You know great content is essential for a solid marketing strategy these days, and you know you want to present the world with the highest-quality words possible to ensure your valuable online real estate is, well, adding value. That’s a given.
Obviously, shooting a note to your favorite freelancer isn’t going to boost the integrity of the content that’s ultimately produced, right? Not so fast!
There’s a reason you’ve chosen one or two writers to pump out the stuff you post online: their narratives and writing styles are consistent across all the pieces they produce. It makes your job easier and ensures your brand’s voice is uniform. So, how can a quick note to your writers before sending Solo assignments improve the final product?
Let’s take a look!
1. Clock Crunch
Let’s say you need an assignment back before your carriage turns back into a pumpkin. Tight turnaround times require extra finesse and open lines of communication because busy freelancers tend to keep their queues filled with work that’s stretched out across a specific schedule.
It’s not impossible that your freelancers will be able to fit last-minute work into their world, but the chances of those assignments being seen before they strategically fall into line can be pretty slim.
To prevent your writers from turning in assignments on a timeline that doesn’t fit your expectations, take a second to reach out and inquire about their availability. Often, they’ll be able to move things around if they know there’s a specific need for quicker-than-usual content.
2. Pre-Acceptance Questions
Once you send an assignment out into cyberspace, the clock starts. If your writers don’t get a chance to look at the brief until they put into their queues, valuable time may have been lost if they have questions. The clock keeps going after they accept the assignment. What if they don’t realize they didn’t really understand the brief until they start writing?
If your writers have worked with you for a while, they likely trust that your assignments are within their wheelhouses. If something unexpected pops up—maybe your goals have changed or you need to add meta descriptions when you previously didn’t require them. Whatever the change, if something’s different from your usual orders, a quick note to your freelancers will draw their attention to a description they may not otherwise see for hours or days.
3. Inquiries About Expertise
So, you’ve found a few go-to wordsmiths you can trust to create content, no matter what kind of work you give them. That’s great!
Remember, though, even the most versatile writers have their limits. If you suddenly need content for a new type of topic, it’s best to touch base with your freelance team before you start dropping individual assignments their way. Most writers can research a pretty wide range of topics, but if you’re in need of specific expertise, your freelancers may not feel comfortable with the subject matter. Alternatively, they may feel the amount of research necessitates a higher dollar value than you’d normally pay.
Maybe your usual writers produce awesome content for marketing topics, or you’ve become accustomed to their outstanding words where real estate is concerned. Now you need a writer who can talk about architecture, biopharma, and law. It certainly doesn’t mean your current writers can’t handle these topics, but it’s also not going to hurt to ask them about their feelings of these subjects ahead of time.
By dropping a line before sending the assignment along, you’ll be able to gauge your writers’ levels of expertise and interest. If need be, you can then negotiate different rates or know that it’s time to find a new freelancer who can take care of your newest topic. Of course, you’re not replacing your existing writers in cases like this; you’re simply adding to your team of all-stars.
WriterAccess is filled with content writers who will go above and beyond to exceed your expectations and ensure you get knock-your-socks-off content. If you’ve got an unusual request or aren’t sure if you’re communicating needs in a way that’ll make sense to the person on the other side of the screen, shoot a quick note your writer’s way! Only good things can come out of clarification.
Kristin B is interested in anything that teaches her something new or gives her a different perspective on something she already knew. She’s a self-proclaimed Learn Nerd, which means the world is her educational oyster, and she’s always seeking opportunities to learn from life’s experiences and her clients’ assignments.
