(How to Bring Your Freelance Writer Up to Speed)
After weeks, perhaps months, of searching for just the right freelance writer, you finally found a perfect fit. She’s a solid writer, a gifted storyteller, and a seasoned pro. Plus, her personality meshes well with your team and company culture. But she probably needs to learn more about your industry and your company to write from a place of true understanding. That’s where you come in. You can help bring your freelance writer up to speed by nurturing her.
Invest time up front
Similar to onboarding a new employee, a freelancer new to your company will need to acclimate to your business, your team, your tools, and your way of doing things.
To get your freelance writer up to speed quickly, dig into your files! Send her general background information, such as buyer personas, company background, and descriptions of your products/services. Give her the specific resources she’ll need to complete your project, including sources to interview, research data, previous content you’ve written about this topic, and competitors to check out.
Also, it helps to show your writer some examples of both good and bad brand content, explaining why you like or don’t like a specific piece. The more she understands about your organization, the better she’ll be able to deliver on-target writing.
Finally, recommend a few good learning resources that will help bring your freelance writer up to speed. For example, you might suggest she subscribe to the blog of your industry’s leading association or listen to a thought leader’s podcast. Or perhaps you can give her access to free training on the tools you might want her to use, like Trello or Basecamp.
Tap your team to help
Ask your customer service team to pass along common questions, problems, or hot buttons so the writer understands your audience’s pain points. If you’ve got a marketing or research team, task them with compiling an industry overview that captures key issues, trends, and thought leadership.
Maybe your communications department has already created a company style guide to set consistent standards for writing ads, press releases, and brochures. If you’ve got one, share it with your writer. It will help her understand your organization’s tone, voice, and style. Don’t have one? Your freelance writer might be able to create one for you for a fee as she gathers your company Intel.
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Even if you’ve just got a list of must-use keywords or avoid-at-all-costs phrases, pass those along to your freelance writer, too. For example, I once wrote some content marketing articles for a luxury retirement community. My client told me to avoid negative phrases such as death, dying, last stop, or final move, and instead, use phrases like senior living, take charge of your future, and navigate life’s later years. This positive spin on retirement living really helped me grasp the tone the client wanted to convey.
Give your writer time
Regardless of your onboarding procedure, it will take some time for your writer to get a feel for your company’s creative process, mission, goals, voice, tone, and subject matter. She might even be new to your industry. (Surprise! Although a writer with industry knowledge helps, you don’t necessarily need a subject matter expert. You need a top-notch writer who’s a good fit for your team and your brand. She can always learn your industry.)
Also, it might help to start a new-to-you writer out on a few smaller projects (such as a couple of blog posts) so you both get a feel for each other. This way, you can test each other out to see if you’re a good match before committing to a larger project (like a 50-page eBook).
If she misses the mark a bit, give her constructive criticism and cut her some slack. If she’s way off target, it might be time to regroup. The key is to be patient and provide lots of feedback. Freelancers aren’t mind-readers, so be clear about what you like, what you don’t like, and why.
Share content results
A freelance writer isn’t often privy to the behind-the-scenes data showing how her content performed. Is the open-rate on her newsletter outperforming previous issues? Is the click-through rate on her latest blog post surpassing all others? Did her social media posts get shared a lot? Are people engaging with the content more than usual? However you measure your content’s performance, share these statistics with your freelance writer. Help her understand what’s working and what’s not so she can tweak (or replicate) future efforts.
Bottom line: The longer she writes for you, the better she’ll grasp your industry and your brand’s vision, values, and style. Help bring your freelance writer up to speed by being a solid resource for her.
Free eBook Offer
Need more tips for building a solid, long-term relationship with your freelance writer? Email me at Lisa@LisaBeachWrites.com for a free copy of my eBook titled 14 Tips: How to Work Effectively with Freelancer Writers.