If you are just starting out with WriterAccess, you might be wondering what your first move should be. I have been writing at WriterAccess for nearly two years now and, while that isn’t a terribly long time, I have seen many new clients come in. WriterAccess offers a lot of different writers as an answer to the content needs of their clients. So, how do you get started?
Selecting Favorite Writers
There are two different kinds of beginner clients, those who seek out the ideal writers first and those who just want to test an order. Some clients look at individual writers and send them a message to see if they are interested in picking up the work. Some clients let the writers come to them with a Casting Call to explain their assignment and allow writers to apply for the job. Other clients never look into individual profiles at all, but set up an order or batch of orders to hit the main boards, becoming a free-for-all to any writers at (or above) the level of article they ordered.
I know some of the writers here appreciate being informed when a new client is planning to send them orders, especially if those are Solo Orders. Some writers don’t write very far below their star rating, so reaching out is especially important if you are going to ask a 6-Star writer to accept work at a 3-Star level. For us, writing becomes an hourly job, so we have to figure out if we are able to spend the time required on your articles to meet our own income goals.
Love Lists and Solo Orders
One of the best ways I believe clients can get the content they are after is to choose select writers to be on their favorites list. WriterAccess allows clients to put writers on specific lists and then send orders to those lists or send orders to a sole writer.
Solo Orders – Only available to the writer selected (this is when it is usually a good idea to reach out in advance and make sure the writer is available and willing to write at your chosen pay level)
Love List Orders – Orders sent to a specific list of writers. I have been on lists that have stretched from three writers to over 350 writers.
Open Board Orders – Orders that are not sent to a specific group of writers, but available for any writer at or above the article level. The biggest concern with open board orders is usually that a client does not have the opportunity to work with a consistent writer, though I have written for clients from the open board who later formed Love Lists or just continued posting to the open board. If you are trying to get a press release, you might want to seek out a group of press release writers to form a Love List, for example, instead of letting anyone on the site pick up your press release and try their hand at it.
Whenever you send orders to your Love Lists or as Solos, your writer will get an email announcing the orders being sent to the job board. It is also important to note that writers with Solo Orders may take a little bit of time to pick up a Solo Order, usually just to ensure the deadline of the article isn’t going to fall during a difficult time for their schedule. Clients are able to set their assignment deadlines to work with their own needs, and may want to put a special note within the article if they need it picked up quickly for some reason.
Initial Order Numbers
Usually clients test the water with one or two articles, but I think the most successful clients put out a small batch of articles to a select group of writers. It seems like only putting out one order may give clients the tendency to nitpick on voice, direction or subject. Sometimes, ordering a few articles helps give the client an overall idea for what he or she is going to receive. The initial orders will also help you discover how clear your instructions and expectations are so you can adjust in the future for even better levels of success with your writers.
Welcome to WriterAccess! I hope you love it here as much as I have. If you need any help ordering your content, there are special services offered by WriterAccess to provide you with additional assistance from the administration here.
Writer Bio: Alethea M is a writer at WriterAccess, covering topics that range from marketing and design to photography and chiropractic care. She loves pulling out interesting facts from her corporate blogging research to impress friends at dinner parties.
