From time to time, you may have the occasion to hire one or more freelance writers. Even if you are a freelancer, there are times when you may need to outsource some of your work in order to meet deadlines. While freelance writers abound online, there are some things to keep in mind before you hire one.
Anyone can be a Freelance Writer
This is both good and bad news because if you're the one trying to break in as a freelance writer, you want to know the door is open to you. But if you are trying to hire freelance writers, you need to know that not everyone who calls themselves a freelance writer, or a writer for that matter produces quality material. Although there are many skilled and talented freelance writers online, there are even more who have no writing talent whatsoever, preferring instead to spin keyword stuffed articles for buyers who care nothing about quality writing either.
For this reason and others, you will want to request to see samples from writers you have not worked with before. This will give you an idea of their writing style and how much attention they pay to grammar and spelling. You'll also want to be very clear about your instructions and let any writers you hire know that you will take steps to guard against plagiarism. Unfortunately, too many freelance writers think they can get away with claiming another's work as their own. Many people who hire writers use a subscription service like that found at http://www.copyscape.com. This type of service lets you enter text and it checks to see if that same text appears anywhere else online. Not only do you want to use this type of service diligently, but you want to let any potential writers know that you are using this as a deterrent against plagiarism.
Where to Find Online Freelance Writers
There are various ways to find online freelance writers. You could just contact a content broker and let him or her handle the whole thing. Just tell the content broker what you want and they will get the project completed using their own staff of writers or they will hire freelancers. Of course, you can avoid the middleman and save money by hiring the writers yourself. There are various auction sites you can use to find freelancers; just post the job, look over the bids you receive and choose the writer or writers you want to complete the job. You can also use online classified ads to advertise for freelancers.
Freelancer Needing Freelancer
What if you are a freelance writer and find that you need a little help from time to time. Instead of incurring fees from advertising the job, you can often find other freelance writers at community forums who would be willing to help you out. This way, you still retain all the control yet you don't have to pay any fees. Whichever way you go about hiring freelancers, look for writers you can form long term relationships with so that you'll always have a backup.
Freelancing has been going on long before the Internet was ever heard of; however, the Internet has had a tremendous effect on the freelancing industry. Before the Internet, freelancers might spend months advertising their services; now many freelancers find work the same day they strike out on their own. Just look at some of the ways the World Wide Web has affected the freelance market.
Work for People You have never Met
While networking is still a big part of freelancing, now you'll be networking with people you've never met and probably never will meet. What's more, you'll be doing work for people you've never met and likely won't. While this may have sounded strange twenty years ago, today it is an acceptable practice, although you should never enter into a commitment blindly. While most work-for-hire transactions are completed with both parties being satisfied, make sure you are working for someone reputable before you spend weeks on a project or you could risk not getting paid.
Payment Options
If you're going to freelance online, you're going to need a PayPal account. This is the most widely acceptable form of payment on the Internet and you won't have to worry about bounced checks or slow snail mail. In fact, you may decide not to accept checks at all, which is entirely up to you but if you do decide to accept checks, know who you are dealing with first. With the vast amount of review sites and job sites on the Internet, anyone who sets out to hire someone to do work for them and then doesn't pay them will get so much negative publicity that they may have difficulty repeating that behavior. Still, scammers can always reinvent themselves with new email addresses and new usernames so it would be a good policy to ask for references, check feedback when available, and you might also ask for a deposit upfront.
Make Your Portfolio Public
Instead of making appointments to show prospective clients your portfolio or samples of your work, you can post it for all to see and save that time for the creative process. While some potential clients may ask you to develop a sample just for them, by and large you'll be able to answer ads with a link to your website where clients can get an idea of the kind and quality of work you do. In fact, use your judgment wisely when dealing with potential clients who ask for samples to be developed just for them with no promise of paid work. This is how some scammers get free work, although there are legitimate clients who will ask for personalized samples. This is one of those areas where you will need to consider all the facts and decide if you want to take the chance that your free work will net you the job.
Even freelancers who don't conduct their business online can still benefit from having a website they can direct potential clients to. Don't be shy! Showcase your talents. You never know who might be watching.
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