The Fundamentals of Hiring the Best Freelance Writers

The Fundamentals of Hiring the Best

Freelance Writers

By Shayla Price

About Me• B2B Content Marketer

• Entrepreneur and Huffington Post Contributor

• Speaker at 2016 WooConf and WordCamp Miami

• Twitter: @ShaylaPrice

Why You Need Great Writers

“Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark

of a successful person.”—Seth Godin

Focus on Your Strengths

Product

Sales

Marketing

Public Relations

Improve Your Existing Content

Update blog posts for relevancy

Correct typos and grammatical errors

Transform old content into new formats

Attracting New Customers

Integrate content into your lead generation strategies

Use content to convert consumers

Add content to your brand loyalty programs

Quick Tips

Talk with your team about why you need great writers

Discuss which department will benefit the most

Take notice of your fears and weaknesses

Defining Your Expectations

What Do You Need?

Content Types

a. Blog Posts

b. Ebooks

c. White Papers

Content Topics

Content Levels

What’s Acceptable Content?

No Plagiarism

Author Credit or Ghostwritten

Formatting Guidelines

Citations

HubSpot Example

Source

Spreading the Word

Referrals

Social Media

Job Boards

Top Publications

43% of freelance writers look for new writing jobs every day of the week

Source

Source

Source

Quick Tips

Create guidelines outlining your expectations

Jot down your ideal job duties for the first 30 days

Always seek new writers, even when you’re not hiring

Evaluating & Selecting Great Writers

“You need to have a collaborative hiring process.”

—Steve Jobs

Create A Rubric

Tone

Word Choice

Organization

Sentence Structure

Source

Writer’s Background

Read Bios

Linkedin

Personal Website

Check Writing Samples

Copyscape

PaperRater

Good Housekeeping

Email Receipt of Application

Selection Timeline

Paid Trials

Foundr Example

Quick Tips

Involve multiple team members in the selection process

Develop a rubric that meets your company’s needs

Establish a timeline to contact all applicants

Onboarding Great Writers

Content Briefs

Customer Lifecycle

Buyer Personas

Editorial Calendar

Source

Writing Process

Weekly Meetings

Collaborative Editing

Publishing Duties

Overall Company Policies

Cultural Norms

Payroll Schedule

Access to Resources

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust.

Trust drives revenue.” —Andrew Davis

Quick Tips

Give your writers content direction

Create a flexible writing process for growth

Introduce writers to your company’s values

Questions?

@ShaylaPrice