Half of entrepreneurs say they outsource a content material advertising and marketing exercise. That’s not stunning given about 60% of B2B and B2C entrepreneurs function content material advertising and marketing groups with not more than 5 individuals.
Discovering companions with enough topical expertise and who perceive the model’s viewers are essentially the most ceaselessly cited challenges in CMI’s most up-to-date analysis.
Half of #B2B and #B2C entrepreneurs say they outsource a #ContentMarketing exercise, in keeping with @CMIContent #analysis. Click on To Tweet
That can assist you overcome these challenges and confidently rent high freelancers, I’ve put collectively this five-step information based mostly on my expertise working with contract writers.
1. Set up an enough finances
Earlier than you begin the seek for writers, you must set a practical finances.
You’ll be able to’t merely take a full-time worker’s wage and divide by 40 to estimate a freelancer’s hourly price. Given freelancers run their very own enterprise, they cost extra. They need to calculate charges that embody their bills – each the employer and worker share of earnings tax, insurance coverage, and operational prices equivalent to computer systems, software program, web, and many others. Their locale additionally might have an effect on their charges.
You’ll be able to’t set a #freelance hourly price by merely dividing an worker’s weekly compensation by 40, says @emanuelp986 by way of @CMIContent. #ContentMarketing Click on To Tweet
When you’re challenged with discovering writers who’ve adequate topical expertise, finances to pay the upper charges extra skilled writers cost. It’s higher to have a author produce a top-notch piece inside one or two makes an attempt than to rent a less expensive author and make a number of corrections.
When you’re challenged with discovering writers who’ve adequate topical expertise, finances to pay the upper charges skilled writers cost, says @emanuelp986 by way of @CMIContent. #ContentWriting #Freelance Click on To Tweet
You also needs to determine on a finances based mostly on the anticipated deliverables. The extra labor and research-intensive the challenge, the upper the finances needs to be.
Charges range dramatically based mostly on the person in addition to the {industry}. To calculate your finances, ask friends in your {industry} what they pay. Look to freelance associations and organizations for benchmark research.
Whereas a finances units expectations on how a lot you may pay the author, it isn’t the predictor of how profitable the connection can be. That’s why it’s essential observe the following steps.
2. Create the proper help-wanted submit
Freelance writers rigorously learn help-wanted posts to evaluate whether or not it’s an excellent alternative and match for them. Your itemizing ought to clearly clarify your expectations and deliverables to draw extra certified responses and correct proposals.
However simply since you’re contracting to work with somebody doesn’t imply you want a whole job description as you’d with a full-time worker. Among the many related particulars to incorporate:
- Task description, together with what info can be supplied by the corporate and what info the author is anticipated to search out.
- Specify any particular information or abilities wanted
- Anticipated deliverables, together with size estimate
- Begin and finish dates, together with interim deadlines
- Compensation vary with phrases like hourly charges or mounted costs in addition to bill cost timing
It helps so as to add some character to your itemizing because it offers the freelancer an concept of what it could be wish to work with you. And most significantly, don’t hesitate to ask further questions you deem mandatory to search out the perfect candidate on your work.
Add some character to your #freelance help-wanted listings to provide an concept of what it’s wish to work together with your model, says @emanuelp986 by way of @CMIContent. #ContentWriting Click on To Tweet
TIP: To evaluate how properly they observe directions, embody a small “check” equivalent to, “Please put the phrase ‘freelancer’ in your topic line.”
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3. Find the most effective author on your model
It’s a lot simpler lately to succeed in out and discover high quality writers on your process or challenge. Among the many choices:
- Ask your skilled and private community for referrals. Their enter is invaluable as a result of they have already got a familiarity with or have labored with the urged writers. These word-of-mouth referrals give the candidates an added increase from the start.
- Flip to job boards. Whereas many writers search job boards for everlasting gigs, part-time writers additionally use them to search out work. Make it clear in your itemizing that you simply’re looking for somebody for part-time work.
- Put up on social media. Put up the chance to Instagram and Twitter, and use industry-relevant hashtags in addition to #Freelance. Posting to related social media teams additionally might be an effective way to succeed in writers in a particular area of interest.
