When it comes to finding freelance writers for your clients, the options are virtually endless. New writing and freelance work platforms constantly crop up, and a mix of new and established freelance content writers can be found anywhere in the world, from your Twitter feed to professional events where you live. Because of this, finding the ideal writer, or team of writers, can seem incredibly daunting.
When deciding whether you should work with writers directly, or use a platform like WriterAccess to recruit a team of writers, there are distinct bonuses and disadvantages to both methods.
Do You Need Writing Work on a Constant Basis?
If your volume of content writing work is steady, you have to decide if your in-house staff can take care of it or if freelancers are needed. The former knows your brand and your clients, and you can reasonably expect freelance writers to have similar expertise if they’ve been working with you for a while. But ultimately, freelance writers can’t stop everything they’re doing if a client needs work done at the last minute (unless it’s for the right price).
Also, freelance writers get sick, need vacations, have other clients and projects of their own, people to care for — the list goes on. A platform like WriterAccess makes assembling a team of writers easier since you can look up areas and industries of expertise as well as types of content and settings they’ve worked in, so you don’t have to panic if your usual writer is unable to take on an order.
Working Directly Can Cost the Same or More
You definitely want to make your writers’ lives easier if you want them to keep producing quality content for your clients. Paying well definitely helps!
But if you find writers through a platform and offer them more money to work directly, there might not necessarily be any cost savings. Writers tend to want to focus on writing instead of spending time on billing, contracts and other administrative tasks, which a platform will take care of for them. They will charge more for the time it takes to do these tasks as well as any gaps in billing.
Writing platforms generally have terms of service that you need to agree to, while working with a writer directly will have more negotiable terms.
Seeking Out Content Specialists
A writer who’s a rock star at white papers might not be so great with product descriptions, so if you suddenly get a lot of demand for the latter, you definitely want to diversify rather than leaving everything with just one or two direct writers. Talent management can also help you find writers if scoping them out on your own is proving to be too costly and time-consuming.
But if you’re seeking out writers with a hard-to-replace skill like technical or SAP writing who can demand a rate far beyond what they’d earn on writing platforms, they will generally only work with you directly.
Ultimately, the type of writing, areas of expertise and willingness to take on administrative tasks are what makes writers gravitate to direct work or platform work. To better serve your clients, you need to keep these talent, cost and time considerations in mind.
Rachel P. is a 6-star writer and 4-star content strategist specializing in game developers, tech start-ups, and tax professionals and their unique content marketing and strategy needs. She created the first content strategy course and wrote the first tax law book just for indie developers, demonstrating her dedication to professional development for interactive entertainment professionals and free agents. Rachel can be found at punk shows or communing with amphibians on the shores of the Bronx River.
