Not every web designer has the time ? or skills ? to be able to write effective web content. Thus, it is imperative of you to find someone capable of writing articles that are interesting, informative, engaging, as well as persuasive. How do you find the right person for the job? I am glad you asked! Here are four ways to outsource your article writing needs:
1. Seek and You Shall Find. Finding the right writer for the right job is a matter of doing a little research. If you like the style of a certain writer, contact this person and ask them directly if they will work for you. Ezines are great places to find talented writers and many writers who frequent these sites already know how to write for the internet. Even if the topics you want covered are on subjects different from what the writer currently writes about, an excellent writer will be able to write about almost anything.
2. Search and Verify. Once you have narrowed your list of potential writers down to a select few, check the writer's links on the internet. If they are a prolific writer, their name should appear all over the place. You can also find out how effective their back links are by entering ?link: www.theirwebsite.com? in your Google search bar and then counting the results. If they have been writing extensively the search returns should be numerous.
3. Go to Writing Sites. Elance, Guru, and Writer's Write are several sites that come to mind. Writers actually pay to have access to these sites. You can submit your project, receive bids, and select the writers of your own choosing.
4. Contact Schools. Colleges and universities are full of budding writers. Perhaps you can give a student a chance at submitting work to you. It can make for a good part time job for the student and give you the opportunity to possibly build a long term writing relationship with a future source.
Once you have found your writer, you must finalize the terms of the agreement. Some important questions to ask include:
What is your rate? Will you pay per article, per hour, or per word?
How should your writer be paid? Paypal, check, money order, etc.?
What target audience is the article being aimed at?
How should completed work be submitted? Email, Word document, double spaced, etc.?
How soon are projects expected to be completed?
Do you need to work with a contract or is a verbal agreement sufficient?When you have come to an agreement on terms, have your writer submit one article to you. Use this first article to critique their work and help shape them to write according to the style you prefer. Communication is the key; make sure that each party understands what is expected of the other.
More than likely it will take for several articles to be written before a comfort level is reached in your relationship with each other. You have every right to require that the terms you have agreed upon are kept, however showing some flexibility in styles and deadlines will go far in keeping a good writer "on staff" as well as helping you avoid going through the laborious task of finding, hiring, and training a new writer.
Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on just about any and every issue imaginable. You can preview samples from his high performing site at http://www.thearticlewriter.com