If you’ve made the decision to get the help of a professional writer congratulations! You’ve just made an important decision to hire someone with a way with words and the right skills to effectively say what you want to say, and how you want to say it.

Many businesses have never hired a freelance writer before, and before you hit Google search button for Freelance writers in Brisbane, Sydney or elsewhere, there are some important things to know. It’s going to make the process a lot easier and bring better results. That’s something that is definitely in the interests of any business.

 Know what you want to achieve

This means briefing the freelancer in what it is you need and want the writing to achieve. This may be to generate more traffic to your website, or boost engagement on your site through thoughtful and insightful content. It may be more snappy product descriptions that persuade, or it may be help with writing complex existing material to make it more easily understood for a general audience.

Whatever it is you need writing-wise, the end result is often only as good as the instructions given.

Many freelancers will provide a questionnaire for you to fill out to gauge what it is you may need. In general the more detail and the more you can help them understand your industry and your customers, the better.

Just as you would provide a web designer examples of websites that you like the colour scheme, layout and format of, its also beneficial to provide a freelance writer with written content examples that appeal to you (and likely your customers)

If in doubt, the freelancer will also be able to provide guidance and suggest how to best craft a message that resonates with customers in your industry. It’s probably why you hired them in the first place! Remember that experienced freelance copywriters have experience working with clients covering a vast number of different industries.

 Set payment terms at the start

Freelancers set their own payment terms and while these can be negotiated, you’ll get the best out of your contractor if you have a habit of paying promptly and within their timeframes. If the working relationship is ongoing, if you have a tendency to pay late, the freelancer might prioritise other clients and work and be unwilling to take on other work, especially if they are needed with a short turnaround time.

For larger jobs, it’s common for contractors request 50 per cent payment up front and the other 50 per cent. Talking about payment specifics might seem a presumptuous thing to discuss straight off the bat, but it’s important everyone is on the same page from the beginning.

Most freelancers also can’t wait until your normal 30 days accounting periods to be paid. This is especially true for large orders since it’s likely they’ve been working on the content several weeks before they deliver it.

 Be Clear, Communicate Specifically and Give Feedback

Sometimes important details can get lost in translation and often it comes down to communication, whether verbally or through email. The clearer you can be and the more specific with the instructions and deadline the greater you’ll get exactly what you had in mind.

If there is an article or piece of content you’re not happy with it doesn’t mean the freelancer you’ve hired is a bad apple. It might just be they’re not familiar with working with you and the directions weren’t as clear as they could have been.

It’s worth taking the time to explain things as much as possible in the beginning to get things right. Also, for longer-form content it can be worth getting certain sections sent from the freelancer sent to ensure the piece is in the vein that you want.

For any freelancing job I complete, I always appreciate feedback whether positive or negative. This is worth its weight in gold as its valuable guidance for the future and so I can go forward to know what’s working for the business owner and if there’s another tact they want me to take.

 Be willing to negotiate 

Just as a freelancer needs to be able to negotiate effectively to get clients, so too does the person who is seeking their services. Remember the best freelancers are often the busiest, so if you need something done quickly you may have to negotiate a higher rate for a faster turnaround time.

It’s also true that you get what you pay for. Just because you can find a SEO blog post writer in India for $10 a post, doesn’t mean that the content will provide value to your online audience. In fact, spammy content it may even hurt your site and attract penalties. Quality content will continue to work to bring new visitors to your site and potential enquiries long after it’s been written – that is worth investing in.

 In conclusion:

The right communication, expectations and instructions from the beginning and you’ll be rewarded with top quality work and a fruitful ongoing relationship for all parties. Written content is one of the most outsourced jobs in the world, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure it’s done right – especially in the beginning.