In order to get streams of traffic coming into your site, you need to have a quality site with quality content.
Quality content means having interesting and unique content. In order to make the content unique, some has to write the content. If you are one of the many who struggle with writing, you have to come up with a solution.
You are not alone. For most people writing is tedious and even painful.
The best solution to this predicament is outsourcing the content writing for your sites and newsletters. Finding a good writer to do this work for you can be a tremendous help.
Of course, this solution comes at a cost.
Before you hire some one to write content for you, you have to consider this cost. Part of the cost is financial. Part of it is getting the kind of writing that you want.
These 4 tips for hiring writers will help you get what you want.
Tip # 1. Know what you want.
In providing the writer with instructions on the content, be sure to answer these questions. This is necessary information for the writer but the process also helps you focus on your own target and goals.
*Where is your content going to be used?
*How many words would you like it to be?
*Who is your audience (e.g. are they electrical engineers or stay at home moms or 17 year old girls)?
Provide the writer with examples of the type of content that you want and examples of how you want it to be formatted. (e.g., short paragraphs, provided to you in text format)
Give the writer a working title of the article you want written (e.g., 10 Ways to increase your AdSense revenue).
The bottom line is that you have to give the writer as much specific guidance as possible. E.g., don’t say, “write about bears” say “I want an article with this title: Top 10 Foods that Grizzly Bears Eat.”
2. Be clear about your terms
Assume nothing. Even if it seems so obvious to you that you think it should not be mentioned, mention it anyway.
Make it very clear that you are requesting “work for hire” so that the writer understands that you will be the sole copyright owner of the work and can do with it as you wish.
This also means that the writer cannot write the same article for someone else.
State the price and the number of revisions you are expect to be included in the price.
Tell writers they must have a full command of the English language.
Arrange in advance how you are going to pay the writer and when you are going to pay the writer. For projects under $50, I always pay half up front and half upon completion.
For a larger project it is a good idea to pay a small sum up front, in the $25-$100 range. When the writer turns in the first piece, pay for that piece.
Continue paying as the writer finishes each piece until the entire project is finished.
Paying as you go gives writers the confidence that they will get paid for their work.
3. Don’t take the first bid or the lowest bid for your project.
You are in a hurry to get on with the job. However, it is important that you are not impulsive and accept the first offer that rolls in.
Don’t accept the cheapest bid either until you do your research. The cheapest bid could come from a really good writer trying to break into the business. It could also come from someone who cannot write a sensible word.
Do your homework! Check out the feedback the bidders have received. On some sites such as Elance checking feedback is easy.
On the Warriors Forum, it’s a different situation. The best bet on WF is not to advertise for a writer but ask who has hired a good writer in the past.
Finding someone who has had experience with this writer is the best way to learn the facts about the writer’s performance.
You should also ask the writer for three references and actually check the references.
Always ask the references the following:
*What was the size or scope of the project?
*Were deadlines met?
*How was the quality of the final product?
*How many revisions did it take?
*Would you hire this writer again?
Another must is to ask for examples of the writer’s work so you can see for yourself the quality of the product the writer turns out.
4. Build a relationship of trust
Finding a good writer can take a lot of time. At first it might seem like you have hundreds to choose from but the reality is that out of 100, only 2 or 3 are good.
I recommend when trying someone for the first time to start small. One article with a short deadline lets you see how the writer handles the task. A 500-word article and a deadline of one to four days will show how well the writer handles things.
If the short project is successful, don’t pile on a lot of work but gradually give them more responsibility as they perform well on smaller projects.
For instance, when doing a bigger project such as a 30-page ebook, don’t give it all to the writer at once. Break it into sections or chapters and ask for one section to be delivered before they receive the next one.
By assigning one piece at a time and only giving the writer the instructions for that piece, you can see how well the writer performed before going to far into the project.
If you set a short deadline for a simple section, you keep the writer focused and the writer is not too overwhelmed by a big project.
Because the writer has just the instructions for that piece, the writer will be able to create a more thorough document because all the attention is on just that one element of the overall project.
A real benefit of this approach is if the writer is not satisfactory, you can just end the relationship and move on to the next selected writer. Also the writer does not have all your good project thoughts in his or her possession. All the writer has is just the information for the one small section.
If you find a good writer, nurture the relationship. If you can build a relationship of trust with a writer, you will save a ton of time in the long run.
Over time the writer will get to know you and understand your projects. This means the writer will need fewer specifics about future projects.
Don’t be tempted to switch to someone else to save a buck.
What are your tips for hiring writers?
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