Companies and marketing departments of all shapes and sizes hire freelance writers to help with their brand voice, blog and website management and upkeep. If you’re trying to scale your content marketing strategy without hiring an in-house writer to keep costs low, then taking on a freelance writer could be the option for you.

What is a freelance writer?

Freelance writing encompasses various specialties that cater to different needs. Freelance writers often market their skills in specific areas that play to their strengths. So, if you need writing for a particular project, then hiring a freelancer is a great solution. Here are some types of freelance writing:

• Content writing: Create engaging and informative content for websites, blogs and social media. This can include articles, blog posts, listicles, how-to guides and much more. 
• Copywriting: Crafting persuasive and compelling copy for marketing materials, advertisements, sales and landing pages, product descriptions, and email campaigns to drive conversions and sales. 
• Technical writing: Developing clear and concise documentation, manuals and instructional guidelines or reports that make complex concepts or procedures seem simple. This can include software documentation, user guides and technical manuals. 
• Creative writing: Creating fiction or nonfiction narratives, short stories, novels, scripts, screenplays and other creative content for various mediums like books, magazines, or online publications. 
• Journalism: Researching, investigating, and writing news articles, headlines, features or opinion pieces. 
• Ghostwriting: Writing content for clients who publish it under their name.
• SEO Writing: Creating content that’s optimized for search engines. This includes performing keyword research and understanding what users are looking for and incorporating relevant keywords and strategies to improve search rankings and visibility.

How to hire a freelance writer

Working with freelancers is similar to hiring full-time, in-house employees. However, there are some key differences when it comes to bringing them onto your team. We’ll highlight how you can go about hiring a freelance writer below.

Figure out your hiring needs

First thing’s first is you’ll want to create a list of all the projects you need help with. For example, you may need help with an email campaign project or website copy. Based on the tasks, you can create a budget. If you’re not sure where to start, you can check out other job postings and see what others charge. 

Write a job description

The next step is writing up a job description so writers can apply for the role. Include a brief introduction to the company and what type of writing skills the project requires. From there, you’ll attract writers that are fit for the job. 

Assess the writers

Once you have a string of applicants, you can start the interview and assessment process. Some employers will ask applicants to do a mini assignment so they can test their skills and get an idea of what they’re working with. 

Benefits of hiring a freelance writer

Hiring a freelance writer has many benefits, no matter what type of copy or content you need. Content marketing has quickly become an essential part of any marketing strategy to increase organic growth. We outline some of the top benefits of hiring a freelance writer below. 

You can focus on other company projects

When you hire a contractor or freelancer, this gives you extra time to focus on new projects and opportunities for your business or marketing strategy. The more streamlined your company’s basic functions are, the less stressful it will be in the future. 

A freelancer can help with scalability

Using high-quality creative content that your target engages with will help search engines boost your website and company. In order to keep up with your competition, you need to implement a robust content strategy and hire freelancers that know what they’re doing. 

Keep a consistent tone and voice through the content

By teaching your freelancers about your brand voice and guidelines, they can use their skills to align with your company. With an experienced writer on your team, this won’t be overly challenging for a freelancer. 

A cost-effective option

Hiring a full-time employee can be an investment when you factor in salaries, employee benefits and training. When you work with a freelancer, they usually don’t need additional training, so they can onboard quickly and get to work right away. You can negotiate rates and choose from a pool of different writers and talents. 

The final word

Professional writers are masters at achieving clicks that translate into customers. Alluring copy and engaging headlines ensure an increase in sales that could never be achieved with a solid product or service (without content marketing) alone. While it is possible for a small business owner to create their own content, outsourcing this work to a professional leads to more engaged readers.