - Make the best impression
A good writer can craft copy for your business in any form. And by using this resource, you will present your information in the best possible light to those who read it. This is very important because with text, you only have one chance to make a good impression.
If you're talking to somebody and flub a word or mispronounced something, you can smile and excuse yourself and move on. When you present a written piece, it must be done well or it will give a bad impression to your reader. And this is what you should expect from a good freelancer.
Reason #3 - It saves you money
It might sound odd to say that hiring a freelance writer will save you money, but in fact, this is the case. Most smaller businesses don't' have the need for a full or part time employee to handle the copy writing chores. So hiring an independent contractor allows you to get exactly what you need for a set price.
With a freelance writer, you don't need to worry about payroll taxes, vacations, overtime, unemployment and so on. And what's even better, if you have an ongoing need for writing services, you can negotiate a good long-term retention fee that can easily be fit into your budget.
So now that we've established a few good reasons, and this is hardly a complete list, for hiring a writer, let's look at some things to guide you through the process. After all, this is an important decision which will effect your business for the long term.
Look for a diverse portfolio of work. It's not that important if your prospective writer has never written something specific to your type of business. A good one can do a bit of research and overcome this quickly. What you want is a healthy number of pieces of copy that have been written across a variety of subjects. This means things they've been paid by others to write and also what things they've written for themselves without remuneration. It's often the things we writers write on our own behalf that truly shows our talents and how seriously we take our craft.
When it comes to pricing, look for somebody that knows what they're worth. A good writer will charge something like ten cents a word, give or take. So let's use an example of an article like this one. The minimum length for most article directories is 500 words, and most go longer, like the one you're reading. So let's say a 1,000 word article, at ten cents per word might cost you $100. On the othere hand, there are lots of guys out there who charge $5 per article. While this might seem like a good deal, beware.
A well written article of say 1,000 words might take one or two hours to write and proof. And if some research is involved, maybe longer. Do you really want somebody crafting your copy who doesn't think they're worth more than $2 an hour? Of course, this is just an example, there is a lot more writing to be done than just articles.
Another point about pricing is that a good professional freelance writer should be happy to negotiate with you, especially on long-term, multi-piece projects. You should be able to get a good deal that is fair for both parties. After all, just like all entrepreneurs, those of us in any service industry want repeat business and should care about our customers.
A few more little tidbits. Don't be afraid to ask for references. A good writer, like we mentioned above, should have some examples of work he or she has been paid to do before. And it's not out of line to ask for a reference.
Additionally, if you are negotiating a long term jobs, it's okay to ask for a free sample. You would give your prospective author a topic and a few notes and ask for a 500 word sample. Of course, if this is a one-off project, that will not be the case, but for a longer term jobs, this should not be a problem.
Your copy is very important to the long term success of your business. So when researching potential writers to help you create it, be diligent. You will want somebody who can capture your voice, or that of your company. You will want somebody who will be flexible in how they handle corrections and revisions. Take your time and make a good decision. Good luck.
I'd like to thank you for reading this article. There is so much that can be done to market your business and increase your profits. I'd like to extend to you an invitation to visit my website and see all that we have to offer:
http://www.advantageadvertisingandmarketing.com
We have a large sample of articles to review, as well as links to other clients. And we're always creating new offers to benefit our fellow entrepreneurs. So please stop by and consider us for your marketing and writing needs.
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