So you’ve decided to outsource your next communications project!
Great! By doing so, it allows you to devote more time and energy
to doing what you do best: managing other projects and employees
and getting more value for your marketing dollars.
However, you’ll soon discover that now you’re confronted with an
even larger task than writing it yourself: finding the ‘right’
writer for the job.
Hiring a writer is sometimes a Catch-22 situation. At times,
quality writers seem to grow on trees, but when you need one in
a hurry to meet a rapidly approaching deadline, it can be
difficult finding one who understands your business, your
deadline, and your audience.
While finding the “Right Writer” can still be a tricky business,
we’ve developed the four following guidelines that will enable
you to locate and hire the most deserving candidate for your
project!
Guideline One Look for a Writer with an Establish Web Presence
With technology becoming ever more affordable and user-friendly,
designing and maintaining a web presence is becoming easier and
almost commonplace. A writer with her own registered domain name
is making a more serious statement than her counterpart whose
material is hosted on a free AOL or Yahoo homepage.
Look for the most qualified writers to craft a personally
branded presence that included the following: •Sample of
selected projects •A biography or resume •Listing of services
and areas of expertise
Guideline Two Look for an Effective Writing Ability
What’s an effective writing ability? Think of it as a writer who
can easily adapt and rapidly get up to speed in your business
area. Many business writing projects are better handled by
writers that have a broad range of business writing experience.
The decision to assign the task to an in-house employee who is
familiar with the project is almost always a mistake.
Why? The first reason is that the person chosen for their
familiarity is too close to the project. Writing requires an
objectivity that writers possess as an innate ability. A product
engineer who knows the product inside and out will rarely
possess the skills of a professional writer.
How do know if your writer has the right mix of effective
writing ability and project or topic distance? Return to their
web site and look again at their samples asking the following
questions:
•Does the writer’s past experience place them too close to the
details of the work? •Do the samples posted online effectively
communicate a clear message? •Is the web site copy selling the
writer’s ability and skills effectively? •Is there a diversity
of industry experience in the projects posted?
Guideline Three Look for Creativity
Selecting a writer with a creative mind is essential to the
success of any writing project. A creative writer is a creative
thinker.
Unless you have the time and inclination to micromanage each
stage of the writing process, you’ll want a professional who
will ask the appropriate questions in the beginning get straight
to work without the need for constant supervision.
Such writers are in good supply. How do you find them? Again,
return to the all-important web site.
This time examine the site for appropriate use of:
•Proper and orderly layout •Appropriate use of color •Overall
presentation of information •And above all, creative copy.
Chances are good that if a writer has difficulty with any of
these on her own site, she’s not the writer you’re looking to
hire.
Guideline Four The Life/Experience Quotient
This is a non-mathematical phrase we coined to describe the
collective feel one gets in evaluating writers for assignment.
It involves several criteria:
•Educational accomplishments •Career accomplishments outside of
writing •Industry diversity in their writing career •References
from past employers / clients
Once you get a feel for the type of work a writer has completed,
you’ll be in a more favorable position to select the appropriate
candidate.
If you feel that a particular writer is well-balanced on terms
of life / work experience, exposure to industry diversity, and
presents herself well online and in person, then you’ve found
the “Right Writer.”
Conclusion
Selecting the best freelance commercial writer for your writing
project depends on many factors. Some of these include the type
of project, deadline issues, budget constraints, client
expectations, etc.
Once you’ve narrowed the list of candidates down to an
acceptable number, look for the writer with an effective web
presence as well as one who presents himself well in person and
in print.
Select a writer who is a creative thinker and is able to
translate this into a fresh perspective for your piece. Finally,
select a professional whom your feel is in possession of the
right mix of life / work experiences that will bring the proper
tone to your project.
Using these four guidelines, I feel confident that you’ll have
no difficulty finding the “Right Writer” for your next project.
