How to Find Freelance Writers

Is it time for you to hire a freelance writer? Maybe you’ve been able to get away with writing your own marketing emails or web copy for a while but now it’s time to bring in an expert. This likely means your business is growing, which is great! But you might be panicking because you realized you haven't the slightest idea where to find a freelance writer.

Don't worry- we know all about freelance writers and we've got you covered. By the end of this article, you’ll know why you should hire a writer and where you can find one. 

Why Should You Hire a Writer?

I can already hear your objections. Even if you or someone on your team has realized it's time to get some writing help, you might still be trying to talk yourself out of it. I’m sure you’re asking yourself questions like: do I really need a writer? Will a writer fit in my budget? What if I really don't like any of the writers out there?

These are all valid concerns but I’m here to tell you how valuable it can be to find a writer that works well with your brand. There are two reasons why you should hire a writer for your business: time and expertise.

Let’s start with time. If your business is growing, that means the responsibilities on your plate are growing as well. Although I don’t doubt you know your brand better than anyone else, learning to delegate tasks is part of the growing process. While it may seem a bit scary to put someone else in charge of content, there are other areas of your business that need your attention.

When it comes to expertise, even though you are the expert on your brand, you’re not necessarily an expert writer. If you can communicate your brand’s mission, a freelance writer can create expert content that reflects the heart and soul of your business.

Content is a necessary part of every business and you’re either growing because of your content or you’re losing business to brands with better content. Hiring a freelance writer can help you meet your goals with excellent content.

Where to Find Freelance Writers

Once you're convinced that hiring a freelance writer is the next right step, now you've got to actually find one. Before I tell you where to find a writer, here’s a warning: there are a lot of freelance writers out there. Their skills range from mediocre to highly-skilled professionals and in the interview process, it can sometimes be challenging to tell the difference. That’s why it’s important to be clear upfront about what you’re looking for and what you want the writer to accomplish.

There are what seems like a million sites out there that allow you to hire a freelance writer. To keep it simple, there are two main places you're going to find a freelance writer: an online job board or a writing agency.

Online Job Boards

Online job boards are the most popular way to find freelance writers with the most well-known one being Upwork. Upwork is a freelancing platform where you can post a job to hire a freelance writer and there are now over 18 million freelancers on Upwork. When you’re using their platform to post a job, you can choose to hire someone for a short-term contract or long-term contract. They recently added a contract-to-hire option as well if you're looking to eventually add someone full-time.

While Upwork is the most well-known freelance platform or job board for freelancers, there are many others out there such as:

• Fiverr
• ProBlogger
• FlexJobs
• Guru

There are some differences between these platforms. For example, if you hire a freelancer on Upwork, you can actually set up a contract and pay them through the platform while ProBlogger is just a place to post writing jobs and is similar to Indeed or ZipRecruiter.

Freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr make it simple to post a job and you can even add filters to show what level of experience you're looking for. However, the biggest con to finding a freelance writer on a popular job board is you're going to have to sift through a lot of muck.

As the number of freelancers continues to grow, these job boards have become oversaturated with freelancers with a wide range of skills. Even though you can place filters based on who you're looking for, you should still prepare yourself to sift through a lot of applications. 

Writing Agency

Another way to find a freelance writer is through a writing agency. A writing agency is a provider that either has a team of writers on staff or outsources writing work to a group of freelance writers. Like using a job board, there are pros and cons to this option. 

When you choose a writing agency, you don't have to worry about sifting through a million applications. You also typically know what you're getting upfront. There’s a lot more security in this option since freelancers in general often have a reputation for being flaky or inconsistent.

The trick here though is making sure you find the right agency. Some agencies are all talk, but when you pull back the curtain, you realize they’re just content mills.

I’ve personally experienced this as a freelance writer–these agencies may charge clients a lot upfront. Meanwhile, they’re outsourcing their work to a pool of freelance writers and paying them practically nothing to write articles. If the agency doesn’t have a strong team of professional writers, you’re not going to get high-quality content from them.

How to Find Freelance Writers with Hire a Writer

Whether you choose an individual freelance writer or an agency, the key is finding someone you trust. At Hire a Writer, you’ll find a team of professionals who have been with the agency for years. Instead of outsourcing work to anyone with a laptop, your business gets matched with the expert marketing professional who best fits your brand and project.

We know finding the right writer for your business can feel like a guessing game. Content marketing matters and if you’re ready to increase your brand awareness with excellent content, we offer professional writing and marketing services for all kinds of brands. Instead of spending your time sifting through millions of writer applications, hire our team so you can get back to doing what you do best!