I talked to a prospective new company recently that said they were looking for a freelance copywriter because their last writer would miss a deadline and then ask for an extension after the fact. From my experience, a lack of attention to deadlines is the leading cause for companies to execute a blogger search.
It will never cease to amaze me how writers just ignore deadlines or fail to communicate clearly with their clients. I assure you, Rebekah Brately and Bridge the Gap Communication never do that.
Deadlines are serious. They make the world go round in my industry. And so does communication. After all, it’s in my company name!
I digress. We’re here to talk about how to find high-quality writers who won’t miss deadlines, fail to communicate or suddenly ghost you when you need them most.
To be honest, finding good writers is challenging. Many copywriters are moonlighters, meaning they write on the side when they are done with their full-time job. They spread themselves too thin and the money is extra, perhaps to go on vacation or improve their savings.
I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I have all the respect in the world for moonlighters. That’s where I started to test and see if I could build enough business and create enough demand for my services to make it a full-time gig.
Moonlighters are certainly hard workers. But they also have many priorities.
So here’s how to search for a quality writer without using services like Upwork, Fiverr or the like.
A Surefire (and Free) Way to Conduct a Blogger Search
The trouble with services like Upwork and Fiverr is that anyone can join. And while they do have reviews, you never know what the client was looking for when they hired the person. These professionals don’t necessarily come with referrals.
Instead, I’m a fan of conducting a blogger search using LinkedIn. You’ll save yourself time in reviewing resumes or profiles, and your candidates will come vetted through your network.
So what am I proposing? Here’s a look at how I would find a high-quality marketing writer if I were on a search.
1. Post on LinkedIn About Your Search
Provide some general details about what you’re looking for. What types of content do you need? Are there certain qualifications you’d like to see?
Ask your network for referrals to high-quality writers. They’ll likely tag those writers in the comments section of your post so you can go out and review their profiles.
2. Review LinkedIn Profiles for Referred Writers
Spend a little time reviewing the profile of the writers that your network has recommended. Look at their qualifications and any recent projects they’ve posted about. You should be able to find samples of work or an online portfolio if the writer has devoted their career to writing.
3. Message Referring Professionals to Ask About Their Experience Working with the Writer
Once you’ve reviewed the profiles of the recommended writers and have made a shortlist, send a little message to the referring professional asking about their experience working with the writer.
Things you might want to know about include:
- Attention to detail
- Ability to capture company voice
- Timeliness
- Flexibility
- Ease of collaboration
- Types of work they used the writer for
During this interaction, be sure to also thank your contact for the referral. They didn’t have to give their time to tag their writer. But this is what networking is all about.
4. Reach Out to the Writer Through LinkedIn
Take a moment to introduce yourself and explain how you learned about the writer. Share the name of the contact who referred you to them.
Outline what you’re looking for. If you drafted a job description, share that now. The most important details the writer will be looking for are an overview of your goals and expectations along with your industry and the type of content you’re looking for.
Unlike other job descriptions, you don’t need to go into tons of detail about how great your company is to work for. This is a contractor who won’t see tons of the perks you’re offering full-time employees. So cut to the chase and tell them about the project.
5. Set Up Calls or Interviews with Your Top Candidates
Spend some time getting to know the writer and what they are passionate about. Ask about what projects they’ve worked on that are similar to yours. Get to know their availability to ensure they can take on the project in question. You might also ask about what other types of writing they do to consider long-term fit.
6. Hire the Writer and Start Seeing Results
I’m honestly not sure why small businesses don’t use LinkedIn to hire contractors. It’s a great place to find reliable people. You likely won’t find the cheapest writers here, but you get what you pay for in these professionals.
When drafting marketing content, you want native-English speakers. Many professionals on third-party contractor hiring platforms like Upwork are from other countries. It’s certainly not a bad thing to hire contractors from other countries, but with writing, you just want to be sure they are highly proficient in the English language or your blog won’t rank for SEO or resonate with your customers.
AI has come so far that it understands context in a way we couldn’t imagine Google or other search engines understanding even five years ago. And the smarter these search engines get, the more important high-quality content becomes.
Hiring a Good Freelance Copywriter
You can take some time to review Rebekah Brately’s LinkedIn profile to learn more about her qualifications. Rebekah is a full-time freelance copywriter, meaning she takes her work seriously and knows the importance of timeliness and deadlines.
Schedule a free consultation with Bridge the Gap Communication to get to know Rebekah and her skills.