The largest and most specialized agencies may keep a staff of in-house writers, editors and other kinds of content producers. Even so, large agencies tend to hire freelancers to produce specialized content that supports the marketing plans of their clients and use their in-house staff more for content management.
Why do large marketing agencies rely upon freelancers? Hiring freelancers gives these agencies the ability to scale up or down rapidly. They also enjoy the benefit of accessing professionals with the industry and content-type experience to produce work that’s sure to please a variety of clients and more importantly — their clients’ customers.
What Qualifies Should You Look for in a Freelance Writer?
When HubSpot addressed the qualities to consider when hiring writers, it put reliability, interest and ability at the top of the list:
- Attention to deadlines: You and your clients have deadlines, so you can’t afford to waste time on habitually tardy writers.
- Curiosity and passion: You can enjoy your working relationship with a writer who displays an interest in both the industry and the type of content.
- Ability: Of course, you need writers who can write engaging and grammatically correct text in the format you require. Some topics may also require industry-specific knowledge, a certain aptitude and a familiarity with jargon and reference sources.
Where Do Top Marketing Agencies Find Writers?
Explore the most common ways that top marketing agencies find and hire writers:
Freelance Writing Sites
Online freelance writing sites offer a variety of vetted writers with different industry experience, specialties and skill levels. For instance, WriterAccess helps its clients find writers by using a variety of asset and industry search tools, personal assistance, casting calls, writer contests, a messaging system and writer ratings. Before writers can join this site, the company vets them through their resumes, writing tests and samples, so the vast majority of clients find plenty of available writers who can meet and exceed their expectations.
Talent Agencies
For marketing agencies that prefer local talent and may even want to place the writers onsite, a talent agency like Creative Circle might offer a good alternative to a freelance writing site. For instance, Creative Circle uses resumes and personal interviews to select and get to know its talent. The company chooses writers from its pool to send out on local interviews with its client agencies. Creative Circle clients tend to offer in-house freelance positions, but some have remote opportunities too.
Social Networks
Some high-profile marketing agencies prefer to search for their own talent via social sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and even Craigslist. These companies have to spend more time searching for and qualifying writers because they don’t work with an intermediary to help screen applicants. On the other hand, these agencies also won’t have to pay fees to talent agencies and writing sites. If you have the time and resources to screen writers, you can find plenty of writers online.
How to Vet Freelance Writers
Finding the perfect writer for your marketing agency and project takes some effort no matter which method your company plans to use to find writers. You may need to find a writer with certain industry experience, asset experience, an affordable rate and, of course, a writing style that matches your client’s needs.
For instance, certain tech writers may be skilled at reaching an audience of consumers, whereas others are better at engaging with CIOs or software developers. As a marketing agency, you’ll enjoy more success if you define your audience well before you search for writers.
These tips should help you vet writers that you hire from various popular sources:
- At WriterAccess, you can use various tools to find writers with experience and skills that match your requirements. Some clients say they find so many qualified writers that it’s hard to choose. Some ways to narrow down your picks might include messaging writers to get to know them or submitting a test order.
- For an agency like Creative Circle, you can personally get to know writers through a phone or personal interview. That way, you can decide which writers you like based upon their resumes and even their personality.
- Companies that hire writers without using an agency or writing site have more vetting to do. Most agencies ask for resumes, samples and paid test orders. If writers are local, they may ask them to visit for an interview. If not, you can still ask for a phone or Skype interview.
How Will Your Agency Find Your Next, Best Writer?
WriterAccess offers you the tools and customer service to make the most efficient use of your time when you need to find the perfect writer for your project. These are just a few examples:
- Try out the automated “Stylemetrics” match tool to find a writer with a style that matches your text sample: https://www.writeraccess.com/stylemetrics/
- Compare three writers with a writing contest: https://www.writeraccess.com/contest/
- Search for the perfect match from a small army of writers by writer level, industry, type of content and performance here: https://www.writeraccess.com/search-writers/