- Go to freelance websites. Use platforms, equivalent to Contently, Skyword, ClearVoice, and many others. These retailers facilitate discovering, hiring, and paying writers. Many of the platforms enable you shortly discover higher high quality content material creators who produce optimum high quality work in your area of interest or for the content material kind you need created. (I not too long ago employed a author who specialised completely within the privateness coverage and phrases of use pages.)
Go to #freelance websites equivalent to @contently, @skyword, and @clearvoice to search out high quality #content material creators on your model, says @emanuelp986 by way of @CMIContent. #ContentWriting Click on To Tweet
TIP: Create an genuine and fascinating profile on freelance websites to indicate your model’s character and tradition that may entice writers who’re fascinated about that surroundings.
TIP: When you rent a author who solely freelances part-time, acknowledge it might take them longer to finish the work than in the event that they labored a full-time freelance writing schedule.
4. Consider the writing candidates
First, you must shortlist your choices. You’ll be able to then ignore responses that didn’t cross your check, equivalent to together with “freelance” within the topic line. Then, undergo the remaining responses and get rid of those that don’t meet the essential necessities.
Freelance platforms additionally enable you discover certified wordsmiths by filtering them based mostly on particular stipulations and solely invite certified writers to reply to your itemizing.
Together with your shortlist recognized, conduct a video interview. I do that with each writing alternative. Whereas cellphone interviews can work, I discover it simpler to work together with an individual on video.
Through the interview, ask them inquiries to reveal:
- Their skilled background and experience in areas necessary to your work (i.e., search engine marketing, headline writing)
- Their expertise in your area of interest and together with your content material kind(s)
- How they method writing assignments equivalent to those you’d assign
- How they deal with assembly deadlines when they’re engaged on a number of tasks
- How they reply to unexpected obstacles, equivalent to an interviewee that doesn’t reply or an sudden energy outage
TIP: Asking for narrative examples generally can higher enable you perceive the candidate’s thought course of.
In case you have a standout candidate, you may proceed to the following step. When you’ve narrowed the search to 2 or three candidates, ask them to finish a small paid challenge associated to your subject. Then, you may examine and gauge every author’s capacity, from understanding the project to executing the content material.
Ask the two or 3 finalist #freelance candidates to finish a related paid project to gauge their capacity, says @emanuelp986 by way of @CMIContent. #ContentWriting Click on To Tweet
5. Hiring the freelance author
As soon as you choose the freelance author to rent, it’s time to element what you need them to do.
There’s a marked distinction in hiring a freelancer over an worker. Whilst you inform staff what they need to do and the way they need to do it, you may’t give the identical directions to freelancers. They management that.
With freelancers, try to be clear concerning the standards, together with begin date, detailed scope of labor, deliverables, cost phrases, and many others. All these particulars needs to be included in a contract, which safeguards what you are promoting and the author, and might help show to the IRS that the author is a contractor, not an worker.
An in depth, clear, and concise contract consists of:
- Names, contact info
- Actual project necessities with deliverables
- Deadlines, together with milestones
- Fee phrases
- Proprietor of the finished work
- Confidential info clause
- Limitation of legal responsibility
- Freelance copywriter phrases and obligations
- Indemnity clauses
Don’t start the working relationship till each events have signed the contract, and also you’ve paid any deposits as required.
TIP: To assist your author onboard extra shortly, share examples and paperwork of comparable work to allow them to higher perceive your expectations.
TIP: Be certain the author can entry any servers or platforms mandatory for his or her work. It is going to enhance their productiveness from the start.
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Broaden your staff with freelancers
The method of hiring freelance writers is much like hiring an worker. That you must know what you need, clarify it properly in a help-wanted itemizing, slim down the candidates, conduct an interview, after which interact your most popular alternative.
Nonetheless, you additionally have to respect the transactional nature of the connection. Whilst you can’t management how they do the work, you must spell out precisely what they’re to ship within the codecs you favor and on the schedule you set.
By following this course of, you’re extra prone to discover useful expertise that may assist your content material advertising and marketing staff ship outcomes on your model.
Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising and marketing Institute
